Specter: GOP priorities contributed to Kemp death  —  Sen. Arlen Specter, Pennsylvania Democrat, said part of the reason he left the Republican Party last week was disillusionment with its healthcare priorities, and suggested that had the Republicans taken a more moderate track, Jack Kemp may have won his battle with cancer.

Specter: I did not say I'll be a loyal Democrat  —  You can view this video right here by getting the latest version of Flash Player!  —  (h/t David E.)  —  Here it comes.  Been a Democrat for less than a week and already Arlen Specter is backtracking.  Is it any clearer that this Faustian bargain …

Tests of Banks May Bring Hope More Than Fear  —  The results of the bank stress tests to be released by the Obama administration this week are expected to include more detailed information about individual banks — assessing specific parts of their loan portfolios — than many analysts have been expecting.

GOP turns to Bush aides for advice  —  Republicans looking to recover from Bush-era defeats are turning to an unlikely source for advice: top aides to former President George W. Bush.  —  Former White House press secretary Dana Perino, former Bush counselor Ed Gillespie …

The World's New Numbers  —  “Here lies Europe, overwhelmed by Muslim immigrants and emptied of native-born Europeans.”  That is the obituary some pundits have been writing in recent years.  But neither the immigrants nor the Europeans are playing their assigned roles.

The Sotomayor Video: I have a different reaction than my co-blogger Jonathan to the video of Judge Sotomayor.  Here's the transcript, as best I can tell: … As I see it, Judge Sotomayor is saying that, descriptively, the court of appeals is “where policy is made.”

Pakistan Strife Raises U.S. Doubts on Nuclear Arms  —  WASHINGTON — As the insurgency of the Taliban and Al Qaeda spreads in Pakistan, senior American officials say they are increasingly concerned about new vulnerabilities for Pakistan's nuclear arsenal, including the potential for militants …

Baucus bill portends Dem fight over Cuba  —  Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-Mont.) is set to introduce legislation that would open the door to more agricultural imports to Cuba, taking advantage of President Obama's pledge to “seek a new beginning” with the island nation.

Deal on climate bill remains elusive  —  Congressional Democrats headed into the weekend without an agreement on a climate change bill, raising doubts an accord will be found in time for a scheduled markup this week.  —  There is broad support within the party on the bill's overarching goal …

4th-Grader Questions Rice on Waterboarding  —  Ex-Secretary of State Stresses Legality  —  Days after telling students at Stanford University that waterboarding was legal “by definition if it was authorized by the president,” former secretary of state Condoleezza Rice was pressed again …

Falling Wage Syndrome  —  Wages are falling all across America.  —  Some of the wage cuts, like the givebacks by Chrysler workers, are the price of federal aid.  Others, like the tentative agreement on a salary cut here at The Times, are the result of discussions between employers and their union employees.

China Forces Dozens of Mexican Travelers Into Quarantine  —  BEIJING — The A/H1N1 flu outbreak is leading to a potential diplomatic row between China and Mexico, as Chinese health authorities round up and quarantine scores of Mexicans — only one of whom is thus far reported to be sick — as they fly in on business and holiday trips.

Feds are looking at Edwards' campaign  —  RALEIGH Federal investigators are sifting through the records of money that helped John Edwards' presidential campaign to determine if any was used to keep quiet his affair with Rielle Hunter.  —  Edwards, a Democrat and former U.S. senator …