Lay, Skilling convicted in Enron collapse  —  HOUSTON - Former Enron Corp. chiefs Kenneth Lay and Jeffrey Skilling were convicted Thursday of conspiracy to commit securities and wire fraud in a case born from one of the biggest business scandals in U.S. history.

Bush Orders FBI-Congress Documents Sealed  —  President Bush stepped into the Justice Department's constitutional confrontation with Congress on Thursday and ordered that documents seized in an FBI raid on a congressman's office be sealed for 45 days.  —  The president directed that no one involved …

Rove-Novak Call Was Concern To Leak Investigators  —  On September 29, 2003, three days after it became known that the CIA had asked the Justice Department to investigate who leaked the name of covert CIA officer Valerie Plame, columnist Robert Novak telephoned White House senior adviser Karl Rove …

Pelosi move triggers revolt  —  Furious black lawmakers, rallying behind Rep. William Jefferson (D-La.), were pulled back from the brink of open revolt against House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) in an emergency meeting with her yesterday.  —  The meeting with a handful of CBC members …

This Glass Is Half Full, Probably More  —  HERE is a political Rorschach test for this midterm election year.  What's your reaction to the following:  —  These are the best of times in many ways.  Americans are wealthier than previous generations, they are healthier and they enjoy a higher standard of living.

Justice Department Probe Foiled  —  An internal Justice Department inquiry into whether department officials — including Attorney General Alberto Gonzales and then-Attorney General John Ashcroft — acted properly in approving and overseeing the Bush administration's domestic eavesdropping program …

Abbas stuns Hamas with talk of referendum  —  RAMALLAH, West Bank - Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said Thursday he will call a national referendum on accepting a Palestinian state alongside Israel if Hamas does not agree to the idea within 10 days.  —  Abbas' surprise announcement …

THE JIHADI SNIPERS REVISITED  —  For most people, the Beltway-area sniper case is a distant memory.  Over and done.  But in Montgomery County, Md., the pain and suffering caused by convicted killing spree murderers Lee Malvo and John Muhammad is as fresh and raw as it was three years ago …

Fragile Senate Coalition Set To Pass Bill on Immigration  —  The Senate moved to the verge of passing landmark immigration legislation yesterday, scheduling a final vote for today on a bill that would tighten the borders while allowing millions of illegal immigrants to stay in the country and permitting new guest workers to come and go.

THE MOST IMPORTANT DEBATE OF THE YEAR  —  An extraordinary exchange just took place on the Senate floor over the last 40 minutes.  It's the most important debate of the year, in my opinion.  —  The questions are these: Who do we let into this country and how many?

Q1 GDP growth fastest in 2-1/2 years  —Text+WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. economy shot forward at an upwardly revised 5.3 percent annual rate in the first quarter, the fastest growth in 2-1/2 years, as companies built up inventories and exports strengthened, a Commerce Department report on Thursday showed.