Treason by association  —  Almost every Bush follower screeching about the Mary McCarthy story thinks it is extremely significant that (a) she donated money to John Kerry's campaign; (b) Dana Priest's husband knows Joe Wilson, as does McCarthy herself; and (c) McCarthy has professional ties to Sandy Berger.

Purported bin Laden tape slams West for 'crusader-Zionist war'  —  (CNN) — Parts of an audiotape purportedly from Osama bin Laden aired Sunday on an Arabic-language TV network in which the al Qaeda leader attacks the West for cutting off funds to the Palestinian Hamas-led government and referred to a …

Can Josh Bolten Rescue the Bush Presidency?  —  He started by shaking up the staff.  Next comes a five-point White House "recovery plan"  —  At the George W. Bush campaign headquarters in Austin, Texas, in 1999, policy director Josh Bolten was a low-key Washingtonian in a building full of brash Texans.

Bush's third term  —  IF PRESIDENT BUSH HOPES the "shake-up" of his administration initiated last week will re-energize his listless presidency, he's bound to be disappointed.  A far more audacious makeover is needed — one that sends Vice President Dick Cheney into early retirement.

Iran's president recruits terror master  —  Sarah Baxter, Washington and Uzi Mahnaimi, Tel Aviv  —  Plot for revenge attacks on West  —  IRAN'S president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, attended a meeting in Syria earlier this year with one of the world's most wanted terrorists …

A commemoration for the 70 000 that died under Chavez  —  Acuestate por la Vida,  —  commemorating the 70 000 deaths by violence in Venezuela in the last 6 years.  —  Since Hugo Chavez has become president in 1998, the toll of violent death from crime has been multiplied by three.

What Happened at Duke?  —  Sex.  Race.  A raucous party.  A rape charge.  And a prosecutor up for re-election.  Inside the mystery that has roiled a campus and riveted the country.  —  Photos: Gerry Broome / AP (2 left, center); Sara D. Davis / AP (upper right); Jeffrey A. Camarati / AP (lower right)

The Missing Girls of Iraq  —  Sex trafficking, virtually nonexistent under Saddam Hussein, has resurfaced in Iraq.  TIME reports on a seldom-discussed epidemic: girls being kidnapped and sold to brothels  —  The man on the phone with the 14-year-old Iraqi girl called himself Sa'ad.

How a Billionaire Friend of Bill Helps Him Do Good, and Well  —  After leaving the White House in 2001, former President Bill Clinton was inundated with business and job offers, from investment-bank partnerships to seats on corporate boards.  He turned them all down, with one exception …

Battling cancer — and Blue Cross  —  Unlike THE TYPICAL Blue Cross "valued member," as the annual letter on rate and benefit changes always calls us, I wasn't upset to learn that my monthly premium would increase by $50, to $395 a month, for me and my daughter.  —  That's because I'm not really a Blue Cross valued member.

Honor in Discretion  —  Conduct unbecoming from retired generals.  —  One could say much to defend Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld against the recent attacks of half a dozen retired generals—that the indictments are either old ("not enough troops," a trope from April 2003) or vague …

New Plans Foresee Fighting Terrorism Beyond War Zones  —  Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld has approved the military's most ambitious plan yet to fight terrorism around the world and retaliate more rapidly and decisively in the case of another major terrorist attack on the United States, according to defense officials.

What FDR Teaches Us  —  Long Shadow: A new book relives his first 100 days.  Have a look, Mr. President.  —  May 1, 2006 issue - On one level, it's unfair to compare a sitting president to his predecessors, especially when he has more than two and a half years to go.