HOSTAGE SAILORS — BRITAIN'S IMPOTENCE  —  IT'S been a tough month for the British Navy.  On March 7, it learned that Tony Blair's Labor government was going ahead with drastic cuts in its budget and number of ships.  By this time next year, the once-vaunted Royal Navy will be about the size …

Spring Break May Delay War Funds  —  Spring break checklist for Congress: A plane ticket back home, chocolate (or matzo) for the family and a war spending bill for the president.  —  The last item might need to wait.  —  Senate Democrats beat back Republican efforts Tuesday to strip …

Sweeps in Iraq Cram Two Jails With Detainees  —  Hundreds of Iraqis detained in the Baghdad security crackdown have been crammed into two detention centers run by the Defense Ministry that were designed to hold only dozens of people, a government monitoring group said Tuesday.

New Drive Afoot to Pass Equal Rights Amendment  —  Federal and state lawmakers have launched a new drive to pass the Equal Rights Amendment, reviving a feminist goal that faltered a quarter-century ago when the measure did not gain the approval of three-quarters of the state legislatures.

Bill Richardson Seeks Clinton Scraps  —  Governor to Hillary supporters: 'Make Me Your Second Choice'  —  Bill Richardson came to New York looking for cash, and at least a little recognition.  —  "I'm raising money to be respectable," he said on the night of March 26 …

FBI didn't mean to break the law, Mueller says  —  WASHINGTON - The FBI didn't deliberately break the law by improperly obtaining thousands of Americans' phone, e-mail and financial records, Bureau Director Robert Mueller told the Senate Judiciary Committee on Tuesday.  —  That was the good news.

On the Firing Line  —  D. Kyle Sampson was a team player.  Tomorrow, Alberto Gonzales's former chief of staff will tell a Senate panel who called the shots.  —  W alking into the FBI gym for a basketball game in 2003 or 2004 to play against John Ashcroft and his boys …

Hillary on Track for Nomination  —  With every passing week it becomes more likely that Hillary Clinton will be the Democratic Party nominee for president.  This thought, alone, should provide the strongest possible motivation to the Bush administration and the Washington Republicans …

Bush's Royal Trouble  —  President Bush enjoys hosting formal state dinners about as much as having a root canal.  Or proposing tax increases.  So his decision to schedule a mid-April White House gala for Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah signified the president's high regard for an Arab monarch who is also a Bush family friend.

E-mail Controversy Prompts Many Aides To Stop Usage  —  This comes from Whispers editor Paul Bedard:  —  The growing controversy over the firing of federal prosecutors and what administration officials knew about it is renewing concerns among Bush aides over the less-than-secret aspect of E-emails.

The Entourage Is Gone.  The Jet Is Gone.  But for the Ex-Speaker, the Work Goes On.  —  Former Speaker J. Dennis Hastert usually trundles through the Capitol's hallways alone these days, his head down, chin buried in his chest, without the coterie of aides who trailed him just a few months ago …