Secrets of the CIA  —  A former colleague says the fired Mary McCarthy 'categorically denies' being the source of the leak on agency renditions.  —  April 24, 2006 - A former CIA officer who was sacked last week after allegedly confessing to leaking secrets has denied she was the source …

Sources: Tony Snow likely to take White House post  —  WASHINGTON (CNN) — Sources close to the White House said Monday that Fox anchor Tony Snow is likely to accept the job as White House press secretary, succeeding Scott McClellan.  —  The sources said they expect him to announce his decision within the next few days.

Bush Says He Tried to Avoid War 'To The Max,' Explains How God Shapes His Foreign Policy  —  NEW YORK President Bush today said he had tried to avoid war with Iraq "diplomatically to the max."  —  Speaking to a business group in Irvine, Ca., he admitted mistakes were made in planning for the Iraq invasion …

Bush Orders Probe Into Gas Price Cheating  —  ABOARD AIR FORCE ONE (AP) — President Bush is trying to calm Americans' outrage over soaring gas prices by ordering an investigation into whether the price of gasoline has been illegally manipulated, his spokesman said Monday.

The Sad Case Of Andrea Clarke  —  Yesterday, as I was perusing the Democratic Underground, I ran across a very troubling story.  I'm reposting it here, so that you can read it just as I did last night (The phone numbers presently are x'd out, although you can read them in the original post)...

Bush's approval ratings slide to new low  —  Poll: Only one-third say he's handling his job well  —  WASHINGTON (CNN) — President Bush's approval ratings have sunk to a personal low, with only a third of Americans saying they approve of the way he is handling his job, a national poll released Monday said.

Joseph Wilson's Revenge  —  Why no special prosecutor for the latest CIA leak case?  —  If Mary O. McCarthy should ever be so desperate as to need a character witness, or to require one so badly that she must stoop to my level, I declare in advance that I shall step forward pro bono.

President Discusses Comprehensive Immigration Reform  —  Fact Sheet: Comprehensive Immigration Reform: Securing Our Border  —  THE PRESIDENT: Thank you all.  Please be seated.  (Applause.)  Thanks for letting me come by.  Tom, thanks for the invitation.

Triple blasts rock Egypt resort  —  At least 22 people have been killed and up to 150 wounded in three explosions in the Egyptian resort town of Dahab.  —  The blasts occurred in a bustling area popular with tourists during the early evening when many people would have been out in cafes and restaurants.

Harvard author faces scrutiny  —  Novel compared with earlier book  —  A Harvard undergraduate who signed a book deal for reportedly $500,000 while still a freshman is facing allegations that portions of her newly published first novel closely resemble parts of a coming-of-age novel published by a New Jersey writer in 2001.

PRO-TALIBAN SPEECH CONSTITUTIONALLY PROTECTED, CRITICISMS OF HOMOSEXUALITY UNPROTECTED: Here's an excerpt from Judge Reinhardt's short dissent in Lavine v. Blaine School Dist.  (Jan. 2002); Judge Reinhardt was taking the view that a school improperly disciplined a student for writing a poem with a violent theme:

One Day, That Economy Ticket May Buy You a Place to Stand  —  The airlines have come up with a new answer to an old question: How many passengers can be squeezed into economy class?  —  A lot more, it turns out, especially if an idea still in the early stage should catch on: standing-room-only "seats."