W.H. urged to address ‘racist’ charge  —  Some Democrats and political analysts are urging the White House to shift course and concede that Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor made an error when she suggested in 2001 that Hispanic women would make better judges than white men.

THERE IS NO CAR-DEALER CONSPIRACY.... A whole lot of right-wing blogs are worked up today over a report about the political affiliations of Chrysler dealers who've been shut down. … Rep. Vern Buchanan (R-Fla.), who has a dealership that will close, called this “an outrage.”

Abu Ghraib abuse photos ‘show rape’  —  Photographs of alleged prisoner abuse which Barack Obama is attempting to censor include images of apparent rape and sexual abuse, it has emerged.  —  At least one picture shows an American soldier apparently raping a female prisoner while another …

The Peter Principle  —  We hang together or hang separately. … All of us, every single person regardless of political persuasion who reads this, have a tendency to deny our friends and fellow travelers at times.  All of us.  —  Peter, under pressure and fear, denied Christ not just once, but three times.

Kicking & Screaming: Journo Dragged From Near AF1  —  A reporter for a small newspaper was forcibly removed from a press area near Air Force One shortly before President Barack Obama arrived at Los Angeles International Airport to depart California early Thursday.

Specter Tops Toomey By 9 Pts.  In Pennsylvania Senate Race, Quinnipiac University Poll Finds; New Democratic Senator Has Big Primary Lead  —  Former U.S. Rep. Pat Toomey, the likely Republican challenger in the 2010 Pennsylvania Senate race, has gained some ground and now trails newly-converted Democratic …

Centrist Dem under fire for opposing Obama healthcare  —  Centrist Democratic Sen. Ben Nelson (Neb.) is under attack from an advertising campaign that criticizes his opposition to President Obama's healthcare plan.  —  The Web and direct-mail ads specifically take on Nelson for opposing Obama's proposal …

More Homeowners Facing Foreclosure  —  More homeowners than ever before are falling behind on their mortgage payments and sliding into foreclosure, according to figures released on Thursday, a sign that the country's housing crisis is spreading through the ranks of previously stable borrowers.

Costs of dismissed Palin ethics complaints pile up  —  Personnel board member says tab is “close to about a third of a million dollars.”  —  scockerham@adn.com  —  The Alaska Personnel Board, clearly frustrated with the pile of ethics complaints filed against Gov. Sarah Palin, wants to publicize the cost of dealing with them.

Gov. Crist signs $66.5 billion budget, breaks tax pledge  —  TALLAHASSEE — Breaking a pledge against raising taxes, Gov. Charlie Crist signed Florida's $66.5 billion budget into law Wednesday and barely used his veto pen.  —  Crist vetoed only two items: a small pay cut for some state workers …

Shhhh.  Newspaper Publishers Are Quietly Holding a Very, Very Important Conclave Today.  Will You Soon Be Paying for Online Content?  —  Here's a story the newspaper industry's upper echelon apparently kept from its anxious newsrooms: A discreet Thursday meeting in Chicago about their future.

FBI planning a bigger role in terrorism fight  —  Bureau agents will gather evidence to ensure that criminal prosecutions of alleged terrorists are an option.  The move is a reversal of the Bush administration's emphasis on covert CIA actions.  —  Reporting from Washington …

Please uncover your face.  It's our custom  —  Why are women's faces concealed in East London but not in Damascus?  —  Funny to return from Lebanon, Syria and Turkey - where women go unveiled - and return to Britain, the land of the full hijab.  I see more women with their faces covered in Tower Hamlets than I did in Damascus.

For Teenagers, Hello Means ‘How About a Hug?’  —  There is so much hugging at Pascack Hills High School in Montvale, N.J., that students have broken down the hugs by type:  —  There is the basic friend hug, probably the most popular, and the bear hug, of course.

Ald.  Carothers, developer accused of corruption  —  Ald.  Isaac Carothers (29th), a staunch ally of Mayor Richard Daley, was indicted today on charges he accepted about $40,000 in improvements to his residence as well as meals and tickets to sporting events in exchange for backing a major project by a developer.