by Frank James

A quick guided tour of some of the morning's most important, most interesting (or both) Washington-related stories.

Thousands of protesters from across the nation marched in Jena, La. to protest what they said was disproportionate justice meted out to six black youths involved in a school fight, capturing the attention of President Bush who said he was "saddened" by the whole affair.

The Iraqi government said its probe proved the completely unprovoked nature of the controversial killing of at least 20 civilians by private Blackwater USA guards protecting State Department officials traveling around Baghdad on Sunday.

The kinds of alliances between Iraqi tribes and the U.S. military that led to the quelling of a significant amount of violence in Anbar Province are spreading, with the U.S. military also reporting that Baghdad car bombs and suicide attacks are at their lowest levels this year.

President Bush, pitching himself as a fiscal hawk, vowed to veto congressional efforts to expand eligibility for an important health-care program for children, helping to underscore the growing role health-care appears set to play in the 2008 congressional and presidential races.

Huge oil revenues from higher energy prices are fueling a spending boom by Middle Eastern governments as they vie to acquire significant stakes in some of the world's most important financial markets like the London Stock Exchange and the NASDAQ Stock Market.

The dollar reached new lows against the euro, increasing the costs for Americans traveling abroad or purchasing imported goods, as traders saw an increased likelihood of a U.S. economic slowdown, higher economic growth rates elsewhere and lower returns in U.S. denominated investments because of Federal Reserve interest-rate cuts.

With at least a third of Illinois's 18 congressional seats likely to be fiercely contested, the state is being viewed as ground zero for the battle to control Congress.

An increasing number of illegal immigrants, mostly from Mexico, are fleeing increasing sweeps by immigration enforcement officials in the U.S. by heading to Canada under the false impression that they will receive asylum there.

Three counties in south Florida account for most of the billions of dollars spent by Medicare on HIV/AIDS, leading some experts to suspect a great deal of health-care fraud is occurring.

Sen. Hillary Clinton has a commanding lead in national polls and some key early primary states but many say the race isn't over yet, with some citing the political baggage she carries from the years her husband was president.