G.O.P. Debate: A Broader Party or a Purer One?  —  WASHINGTON — A fundamental debate broke out among Republicans on Wednesday over how to rebuild the party in the wake of Senator Arlen Specter's departure: Should it purge moderate voices like Mr. Specter and embrace its conservative roots …

Dead Certain  —  Tonight President Obama said he was “absolutely convinced” that he had made the right decision in putting an end to the use of the harsh interrogation techniques employed by the Bush administration.  After eight years of President Bush, it certainly is refreshing to have a leader …

Chrysler Chapter 11 Is Imminent  —  Creditor Talks Collapse as Hedge Funds Balk at Deal; Fiat Waiting in the Wings  —  WASHINGTON — Talks between the Treasury Department and lenders aimed at keeping Chrysler LLC out of bankruptcy broke down Wednesday, making it all but certain the car maker …

Biden: Avoid subways, planes  —  Vice President Joe Biden said Thursday that he would not recommend taking any commercial flight or riding in a subway car “at this point” because swine flu virus can spread “in confined places.”  —  ""I would not be, at this point - if they had another …

FACT CHECK: Obama disowns deficit he helped shape  —  WASHINGTON - “That wasn't me,” President Barack Obama said on his 100th day in office, disclaiming responsibility for the huge budget deficit waiting for him on Day One.  It actually was him — and the other Democrats controlling Congress …

Obama Deftly Handles Another Prime-Time News Conference  —  The questions put to Barack Obama at his news conference last night covered nearly every topic but the Craigslist Killer, and if that had come up, Obama probably would have answered it in stride.  You ask, he'll answer — earnestly …

Mexico Limits Public Services as Flu Alerts Are Increased  —  As the swine flu virus appeared in new locations as far apart as Peru and Switzerland on Thursday, Mexicans braced for a national shutdown of offices, restaurants, schools and even the stands of soccer stadiums in an attempt to slow the spread of the disease.

A Chilling Effect on U.S. Counterterrorism  —  Over the past couple of weeks, we have been carefully watching the fallout from the Obama administration's decision to release four classified memos from former President George W. Bush's administration that authorized “enhanced interrogation techniques.”

Gettelfinger Motors  —  The mauling of GM's bondholders reveals Treasury's political hand.  —  Printer  —  Friendly  —  President Obama insisted at his press conference last night that he doesn't want to nationalize the auto industry (or the banks, or the mortgage market, or . . .).

Elizabeth Edwards write about husband's affair in book … Campaign cad John Edwards' cheating ways made his wife, Elizabeth, sick to her stomach - literally.  —  After the former presidential hopeful confessed his betrayal, Elizabeth Edwards writes in her new book, “I cried and screamed, I went to the bathroom and threw up.”

Obama ‘Gravely Concerned’ About Pakistan  —  WASHINGTON — President Obama said Wednesday that he was “gravely concerned” about the stability of the Pakistani government but that he was confident Pakistan's nuclear arsenal would not fall into the hands of Islamic militants.

Rep. Virginia Foxx Called Matthew Shepard Hate Crime “A Hoax” … Matthew Shepard's Death Was A Hate Crime, Not Simply A Robbery  —  Rep. Foxx: “The bill was named after a very unfortunate incident that happened, where a young man was killed, but we know that that young man was killed in the commitment of robbery.

Field Poll: California voters oppose five of six May 19 ballot measures  —  Voters strongly oppose five special election measures being sold as a budget-reform elixir for California's burgeoning $40 billion deficit.  —  But voters in a new Field Poll overwhelmingly support a measure …