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.

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.

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 …

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 …

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.

Zoellick Would Leave State If Passed Over for Top Treasury Job  —  May 24 (Bloomberg) — One of the Bush administration's most prominent foreign and economic policy voices, Deputy Secretary of State Robert Zoellick, may soon depart for the private sector.  —  Zoellick has told administration officials …

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 …

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.

It Was Just A Matter of Time  —  ... before Lou Dobbs went full-on racist on the immigration question.  Liberal Oasis has the story: … The CCC is a well known neo-confederate group that is the direct heir to the White Citizens Councils of the Jim Crow south.

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.

Pelosi asks congressman snared in bribery probe to resign post  —  House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) has formally asked Rep. William Jefferson (D-LA) to resign from the powerful Ways and Means Committee.  —  Jefferson wrote Pelosi quickly in reply, refusing to surrender his seat.

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.

Turn 9/11 rubble into a killing machine?  Hello?  —  Whoever said that irony was dead in America clearly hadn't heard about the assault ship USS New York  —  THE CLICHÉ goes that Americans do not understand irony.  Not true.  Seinfeld ran for 181 episodes and TV Guide rated it the best comedy show ever.

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.