Visit by Rumsfeld, Rice Sets Off Criticism in Iraq  —  Some leaders worry that the Americans' surprise trip could hurt talks on forming a government.  Analysts see an effort to shore up U.S. opinion.  —  BAGHDAD — Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld paid …

Grand Jury Gets Rove Testimony Over C.I.A. Leak  —  WASHINGTON, April 26 — Karl Rove, the senior counselor to President Bush, testified for several hours on Wednesday before the federal grand jury in the C.I.A. leak case, in an appearance that was a sign of renewed attention by the special prosecutor …

Pain at Pumps May Be Felt at Polls  —  As Gas Prices Soar, Voters Want to Send a Message to Lawmakers  —  FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla., April 26 — One of the soaring bridges to the beach here is named for longtime Republican congressman E. Clay Shaw Jr., and at its foot is a gas station where drivers …

Prosecutors May Widen Congressional-Bribe Case  —  Cunningham Is Suspected  —  Of Asking for Prostitutes;  —  Were Others Involved?  —  Federal prosecutors are investigating whether two contractors implicated in the bribery of former Rep. Randall "Duke" Cunningham supplied him with prostitutes …

Senators to push for $100 gas rebate checks  —  Under proposal, every U.S. taxpayer would get one  —  WASHINGTON (CNN) — Every American taxpayer would get a $100 rebate check to offset the pain of higher pump prices for gasoline, under an amendment Senate Republicans hope to bring to a vote Thursday.

Showtime at the White House  —  The Washington press corps — working in an industry that's been transformed by talk radio, 24-hour cable news and the Internet — still views the White House briefing room as it was back in the 1950s — or the '60s, '70s, '80s or even early '90s.

Solidarity without sentimentality  —  The power of one (woman) over history  —  But first, Tony Snow: The fun starts here and here and a few free comments from me, here on "Comment is Free."  (I'm not responsible for the "Yellow Snow" hed, for goodness sakes.)

Projected Iraq War Costs Soar  —  Total Spending Is Likely to More Than Double, Analysis Finds  —  The cost of the war in Iraq will reach $320 billion after the expected passage next month of an emergency spending bill currently before the Senate, and that total is likely to more than double …

CIA warns ex-agents over talking to media  —  The Central Intelligence Agency has warned former employees not to have unapproved contacts with reporters, as part of a mounting campaign by the administration to crack down on officials who leak information on national security issues.

Senate Panel Urge FEMA Dismantling  —  WASHINGTON, April 26 —The Federal Emergency Management Agency was so fundamentally dysfunctional during Hurricane Katrina that Congress should abolish it and create a new disaster response agency from scratch, according to a draft of bipartisan recommendations proposed by a Senate committee.

Understanding Mobility in America  —  Executive Summary  —  This report discusses two aspects of economic mobility in the United States.  The first is the question of intergenerational mobility, or the degree to which the economic success of children is independent of the economic status of their parents.

In iTunes War, France Has Met the Enemy.  Perhaps It Is France.  —  THE French take pride in their revolutions, which are usually hard to miss — mass uprisings, heads rolling and such.  So, with the scent of tear gas in the air this past month from the giant protests against a youth labor law …

'We Know What's Best For You'  —  (CBS) This commentary was written by CBSNews.com's Dick Meyer.  —  For several weeks in a row there have been headlines like "Bush Approval Rating Hits New Low."  This week, it was CNN's turn to break the news, with a poll showing just 32 percent …

Republicans Sag in New Poll  —  Bush and Congress  —  Get Perilously Low Marks  —  As Gas Prices Rise  —  Rising gas prices have intensified discontent with Washington and handed Congress a frightening midterm election backdrop: a deeply pessimistic electorate, despite a robust economy.

United 93  —  The filmmakers got it right.  —  The calendar says it's April 25, 2006.  At noon, my wife, Peggy, and I are walking around Battery Park—near the Tribeca area—in New York.  It is our first time.  The flowers are blooming; kids are fishing; people boarding the ferry to Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty.

Justice Thomas keeps the flame  —  REVIEWS  —  Clarence Thomas is arguably the most controversial United States Supreme Court Associate Justice in modern times.  This is not because of his jurisprudence, which strictly interprets the U.S. Constitution based on the original intent of its drafters …

Privately, Bush Says He Favors Citizenship  —  WASHINGTON — President Bush generally favors plans to give millions of illegal immigrants a chance at U.S. citizenship without leaving the country, but does not want to be more publicly supportive because of opposition among conservative House Republicans …