Borders Are Tightened as Flu Cases Rise  —  Countries around the world began tightening their border and immigration controls Tuesday as the number of confirmed cases of swine flu continued to rise.  —  The number of deaths believed attributable to swine flu climbed to as many as 152 on Tuesday …

Cheney for President  —  Watching Dick Cheney defend the Bush administration's interrogation policies, it's been hard to escape the impression that both the Republican Party and the country would be better off today if Cheney, rather than John McCain, had been a candidate for president in 2008.

Britain is going to need far more people like Sir Michael Caine  —  The son of a charlady from Rotherhithe is an example of social mobility at its best - but try telling that to Labour, says Iain Martin.  —  His name, as they say, is Michael Caine.  And he's not a happy bunny.

The Politics of Liberal Amnesia  —  Nancy Pelosi is “pushing back” against charges that she was aware of — and acquiesced in — the CIA's harsh interrogations of terrorist detainees nearly from the moment the practice began, reports the Politico Web site.  Maybe she's suffering from amnesia.

Fed Pushes Citi, BofA to Increase Capital  —  Regulators have told Bank of America Corp. and Citigroup Inc. that the banks may need to raise more capital based on early results of the government's so-called stress tests of lenders, according to people familiar with the situation.

Pianist stops show with anti-US rant  —  • ‘Get your hands off my country’ audience told  —  • Polish player protests over missile defence shield  —  Krystian Zimerman, the great Polish concert pianist, is usually a man of few words.  He doesn't, as a rule, talk to the audience during performances.

Jet Flyover Frightens New Yorkers  —  It was supposed to be a photo opportunity, a showcase of Air Force One alongside the sweep of New York City skyline.  —  But as the low-flying Boeing 747 speeded in the shadows of skyscrapers, trailed by two fighter jets, the sight instead awakened barely dormant fears …

How libertarian dogma led the Fed astray  —  The Federal Reserve has been hobbled by at least two major shortcomings that were primarily responsible for the current and several previous credit crises.  Its failure to spot the importance of changing financial markets and its commitment …

Chrysler latest: Union eyes majority ownership  —  STERLING HEIGHTS, Mich. — The United Auto Workers union will own 55% of a restructured Chrysler LLC and its retiree health care trust will get a seat on the board if union members vote to approve contract concessions this week.

Court partly upholds “dirty words” ban  —  Splitting 5-4, the Supreme Court upheld the government's power under existing law to ban the use on radio and TV of even a single four-letter word that is considered indecent — but left open the question of whether the ban might violate the First Amendment, at least in some situations.

Squanderer in chief  —  At a stop on his grand global apology tour this spring, President Obama was asked by a reporter in France if he believed in “American exceptionalism.”  This is the notion that our history as the world's oldest democracy, our immigrant founding and our devotion …

Libyans Sure Do Know How to Dress to Impress  —  Libyan national security advisor Mutassim Qadhafi, who visited Secretary of State Clinton last week:

Why Michelle Obama inspires women around globe  —  (CNN) — Heather Ferreira works in the slums of Mumbai, India, where she has watched thousands of women live under a “curse.”  —  The women she meets in the squalid streets where “Slumdog Millionaire” was filmed are often treated with contempt, she says.

Doing the homework  —  Sorry for the lax updates, I've been sick and chugging Wall-flu, the Walgreens generic Theraflu, like mad the past several days.  I missed this from Matthew Yglesias: … The homework they are talking about about is the soft-skills part of mortgage applications …

In Memoriam: John Gideon, 1947 - 2009  —  “I will choose to celebrate his life.”  — Ellen Theisen, John Gideon's co-director at VotersUnite.org on his passing.  —  It was a very lonely time for advocates of democracy in the U.S. when John Gideon posted his first guest blog here in the dark days …

Key Posts Remain Vacant as Untested Pandemic Response Plan Implemented  —  As they confront the growing swine flu crisis, President Obama's administration is attempting to implement a never-before-tested pandemic response plan while dozens of key public health and emergency response jobs in the administration remain vacant.

Keeping Jobless Rules Intact, Florida Declines Stimulus Money  —  TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Days from the end of the legislative session, Florida lawmakers have refused to move a bill to expand unemployment eligibility in order to accept $444 million in federal stimulus aid.

Muslimowned shop bans customers wearing veils  —  A Muslim-owned jewellery shop has decided to ban customers wearing veils after being targeted by robbers disguised as Islamic women.  —  Everyone entering ATAA Jewellers in Glasgow must reveal their faces under planned new rules to protect staff from further attacks.