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.

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 …

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 …

The Shadow of a Marriage  —  The two sides of Hillary Rodham Clinton — the opposites that make her potential presidential candidacy such a gamble — came into sharp focus Tuesday morning at the National Press Club.  —  For the better part of an hour, the senator from New York held forth …

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.

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 …

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 …

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.

AP Unveils Deal to Tie Stories to Blogs  —  AP Announces Agreements That Will Tie Its News Stories to Blogs, Help Guide Readers to Web Sites  —  NEW YORK May 23, 2006 (AP)— The Associated Press announced two agreements Tuesday one that will tie its news stories to the rapidly growing world …

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.