Senate Democrats Deny Specter Committee Seniority  —  The Senate dealt a blow tonight to Sen. Arlen Specter's hold on seniority in several key committees, a week after the Pennsylvanian's party switch placed Democrats on the precipice of a 60-seat majority.  —  In a unanimous voice vote …

EXCLUSIVE: Secret U.S.-Israel nuclear accord in jeopardy  —  President Obama's efforts to curb the spread of nuclear weapons threaten to expose and derail a 40-year-old secret U.S. agreement to shield Israel's nuclear weapons from international scrutiny, former and current U.S. and Israeli officials and nuclear specialists say.

College Student Shoots, Kills Home Invader  —  COLLEGE PARK, Ga. — A group of college students said they are lucky to be alive and they're thanking the quick-thinking of one of their own.  Police said a fellow student shot and killed one of two masked me who burst into an apartment.

U.S. Says Bank of America Needs Cushion of $33.9 Billion  —  The government has told Bank of America it needs $33.9 billion in capital to withstand any worsening of the economic downturn, according to an executive at the bank.  —  If the bank is unable to raise the capital cushion …

Should we be banning this US ‘shock jock’?  —  The Home Office has issued the latest list of people it believes should not come to the country because they hold extremist opinions.  —  It is a state's prerogative to decide who it wants to come to its country.  That is, after all, what a visa system is for.

Obama Relies on Inner Circle in Looking for Souter's Supreme Court Successor  —  President Obama's first selection of a Supreme Court justice is being managed by a small group of senior advisers, and the process will last at least into next week before producing a candidate who the administration hopes …

John Edwards's Wife Speaks About His Affair  —  In often blunt terms, Elizabeth Edwards is going public with her account of how her husband's affair rocked their marriage and left his political career in tatters.  —  In an interview with Oprah Winfrey and in excerpts from a new book …

OBAMA'S TAX DODGERS . . .  Here's a tip for President Obama: Next time you excoriate tax cheats, try to keep Rep. Charles Rangel's name out of the discussion.  —  Somehow, it doesn't further your case.  —  Yet that's precisely what Obama did Monday, singling out the powerful Harlem congressman …

Corzine Allies Plan Attack in G.O.P. Primary  —  Allies of New Jersey's Democratic governor, Jon S. Corzine, are so worried about his re-election prospects that they are going to start spending and advertising heavily — in the Republican primary.  —  Mr. Corzine's allies plan to attack …

Chrysler won't repay bailout money  —  An administration official confirms that a $4 billion bridge loan and $3.2 billion in bankruptcy financing won't be paid back by Chrysler following bankruptcy.  —  NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) — Chrysler LLC will not repay U.S. taxpayers more than $7 billion …

Tortured Logic  —  Hit me Bybee, one more time.  —  Remember the Rule of Law?  In the late 1990s, it was all the rage in conservative circles.  Having maneuvered Bill Clinton into a position where he could either lie under oath or suffer massive personal and political embarrassment …

Inspector at Pentagon Says Report Was Flawed  —  In a highly unusual reversal, the Defense Department's inspector general's office has withdrawn a report it issued in January exonerating a Pentagon public relations program that made extensive use of retired officers who worked as military analysts for television and radio networks.

White House puts UAW ahead of property rights  —  Last Friday, the day after Chrysler filed for bankruptcy, I drove past the company's headquarters on Interstate 75 in Auburn Hills, Mich.  —  As I glanced at the pentagram logo I felt myself tearing up a little bit.

Key Findings  —  The top subprime lenders whose loans are largely blamed for triggering the global economic meltdown were owned or backed by giant banks now collecting billions of dollars in bailout money — including several that have paid huge fines to settle predatory lending charges.

Skeptical Administration Keeping Karzai at Arm's Length  —  Skepticism of Afghan Leader Shapes Policy  —  Afghan President Hamid Karzai began talking as soon as his luncheon guests had taken their seats in his wood-paneled dining room at the presidential palace in Kabul …

EXCLUSIVE: Steele yields powers to foes in RNC  —  Accepts limits on spending  —  Capitulating to critics on the Republican National Committee, embattled Republican Party Chairman Michael S. Steele has signed a secret pact agreeing to controls and restraints on how he spends hundreds …

Torture Memos: Inquiry Suggests No Prosecutions  —  WASHINGTON — An internal Justice Department inquiry has concluded that Bush administration lawyers committed serious lapses of judgment in writing secret memorandums authorizing brutal interrogations but that they should not be prosecuted …

Congress to vote on finance probe  —  The blue-ribbon panel is a much-maligned Washington cliché — it is said that you appoint one when you don't really want anything to be done.  —  But sometimes, as with the 9/11 Commission, such bodies actually produce substantive results.