F.B.I. Raid Divides G.O.P. Lawmakers and White House  —  WASHINGTON, May 23 — After years of quietly acceding to the Bush administration's assertions of executive power, the Republican-led Congress hit a limit this weekend.  —  Resentment boiled among senior Republicans for a second …

An Amnesty by Any Other Name ...  IN the debate over immigration, "amnesty" has become something of a dirty word.  Some opponents of the immigration bill being debated in the Senate assert that it would grant amnesty to millions of illegal immigrants.  Supporters claim it would do no such thing.

West Bank Pullout Gets a Nod From Bush  —  WASHINGTON, May 23 — President Bush offered conditional support on Tuesday for Israeli ideas for a substantial withdrawal of settlers from the West Bank, but insisted that the new prime minister, Ehud Olmert, first exhaust all possibilities for a negotiated solution.

A.C.L.U. May Block Criticism by Its Board  —  The American Civil Liberties Union is weighing new standards that would discourage its board members from publicly criticizing the organization's policies and internal administration.  —  "Where an individual director disagrees with a board position …

Lloyd Bentsen Dies at 85; Senator Ran With Dukakis  —  Lloyd Bentsen, former congressman and senator from Texas, onetime secretary of the Treasury and the Democratic nominee for vice president in 1988, died yesterday at his home in Houston.  He was 85.  The cause was complications of a stroke he suffered in 1998, his family said.

Senate Panel Endorses C.I.A. Nominee  —  WASHINGTON, May 23 — The Senate Intelligence Committee strongly endorsed Gen. Michael V. Hayden on Tuesday to be the next director of the Central Intelligence Agency, with all but three members, all Democrats, voting to send General Hayden's nomination to the Senate floor.

Defense's beefs with accuser's story cited  —  DURHAM — Sources close to the defense team in the Duke lacrosse rape case again tried to cast doubt on the accuser's credibility Tuesday, saying evidence collected so far points to problems with her story.  —  For example, three defense sources …

THE DEATH OF POLICY....The White House has been searching for a replacement for Treasury Secretary John Snow for quite a while, but apparently Robert Zoellick isn't on the list.  Why not? … Rule #1 in the Bush White House: never admit that you take policy analysis seriously if you want to get ahead.

Armed Groups Propel Iraq Toward Chaos  —  Haider Hamid was arrested in Baghdad on April 15 by officers wearing Interior Ministry uniforms, according to Mr. Hamid's brother, Majid.  Majid Hamid found his brother's body, above, showing signs of torture, five days later in the city morgue.

Taliban Offensive Shot to Pieces  —  May 24, 2006: The last two weeks have seen an ambitious Taliban offensive shot to pieces.  As many as a thousand Taliban gunmen, in half a dozen different groups, have passed over the Pakistani border, or been gathered within Afghanistan …

Bill Frist: A Doctor at Heart  —  The houses were dark on Bill Frist's street.  A morning bird chirped; the others were waiting for dawn.  But Frist was awake, and his bedroom light was on.  "I'm going to take a shower," the Senate majority leader said brightly.  Ten minutes later, the blow dryer roared.

Gonzales Defends Phone-Data Collection  —  Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales said yesterday that the government can obtain domestic telephone records without court approval under a 1979 Supreme Court ruling that authorized the collection of business records.

My Perspective on the New School Commencement  —  After following the exchange between Senator John McCain's Chief of Staff, Mark Salter, and one of The New School's graduating students Jean Sara Rohe, I am compelled to add my perspective and thoughts about the events, which took place at last Friday's New School commencement.

Should the Net Be Neutral?  —  The "net neutrality" debate has reached a fever pitch as Congress mulls legislation that would allow Internet service providers to charge Web sites for preferred delivery of digital content.  —  Net neutrality advocates, including Internet giants like Google and Amazon.com …