Immigration Deal Falls Short in Senate  —  WASHINGTON, April 7 — A carefully constructed compromise on immigration reform apparently fell apart in the Senate today after Democrats fended off conservative Republican efforts to amend the agreement and an effort to cut off debate failed by a lopsided vote.

McClellan Bobs and Weaves, But Certainly Doesn't Leak  —  This morning's White House gaggle, started at 10 AM ...  QUESTION: Did the President authorize the leak of intelligence information?  —  Scott McClellan: Terry, there is an ongoing legal proceeding, and our policy has been that we're …

The billionaire, the Post and the $220G shakedown  —  Page Six writer wanted $$$ to stop inaccurate coverage  —  A New York Post Page Six staffer solicited $220,000 from a high-profile billionaire in return for a year's "protection" against inaccurate and unflattering items about him in the gossip page, the Daily News has learned.

More than 70 killed in Baghdad mosque attack  —  Shrine has ties to Shiite political party; imam is in parliament  —  BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) — Three suicide bombers on Friday struck a Baghdad mosque affiliated with a major Shiite political party, killing at least 74 people, according to the Iraqi Health Ministry.

First a Wall — Then Amnesty  —  Every sensible immigration policy has two objectives: (1) to regain control of our borders so that it is we who decide who enters and (2) to find a way to normalize and legalize the situation of the 11 million illegals among us.  —  Start with the second.

Bloggers owe Carroll an apology  —  I AM SURE that Jill Carroll and her family are too busy inhaling the sweet spring air of freedom to spend time sniffing out the pollution in the blogosphere.  Anyone who spent three months imagining the grimmest fate for this young journalist in the hands …

Joseph Wilson Reveals Himself  —  One of the posters at Daily Kos saw former ambassador Joseph C. Wilson III speak at Florida State University in March, quoting him fairly extensively at the Kiddie Blog.  —  After reading these quotes made at a public event, how can anyone continue to take this guy seriously?

Employers Boost March Payrolls by 211,000  —  Employers, in a springtime hiring burst, boosted payrolls by a sizable 211,000 in March and pushed the nation's unemployment rate down to 4.7 percent.  —  The latest snapshot, released by the Labor Department on Friday, suggested …

Washington Post searching for bloggers from the right and left  —  This time around the Washington Post plans to hire two bloggers for its Web site.  —  The paper's ombudsman, Deborah Howell, has informed RAW STORY that Jim Brady, executive editor of washingtonpost.com, is looking for a liberal blogger …

Not as Lame as You Think  —  Democrats learn the art of opposition.  —  The first week of March should have been a bright spot for Democrats in an otherwise bleak five years.  With the president's approval numbers reaching Nixon-esque lows, and Democrats outpolling Republicans by 15 points …

Iran ready for high-level talks, US resists  —  Iran has prepared a high-level delegation to hold wide-ranging talks with the US, but the Bush administration is resisting the agenda suggested by Tehran despite pressure from European allies to engage the Islamic republic, Iranian politicians have told the Financial Times.

Health Care Plan Gives Romney Boost in GOP Field  —  Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney's chances in the presidential sweepstakes have just gone from "decent" to "excellent."  By successfully brokering legislation that promises to "solve" the health care problem in Massachusetts …

The Essence  —  Scotty is having a fit trying to make a distinction between the president leaking classified information and the NSA whistleblowers leaking classified information by saying that the first leak was in the public interest and the second harmed national security.

Jobs Americans Won't Do  —  Want to make the country poorer?  Close the borders.  —  President Bush is taking knocks from all sides in the immigration debate over his argument that the U.S. needs foreign workers to fill "jobs Americans don't want."  Economists on both the left and right …