New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin Wins Re-Election  —  NEW ORLEANS — Mayor Ray Nagin, whose shoot-from-the-hip style was both praised and scorned after Hurricane Katrina, narrowly won re-election over Lt. Gov. Mitch Landrieu on Saturday in the race to oversee one of the biggest rebuilding projects in U.S. history.

Plea of the Democratic Pariah: Forgive My Defeat  —  IN so much as the term "rehabilitation" applies to Al Gore, he is enjoying a nice little run of late.  —  Mr. Gore — the former vice president, would-be president, almost-president and, in some circles, should-be president …

F.B.I. Searches Congressman's Office in Ethics Inquiry  —  WASHINGTON, May 20 — The F.B.I. raided the Congressional offices of Representative William J. Jefferson, Democrat of Louisiana, on Saturday night as part of a corruption investigation focused on the lawmaker and on a Kentucky businessman …

Saudi Men Who Rode School Bus Arrested  —  TAMPA - Two Saudi men were arrested Friday after they boarded a school bus and rode to Wharton High School in New Tampa.  —  Students on the bus became alarmed, as did the bus driver, who called ahead.  Hillsborough County sheriff's deputies met the bus at the school and detained the men.

For soldiers, gratitude and praise from an Iraqi mayor  —  COLORADO SPRINGS - An Iraqi mayor stood before troops lined up on the lawn at Fort Carson on Friday morning and said only two words in English.  —  But those two words brought the crowd to its feet.  —  "Thank you."

In House Races, More G.O.P. Seats Look Vulnerable  —  James Votruba, left, president of Northern Kentucky University, and President Bush appearing Friday with Representative Geoff Davis, a Republican of Kentucky, who once seemed headed for an easy victory.  But he and others in the party now appear to be facing stronger challenges.

Religious Liberals Gain New Visibility  —  The religious left is back.  —  Long overshadowed by the Christian right, religious liberals across a wide swath of denominations are engaged today in their most intensive bout of political organizing and alliance-building since the civil rights …

Reunited: boys saved from slavers  —  A SENIOR member of an Islamic organisation linked to Al-Qaeda is funding his activities through the kidnapping of Christian children who are sold into slavery in Pakistan.  —  The Sunday Times has established that Gul Khan, a wealthy militant who uses …

This is a Saudi textbook.  (After the intolerance was removed.)  —  This is a Saudi textbook.  (After the intolerance was removed.)  —  S audi Arabia's public schools have long been cited for demonizing the West as well as Christians, Jews and other "unbelievers."

Baghdad's Lionel Richie Obsession  —  American Pop Star Is an Iraq Obsession  —  May 19, 2006 — I have been to Iraq nine times since the American invasion three years ago, for a total of about 10 solid months.  (My wife is counting.)  During that time, I have seen bombs and blood …

Why I Spoke Up  —  When I was selected as a student speaker for the New School commencement about two months ago I had no idea that I'd end up on CNN and in Maureen Dowd's column in the New York Times, among other places, when it was all over.  One day after the big event I'm still reeling …

Despite Pledge, Taxes Increase for Teenagers  —  The $69 billion tax cut bill that President Bush signed this week tripled tax rates for teenagers with college savings funds, despite Mr. Bush's 1999 pledge to veto any tax increase.  —  Under the new law, teenagers age 14 to 17 with investment income …

Gaza Blast Stokes Hamas-Fatah Tensions  —  GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip - An apparent attempt to assassinate Gaza's intelligence chief with a bomb planted at his headquarters Saturday heightened tensions between President Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah faction and the Islamic militant group Hamas.

Bush Is Losing Hispanics' Support, Polls Show  —  Surveys Find the Immigration Debate Is Also Alienating White Conservatives  —  Hispanic voters, many of whom responded favorably to President Bush's campaign appeals emphasizing patriotism, family and religious values in Spanish-language media in 2004 …

Iraqis Form Government, With Crucial Posts Vacant  —  BAGHDAD, Iraq, May 20— Iraqi leaders on Saturday approved a full-term government here for the first time since the fall of Saddam Hussein more than three years ago, but one that appeared to lack the cohesion needed to quell the sectarian and guerrilla violence engulfing the country.

The Code Before 'Da Vinci'  —  Confronted with "The Da Vinci Code," the motion picture version of Dan Brown's best-selling update on the ripe tropes of 19th-century Know-Nothingism (the Vatican as conspiracy central, the priesthood as perverse hit men), a previous generation of American Catholics …