Senate to tackle gay marriage ban  —  WASHINGTON - President Bush and congressional Republicans are aiming the political spotlight this week on efforts to ban gay marriage, with events at both ends of Pennsylvania Avenue — all for a constitutional amendment with scant chance of passage but wide appeal among social conservatives.

Army Manual to Skip Geneva Detainee Rule  —  The Pentagon's move to omit a ban on prisoner humiliation from the basic guide to soldier conduct faces strong State Dept. opposition.  —  WASHINGTON — The Pentagon has decided to omit from new detainee policies a key tenet of the Geneva Convention …

In Bomb Plot News Coverage, a Toronto Newspaper Shines  —  TORONTO, June 4 — The competition between Toronto's four major daily newspapers is often intense, particularly over crime news.  But its results are rarely as one-sided as the coverage that followed the arrests of 17 Ontario residents …

Reward for the Hereditary Elite . . .  It doesn't matter if you are liberal or conservative, Democrat or Republican.  There is no possible excuse for doing what Congress is poised to do this week: Abolish the estate tax.  —  The federal government faces a future of expanding deficits.

Uncovering Iraq's Horrors in Desert Graves  —  ON THE EDGE OF THE ASH SHAM DESERT, Iraq, June 3 — Among experts on the American-led team investigating Iraq's mass graves, the skeletal remains lying face-up at the rear of the tangled grave here have been given a name — the Blue Man …

Iran's China Syndrome  —  In the middle of a tirade about the pointlessness of talking with the Bush administration, a senior Iranian official I met in Tehran last month abruptly paused and asked if he could speak off the record.  Then he said: "What we need is an American president …

Bar group will review Bush's legal challenges  —  WASHINGTON — The board of governors of the American Bar Association voted unanimously yesterday to investigate whether President Bush has exceeded his constitutional authority in reserving the right to ignore more than 750 laws that have been enacted since he took office.

Pluribus Sine Unum  —  Will the Senate impose race-based government on Hawaii?  —  America's motto is "E pluribus unum," Latin for "Out of many, one."  Some U.S. senators seem to be reading it backward.  This week the Senate will consider legislation that would create an independent, race-based government for Native Hawaiians.

Bush Knows His History  —  Two weeks ago, I pointed out that we live in something close to the best of times, with record worldwide economic growth and at a low point in armed conflict in the world.  Yet Americans are in a sour mood, a mood that may be explained by the lack of a sense of history.

And Now For Some Good News  —  By now Americans know the litany: The nation is engaged in a difficult and costly war in Iraq; Iran is trying to build a nuclear weapon; gas prices are high; the costs of reconstructing the Gulf Coast region are huge; illegal immigration is a major problem — and more.

Medical Privacy Law Nets No Fines  —  Lax Enforcement Puts Patients' Files At Risk, Critics Say  —  In the three years since Americans gained federal protection for their private medical information, the Bush administration has received thousands of complaints alleging violations …

McKinney probe enters 3rd month  —  Police unions criticize U.S. attorney  —  Washington - The grand jury investigation of 4th District Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney enters its third month today with no hint from the federal prosecutor about how much longer it will take to settle a case …