It's official  —  The U.S. Justice Department has notified Arkansas's congressional delegation that Interim Eastern District U.S. Attorney Tim Griffin is resigning effective Friday, June 1.  Jane Duke will become acting U.S. attorney.  (This is the assistant in the office who the Justice Department once …

Here comes the rain, kids.  NASA administrator says global warming ain't no stinking problem.  —  Hat tip (and bow and all praise thee) to Mr. Fleck who passed it along.  NPR just sent out a press release previewing a Steve Inskeep interview airing on tomorrow's Morning Edition with NASA Administration Michael Griffin.

Iowa GOP could force Fred onto straw poll  —  DES MOINES — Whether he wants to be or not, former Sen. Fred Thompson will probably be on the ballot when thousands of Iowa Republicans meet on Aug. 11 at the Ames straw poll.  —  After months of speculation that the "Law & Order" …

Lieberman talks to troops in Baghdad  —  BAGHDAD, Iraq - Spc. David Williams, 22, of Boston, Mass., had two note cards in his pocket Wednesday afternoon as he waited for Sen. Joseph Lieberman.  Williams serves in the 82nd Airborne Division from Fort Bragg, N.C., the first of the five "surge" …

Bush Reaches to Putin as Relations Continue to Slide  —  President Bush yesterday launched a high-stakes effort to repair the dramatically deteriorating U.S. relationship with Russia by inviting President Vladimir Putin to visit the family compound in Kennebunkport, Maine, after weeks of rhetoric reminiscent of the Cold War.

Of Market Forces And Organ Donors  —  Until now, I have not commented on the story regarding the Dutch game-show giveaway of two kidneys, which may surprise CQ readers, since the issue is one that hits very close to home for my family.  Michael van der Galien's post about the television competition …

What I Think About Evolution  —  IN our sound-bite political culture, it is unrealistic to expect that every complicated issue will be addressed with the nuance or subtlety it deserves.  So I suppose I should not have been surprised earlier this month when, during the first Republican presidential debate …

Lecturers vote for Israel boycott  —  University lecturers threatened yesterday to provoke international condemnation by forcing their union into a year-long debate over boycotting work with Israeli universities.  —  Delegates at the first conference of the new University and College Union …

A spreading terror  —  Iraq now set up as a school for insurgents ready to be exported, says GEORGIE ANNE GEYER  —  Anyone who knows anything about cancer knows that the danger point comes when the cancer suddenly and unexpectedly appears in another supposedly "clean" part of the body.

Big Disparities in Judging of Asylum Cases  —  Asylum seekers in the United States face broad disparities in the nation's 54 immigration courts, with the outcome of cases influenced by things like the location of the court and the sex and professional background of judges, a new study has found.

Injustice 5, Justice 4  —  The Supreme Court struck a blow for discrimination this week by stripping a key civil rights law of much of its potency.  The majority opinion, by Justice Samuel Alito, forced an unreasonable reading on the law, and tossed aside longstanding precedents to rule …

Americans to Bush: Exit Iraq  —  If Americans had a direct say in the Oval Office, most would tell President Bush to focus on an exit strategy that removes U.S. forces from Iraq.  Just one in four would suggest staying the course.  —  These are among the findings of a Gallup Poll that asked …

Giuliani Lashes Into Clinton Over 'Staggering' Tax Hike  —  BURLINGAME, Calif. — Mayor Giuliani is labeling Senator Clinton's plan to reverse President Bush's tax cuts "an astounding, staggering tax increase" that would turn back the clock and damage America's economy.

Hopkins Aid Officer Was Paid More by Lenders Than Disclosed  —  Hopkins Official Paid by Lenders Was Seen as a Stickler  —  A former financial aid director at Johns Hopkins University who cultivated a national reputation as a stickler for ethics accepted more than $130,000 …

Death of Guantanamo Detainee Is Apparent Suicide, Military Says  —  A Saudi detainee at the U.S. military detention facility at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, was found dead in his cell from an apparent suicide yesterday afternoon, military officials said.  He would be the fourth detainee to take his own life at the facility in the past year.

Economy Has Worst Growth Since 2002  —  Economy Grows by Just 0.6 Percent in the 1st Quarter, Worst Since Final Quarter of 2002  —  WASHINGTON (AP) — The economy nearly stalled in the first quarter with growth slowing to a pace of just 0.6 percent.  That was the worst three-month showing in over four years.