This is a partial transcript from “The Beltway Boys”, Jan. 22, 2005, that has been edited for clarity. Watch “The Beltway Boys” Saturday at 6 p.m. ET and Sunday at 1 and 6 a.m. EST. FRED BARNES, CO-HOST: There’s a new front in the war on obesity (search) as we …

NEW YORK – CNN said goodbye to pundit Tucker Carlson (search) on Wednesday, and with him likely the “Crossfire” program that has been the granddaddy of high-volume political debate shows on cable television. CNN will probably fold “Crossfire” into its other programming, perhaps as an occasional segment on the daytime …

LOS ANGELES – Box office (search) receipts soared to a new record in 2004, although the actual number of moviegoers declined for a second year in a row. Movies took in $9.4 billion in 2004 at the domestic box office, according to tracking firm Exhibitor Relations (search). Revenue for the …

WASHINGTON – Setting the stage for an early showdown in the new Congress, Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (search) intends to seek quick approval for one of President Bush’s judicial appointees, threatening a rules change if Democrats try to block action. “Cooperation does not require support for the nominees,” the …

DENVER – Search crews used sirens and flashing lights through the night, then set out again at dawn Wednesday, hoping to find a cross-country skier missing in the forests of western Colorado. Dan Walker, 54, left his wife and daughter Sunday night after the three got lost during a ski …

WASHINGTON – President Bush on Thursday said America’s military “is making a significant difference” for tsunami (search) victims, despite demands by Indonesia that foreign troops leave the ravaged Aceh province (search) by the end of March. “There’s a lot of talk about how some in the world don’t appreciate America,” …

SAN FRANCISCO – Like many gay couples, Brian Cornell and Alberto Rulloda long ago established a legal framework for their relationship to match their commitment to each other. They drew up wills naming the other as beneficiary, property agreements and powers of attorney, among other documents. The couple of 27 …

WASHINGTON – President Bush offered Monday to meet at the White House with newly elected Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas (search), putting out a welcome mat that was never there for Yasser Arafat (search). Bush also congratulated Abbas in a telephone call and said, according to a spokesman, that he envisioned …

WASHINGTON – Emboldened by a clear win and focused on President Bush’s second term in the White House, Christian conservatives had something to party about Wednesday night at a gala that was part celebration, part policy-planning session. Unlike other balls planned around Bush’s inauguration, guests spent a portion of the …

LONDON – British Prime Minister Tony Blair (search) said Sunday that he expected U.S. President George W. Bush (search) to lead final status negotiations on the creation of a Palestinian state after negotiations to make such a state viable. Blair said a London conference on strengthening and reforming the Palestinian …