Split threatens to rupture Republican ranks  —  Conservative vs. moderate divide plays out across the airwaves on Sunday  —  WASHINGTON - The conservative vs. moderate split threatening to rupture the Republican Party played out across the airwaves Sunday, with Colin Powell …

North Korea Claims to Conduct 2nd Nuclear Test  —  SEOUL, South Korea — North Korea announced on Monday it had successfully conducted its second nuclear test, defying international warnings and drastically raising the stakes in a global effort to get the recalcitrant Communist state to give up its nuclear weapons program.

Transcript: Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Adm. Mike Mullen  —  Exclusive Interview with President Barack Obama's Top Military Official  —  ABC'S “THIS WEEK WITH GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS” SPEAKERS: GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS, HOST  —  STEPHANOPOULOS (voice-over): Good morning, and welcome to THIS WEEK.

Court Officials Turn to Guards, Identity Shields, Weapons to Handle New Threats  —  Worried Court Personnel Resort To Guards, Identity Shields, Weapons  —  Threats against the nation's judges and prosecutors have sharply increased, prompting hundreds to get 24-hour protection from armed U.S. marshals.

Conservatives itching for SCOTUS fight  —  As Barack Obama prepares to nominate his first Supreme Court justice, conservative activists have three words for Senate Republicans: Lock and load.  —  While conservatives know that they can't defeat Obama's nominee without massive Democratic defections …

Job Losses Push Safer Mortgages to Foreclosure  —  As job losses rise, growing numbers of American homeowners with once solid credit are falling behind on their mortgages, amplifying a wave of foreclosures.  —  In the latest phase of the nation's real estate disaster, the locus of trouble …

DE'TAT'CHED ATTITUDE  —  JOB SEEKERS ERASING BODY ART TO COMPETE  —  When the Dow is low, the “tramp stamp” has to go.  —  Dermatologists across the city are reporting a boom in tattoo laser removals, as body-art fanatics fretting over their professional image rush to erase their inky mistakes.

Thousands gather to hear, cheer Iran's Michelle Obama  —  TEHRAN, Iran (CNN) — Dancing in public is not allowed in Iran, but thousands could hardly contain themselves at a recent presidential campaign rally in the capital city, Tehran.  —  On this day, the deafening cheers …

Clinton to Announce Benefits for Partners of Gay U.S. Diplomats  —  Draft Memo Outlines New Foreign Service Policies for All Unmarried Couples  —  Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton will soon announce that the partners of gay U.S. diplomats are eligible for many benefits currently denied …

Japan panel wants “first strikes” against enemies  —  TOKYO (Reuters) - A Japanese ruling party panel is to propose that pre-emptive strikes against enemy bases be allowed despite the country's pacifist constitution, Kyodo news agency said on Monday, weeks after a North Korean missile launch.

Row at RBS over bonuses  —  • Institutions seek tougher performance criteria  —  • Goodwin's successor at centre of controversy  —  Royal Bank of Scotland is under fire over new bonus schemes for its chief executive, Stephen Hester, and other top bankers amid concern …

Memorial Day 2009: Giving thanks for those who made the ultimate sacrifice  —  Engraved on the Korean War Memorial:  —  Pearl Harbor:  —  The Blue Angels' missing man formation:  —  Words and men I'll never forget:  —  “He felt that what we were doing was just and right.”

Durbin Calls On Gingrich To Apologize For Attacking The CIA In 2007  —  Last week, former Republican House Speaker Newt Gingrich called on Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) to resign her current position as Speaker.  He said that she “disqualified herself” over her comments that the CIA was “misleading” Congress.