Hatch: Court Briefed on Bush Surveillance  —  WASHINGTON - Two judges on the secretive court that approves warrants for intelligence surveillance were told of the broad monitoring programs that have raised recent controversy, a Republican senator said Tuesday, connecting a court to knowledge …

Divide Remains as Bush Pushes Immigration Plan  —  WASHINGTON, May 16 — President Bush pushed ahead on Tuesday with his effort to bring Republicans in the House and the Senate together on a plan to reduce illegal immigration.  But he ran into renewed resistance from conservatives …

DHS Does About-Face In Backing Use of National Guard to Seal Border  —  In December of 2005, Fox News talking head Bill O'Reilly floated an unlikely — even brash — idea to the Homeland Security secretary to seal off the porous southwest border.  —  "Why don't you put the National Guard …

Conservative Battle Fatique?  The "What If" Issue  —  More bad news for the GOP in today's edition of The Washington Post as 56 percent of the respondents to the latest Post/ABC News survey say they prefer Democrats in control of Congress.  —  There is a distinct, though not quite as deep …

Update  —  I am sorry that I have been MIA all day.  I had a doctor appt. out of town that had been scheduled for months and then enjoyed a visit from my mom who came to help lift the spirits of my little fever girl.  Anyway, it has been kinda nice to be away from the computer all day …

Albinos Condemn 'Da Vinci' Assassin  —  The notion of Christ as a family man is not the only raw nerve "The Da Vinci Code" has touched.  Albinos are bothered that one of their own has yet again been depicted as a villain.  —  Dan Brown's best seller begins its worldwide debut Wednesday …

GOPers Find A New Political Horror Star In Pelosi  —  You can hear the music starting now.  That menacing cadence.  The numbing feeling that something could soon happen.  A small move that you see in the corner of your eye that makes your blood run cold.  And then it happens:

Disinvited  —  The EEOC cancels a meeting rather than listen to criticism.  —  Last month, I received an invitation to testify before the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission about affirmative action and diversity in U.S. companies.  The testimony was scheduled for today …

Venezuela may sell U.S. jets to Iran, others  —  CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Venezuela's military is considering the possibility of selling its fleet of U.S.-made F-16 fighter jets to another country, perhaps Iran, a Venezuelan military official said Tuesday.

'Earthquake in Pennsylvania'  —  TRIBUNE-REVIEW  —  Angry taxpayers on Tuesday tossed out the two Republican Senate leaders who helped engineer last year's legislative pay raise, an issue that apparently cost 15 House members their jobs, too.  —  Senate President Pro Tempore Robert Jubelirer of Altoona …

Ripley's Believe It Or Not  —  Amazing but true: … George W. Bush isn't at 29 percent because he's lost support among moderates and liberals - he's at 29 percent because he has been too willing to cave in to moderates and liberals.  —  The recipe for restoring his popularity to above 50 percent …

Senate readies vote on $70B tax cut  —  MAY. 11 1:13 P.M. ET President Bush and his GOP allies on Capitol Hill anticipated a long-sought election year victory Thursday as senators debated a bill awarding tax relief to investors and 15 million taxpayers with above-average incomes.

Basra carnage escalates as one person killed every hour  —  One person is being assassinated in Basra every hour, as order in Iraq's second city disintegrates, according to an Iraqi Defence Ministry official.  —  And a quarter of all Iraqi children suffer from malnutrition …

We Will All Win, Eventually  —  Today, in just three divisions (precincts) available to me, Kevin and I pulled over 100 votes.  With only 27-01, 27-02, and 27-23 reporting, we have reached roughly 110 votes.  And that is only three divisions (precincts).  We won, and we won huge.

The Parent Trap  —  Not long ago we worried about baby booms and overpopulation.  Now some people are worrying about a "Global Baby Bust."  Writing in Foreign Affairs, Phillip Longman says it's mostly because of economics: … He's clearly right about the economics.

Foster Quotes Eminem at Penn Graduation  —  PHILADELPHIA - You can add rapping to the list of Jodie Foster's talents.  The Oscar-winning actress spoke Monday at the University of Pennsylvania's commencement ceremonies, ending her address with the chorus of Eminem's "Lose Yourself" from …

Aksa Brigades threatens US, Europe  —  The Aksa Martyrs Brigades, the armed wing of Fatah, on Monday threatened to strike at US and European interests in response to international sanctions on the Palestinian Authority.  —  The threat, the first of its kind, came as PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas …