Former Ney Aide Details How Abramoff Treated 'Champions'  —  In the first public testimony by a member of Jack Abramoff's inner circle, a former congressional aide told a federal jury yesterday how the disgraced lobbyist identified his "champions" in government and then showered them with favors …

U.S. Sets Conditions for Talks With Iran  —  The United States is willing to join European nations in direct talks with Iran if the Iranian government first agrees to suspend its programs to enrich uranium and reprocess spent nuclear fuel, activities that Washington charges are part of plans to build nuclear weapons.

GI'S BIG FAT SUIT VS. MOORE  —  SEEKS $85M FOR 'LYING' 9/11 CLIP  —  A double-amputee Iraq-war vet is suing Michael Moore for $85 million, claiming the portly peacenik recycled an old interview and used it out of context to make him appear anti-war in "Fahrenheit 9/11."

What You Don't Know About the Immigration Bill  —  The Senate passed legislation last week that Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.) hailed as "the most far-reaching immigration reform in our history."  You might think that the first question anyone would ask is how much it would actually increase or decrease legal immigration.

A reporter's shock at the Haditha allegations  —  BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) — It actually took me a while to put all the pieces together — that I know these guys, the U.S. Marines at the heart of the alleged massacre of Iraqi civilians in Haditha.  —  I don't know why it didn't register with me until now.

Let's Give John Snow the Praise He Has Earned  —  The secretary of the Treasury has historically been an administration's pre-eminent economic policy maker.  The Treasury department has authority over virtually every corner of the economy, and access to a large and gifted staff.

Gore: Bush is 'renegade rightwing extremist'  —  Al Gore has made his sharpest attack yet on the George Bush presidency, describing the current US administration as "a renegade band of rightwing extremists".  —  In an interview with the Guardian today, the former vice-president calls himself a …

Ringside With Caesar's Wife  —  The news that a former boxer got free seats at three big Las Vegas fights hardly seems the stuff of scandal.  But it does grow intriguing when that former amateur boxer turns out to be the Senate minority leader, Harry Reid of Nevada, off on a left-jab, right-cross fact-finding mission.

As Hurricane Season Looms, States Aim to Scare  —  MIAMI, May 30 — Convinced that tough tactics are needed, officials in hurricane-prone states are trumpeting dire warnings about the storm season that starts on Thursday, preaching self-reliance and prodding the public to prepare early and well.

Congressman Tried to Hide Papers, Justice Dept. Says  —  Court Filing in Response to Jefferson Lawsuit Defends Raid  —  The Justice Department yesterday vigorously defended the recent weekend raid of Rep. William J. Jefferson's Capitol Hill office as part of a bribery investigation …

McCain cancels Bilbray event over immigration  —  SAN DIEGO - Arizona Sen. John McCain on Tuesday canceled an appearance for a Republican congressional candidate who has attacked his opponent for supporting McCain's immigration bill.  —  McCain, R-Ariz., was scheduled to speak Wednesday …

New Vehicle for Dissent Is a Fast Track to Prison  —  Bloggers Held Under Egypt's Emergency Laws  —  CAIRO J ust over a year ago, Alaa Seif al-Islam was one of a growing number of Egyptian bloggers who recounted their lives online, published poetry, provided Web tips, helped private aid agencies use …

Dixie Chicks New Album, Taking The Long Way, Debuts At #1 On Billboard Top 200  —  Dixie Chicks Become First Female Group Ever To Have Three Albums Debut In Top Slot  —  On Sales Dates For Dixie Chicks "Accidents & Accusations Tour" Announced  —  NEW YORK, May 31 /PRNewswire …

Bill to Bolster Election Clout Gains  —  The Assembly passes a measure to pledge the state's Electoral College votes to the presidential candidate who wins the national popular vote.  —  SACRAMENTO — Seeking to force presidential candidates to pay attention to California's 15.5 million voters …

NATFHE motion on proposed boycott of Israeli academics - an AUT statement  —  AUT does not endorse this policy and is strongly advising its members not to implement it.  —  In May 2005 AUT council overwhelmingly rejected an earlier decision to boycott two Israeli universities and reasserted …

Democrats' Senate Hopes May Ride on Tennessee Race  —  KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Representative Harold E. Ford Jr. freely acknowledges that he faces many challenges in his campaign for the Senate, which may ultimately determine the Democratic Party's chances of regaining a Senate majority.

Rousing the Zealots  —  Neo-Nazis, white supremacists and militiamen are revivified by the furor over illegal immigration  —  Pugnacious anthems and racist diatribes have never been in short supply at Nordic Fest, an annual white-power Woodstock held over the Memorial Day break near …