Congress Isn't Above the Law  —  And bribery isn't "speech or debate."  —  How strong is the case against Louisiana's Rep. William Jefferson?  —  According to numerous press accounts, after videotaping Mr. Jefferson receiving a $100,000 bribe from an FBI informant, the government executed …

At least 1,000 UK soldiers desert  —  More than 1,000 members of the British military have deserted the armed forces since the start of the 2003 Iraq war, the BBC has discovered.  —  It comes as Parliament debates a law that will forbid military personnel refusing to participate in the occupation of a foreign country.

Back in the Limelight, Gore Insists He's Over Politics  —  WASHINGTON, May 27 — "I wanted it, and it was not to be," said Al Gore, the former vice president and two-time presidential candidate.  "I am not pursuing it.  I have been there, and I have done that."

Ahmadinejad threatens Europe  —  Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad warned Europe that it should support his country's nuclear program or "suffer the consequences."  —  In an interview to be published in the German Der Spiegel on Sunday, Ahmadinejad also expressed his doubt regarding the Holocaust …

Can Bloggers Get Real?  —  Las Vegas, as the ad campaign likes to remind us, is a place people go to untether themselves from reality — to become, if only for a weekend, anonymous and uncensored.  It's odd, then, that Vegas is about to play host to a gathering of ordinary Americans whose objective is precisely the reverse.

A Union Tested by War  —  Military Couples Recast Future in Face of the Unthinkable  —  A few weeks after an explosion tore off his legs and part of his right arm, Army Sgt. Joseph Bozik felt the time had come to tell his girlfriend she no longer was bound by their plans for marriage.

At West Point, Bush Draws Parallels With Truman  —  WEST POINT, N.Y., May 27 — President Bush implicitly compared himself to Harry S. Truman in a commencement address at the United States Military Academy on Saturday, saying Truman acted boldly against the "fanatic faith" …

NYT's Is Full Of Kerry  —  The New York Times is past being the paper of record and is now again recorder for John Kerry's crap.  In another of the New York Times' pattern of weekend raids, this one ironically if not purposely on Memorial Day weekend when honorable service and sacrifice is remembered …

Hamas militia returns to streets of Gaza  —  GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip - The Hamas-led government's private militia returned to the streets of Gaza Saturday after a one-day absence, complicating efforts to end an increasingly bloody standoff with President Mahmoud Abbas' rival Fatah movement.

Residents Flee Violence in East Timor Capital  —  DILI, East Timor, May 27 — Thousands of people in East Timor's capital fled Saturday to churches, schools and other sanctuaries after surging violence between factions inside the security forces this week ignited a wider feud between residents …

Iran Chief Eclipses Power of Clerics  —  TEHRAN, May 27 — President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is trying to consolidate power in the office of the presidency in a way never before seen in the 27-year history of the Islamic Republic, apparently with the tacit approval of Iran's supreme leader …

Immigration Deal at Risk as House GOP Looks to Voters  —  Republican House members facing the toughest races this fall are overwhelmingly opposed to any deal that provides illegal immigrants a path to citizenship — an election-year dynamic that significantly dims the prospects that President Bush …

'Gunfire' false alarm sparks panic in the US Capitol  —  WASHINGTON (AFP) - Tactical teams wearing flak jackets and police sniffer dogs swarmed through several US Congress buildings after an erroneous report of gunfire forced a lockdown of the sprawling Capitol office complex.

With a Few Humble Words, Bush Silences His Texas Swagger  —  WASHINGTON, May 26 — What happened to the Texas swagger?  —  Maybe it went the way of his poll numbers.  Maybe this is a newly reflective President Bush.  Or maybe the first lady had her say.  —  Whatever the case …

Iranian-backed militia groups take control of much of southern Iraq  —  BASRA, Iraq - Southern Iraq, long touted as a peaceful region that's likely to be among the first areas returned to Iraqi control, is now dominated by Shiite Muslim warlords and militiamen who are laying the groundwork …

An Affront To American Values  —  In response to the 3,000 murders on Sept. 11, 2001, our nation went to war.  In Afghanistan, our targets were the al-Qaeda perpetrators and the Taliban regime that aided and abetted them.  In Iraq, the target was an unstable tyrant who had a history …