Rove chokes up on last day  —  WASHINGTON (CNN) — Karl Rove was nearly overcome with emotion Friday as colleagues privately paid tribute to the political adviser as he leaves the White House, senior officials say.  —  At the closed-door senior staff meeting at 7:30 a.m. in the Roosevelt Room …

Hsu Faces Probe Of Fund Raising For Democrats  —  Big Donor Surrenders  —  On California Charge,  —  Posts $2 Million Bail  —  The U.S. Justice Department is investigating possible campaign-finance violations by top Democratic fundraiser Norman Hsu, according to people familiar with the probe.

Freeze on Wages Is Latest Step to Stanch Inflation in Zimbabwe  —  Zimbabwe's government slapped a six-month freeze on wages, rents and service fees on Friday, the latest step in what some analysts call an increasingly desperate campaign to sustain an economy gutted by hyperinflation.

Tancredo slams Katrina spending  —  GOP presidential hopeful Rep. Tom Tancredo (Colo.) said Friday it is "time the taxpayer gravy train left the New Orleans station" and urged an end to the federal aid to the region that was devastated by Hurricane Katrina two years ago.

Mars rovers OK after dust storm  —  LOS ANGELES - They're old and dirty, but NASA's Mars rovers are back in the exploration business after enduring a lengthy Red Planet dust bowl that blocked most of the sunlight they need for power.  —  With skies gradually brightening …

Senator Warner Will Not Seek Re-election  —  Senator John W. Warner of Virginia, one of the Republican Party's most influential figures on military issues and an increasingly critical voice on the course of the war in Iraq, announced today that he will not run for re-election next year.

BBC still lying about Lebanon war casualties  —  Of all the distortions, half-truths and outright lies the BBC has published concerning the Middle East, one of the most egregious is its accounting of the casualties in last year's war between Israel and Hezbollah.

Degeneres/Clinton'08?  —  Hillary Rodham Clinton: former first lady, United States senator, presidential candidate, prop comic.  —  At today's taping of "The Ellen Degeneres Show" season premier, Mrs. Clinton presented the host, who quipped on Thursday that she is planning her own run for the White House, a campaign survival kit.

As Her Star Wanes, Rice Tries to Reshape Legacy  —  On May 25, Stanford University's student newspaper, The Stanford Daily, devoted the bulk of its front page to the university's former provost, who is on leave while she serves out her term as secretary of state.  "Condi Eyes Return," read the headline, "but in What Role?"

Romney: Retaliate for a nuclear attack  —  NEWBERRY, S.C. - Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney says that if terrorists detonated a nuclear bomb in a U.S. city while he was president he would retaliate "in a very dramatic and clear way."  —  Posed that scenario while campaigning Friday …

The Tension Between Traditional Economics and Bubbles  —  Economists, in particular those at the Federal Reserve, are loathe to believe asset markets have become bubbles because bubbles seem inconsistent with rational investor and consumer behavior, the bedrock of economic analysis.

Guilty  —  Nifong afternoon testimony:  —  Nifong is a bit more subdued—perhaps because at the lunch break he saw ABC-11's story that the US Attorney's office is monitoring the contempt proceedings with the possibility of opening a criminal investigation.

Katie: Greetings From Baghdad  —  Here I am, my first day in Baghdad... It is overwhelming to be here and there is so much to take in.  —  We arrived at the airport this morning on a private plane.  I was surprised to hear that there are now three Royal Jordanian flights into Baghdad every day.

The Bad Judgment of Gen. David Petraeus  —  Gen. David Petraeus is a good man and a great soldier with a track record of almost complete failure in his previous tours of duty in Iraq.  —  Let this be said up front: While the president and Petraeus maneuver for him to testify on the anniversary of Sept. 11 …

Images Redacted  —  Brian De Palma is tediously consistent if nothing else.  —  His Vietnam war fiction "Casualties of War" portrayed American soldiers as rapist thugs merely bidding their time for the opportunity to commit inhuman acts against a bucolic population.

Petraeus Attempts To Manipulate Australian Election With False Claims About Iraq  —  On Monday, President Bush will visit Australia to attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit.  The White House is using the trip to try to influence the Australian election …