Comments of Disciplinary Panel's Chairman  —  Following is a transcript of the comments of F. Lane Williamson, chairman of the disciplinary panel that voted unanimously to disbar Michael Nifong, as recorded by The New York Times.  —  Thank you for your patience.

Looters raid Arafat's home, steal his Nobel Peace Prize  —  Enraged Fatah leaders on Saturday accused Hamas militiamen of looting the home of former Palestinian Authority chairman Yasser Arafat in Gaza City.  —  "They stole almost everything inside the house, including Arafat's Nobel Peace Prize medal …

Bush says he'll use his veto pen on excessive spending bills  —  President Bush warned Congress on Saturday that he will use his veto power to stop runaway government spending.  —  ''The American people do not want to return to the days of tax-and-spend policies,'' Bush said in his radio address.

THE GENERAL'S REPORT  —  How Antonio Taguba, who investigated the Abu Ghraib scandal, became one of its casualties. … On the afternoon of May 6, 2004, Army Major General Antonio M. Taguba was summoned to meet, for the first time, with Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld in his Pentagon conference room.

Take Back America 2007  —  Welcome to the online headquarters for Take Back America 2007, the premier progressive event of the year.  Starting Monday through June 20, thousands of progressive activists, thinkers, bloggers, and leaders will convene in Washington, DC to begin transforming …

Democrat Strategist: Liberal Bloggers Have 'Much Too Much Influence Over' Harry Reid  —  Here's something you don't see every day: a Democrat strategist chiding a senior Democrat official, and claiming that liberal bloggers have "much too much influence over" Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nevada).

Bush's blank check  —  War critics are rightly disappointed over the inability of congressional Democrats to mount an effective challenge to President Bush's Iraq adventure.  What began as a frontal assault on the war, with tough talk about deadlines and timetables, has settled into something …

Jefferson Memorial's Signs of Sinking Raise Fresh Alarms  —  Up on the surface, the signs of the trouble at the Jefferson Memorial are small:  —  A few blacktop patches over uneven seams in some concrete.  A cordoned-off section where the sea wall has slipped below the front plaza.

The War Inside  —  Troops Are Returning From the Battlefield With Psychological Wounds, But the Mental-Health System That Serves Them Makes Healing Difficult  —  Army Spec.  Jeans Cruz helped capture Saddam Hussein.  When he came home to the Bronx, important people called him a war hero and promised to help him start a new life.

Blair knew US had no post-war plan for Iraq  —  Tony Blair agreed to commit British troops to battle in Iraq in the full knowledge that Washington had failed to make adequate preparations for the postwar reconstruction of the country.  —  In a devastating account of the chaotic preparations for the war …

Immigration Update  —  From a knowledgeable Senate source:

For U.S. and Key Allies in Region, Mideast Morass Just Gets Deeper  —  The Middle East is in flames.  Over the past week, war erupted among the Palestinians and their government collapsed.  A Shiite shrine in Iraq was bombed — again — as the new U.S. military strategy showed no sign of diminishing violence.