Crist Announces Independent Bid for Senate  —  MIAMI — Gov. Charlie Crist announced Thursday that he will run independently for the United States Senate, giving Florida a race that will once again make the state a gawk-worthy stage of American politics, where the country's desires, fears and conflicts play out.

Prosecutors Said to Start Inquiry at Goldman  —  By LOUISE STORY and MICHAEL J. de la MERCED  —  Federal prosecutors have opened an investigation into trading at Goldman Sachs, raising the possibility of criminal charges against the Wall Street giant, according to people familiar with the matter.

More Americans Favor Than Oppose Arizona Immigration Law  —  Among those who have heard of law, 51% favor and 39% oppose it  —  PRINCETON, NJ — More than three-quarters of Americans have heard about the state of Arizona's new immigration law, and of these, 51% say they favor it and 39% oppose it.

EXCLUSIVE: U.N. Elects Iran to Commission on Women's Rights  —  Without fanfare, the United Nations this week elected Iran to its Commission on the Status of Women, handing a four-year seat on the influential human rights body to a theocratic state in which stoning is enshrined in law …

Democrats unveil immigration-reform proposal  —  Senate Democrats officially unveiled a proposal to reform America's immigration system on Thursday, looking past the fact that no Republican has offered support for the effort and President Obama a day earlier played down the chances of legislation passing this year.

As oil spill hits Louisiana coast, critics assail Obama's offshore drilling plan  —  The worsening oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico on Thursday threatened not only the shores of five states but also President Obama's plan to open vast stretches of U.S. coastline to oil and gas drilling.

British protesters attack Israel's deputy ambassador  —  Pro-Palestinian protesters storm towards Talya Lador-Fresher after her speech at Manchester University, prompting police to whisk her away from site.  Protesters proceed to encircle police car, climb on hood.  Ambassador Ron Prosor says sweeping denunciation expected

iPhone Finder Regrets His ‘Mistake’  —  The person who found and sold an Apple iPhone prototype says he regrets not doing more to return the device to its owner, according to a statement provided by his attorney Thursday in response to queries from Wired.com.

Thoughts on Flash  —  Apple has a long relationship with Adobe.  In fact, we met Adobe's founders when they were in their proverbial garage.  Apple was their first big customer, adopting their Postscript language for our new Laserwriter printer.  Apple invested in Adobe and owned around 20% of the company for many years.

Arizona: The Wrong Answer  —  I am saddened today at the prospect of a young Hispanic immigrant in Arizona going to the grocery store and forgetting to bring her passport and immigration documents with her.  I cannot be dispassionate about the fact that the very act of her being in the grocery store …

Hordes of Hired Guns Earned About $19 Million Per Day As Lobbying Soared to Nearly $1 Billion in First Quarter  —  Hordes of hired K Street guns are in high demand as President Barack Obama and congressional Democrats seek to implement grand legislative plans.

The man in the middle  —  Back in 1987, the man hired to crack wise at the annual White House Correspondents' Association Dinner had a case of jagged nerves.  —  Ronald Reagan was president, and Jay Leno was just turning 37 — already a celebrated comic, not yet one of the country's most familiar faces.

Driving While White  —  During the height of L.A.'s Rampart scandal-in which a rogue unit of anti-gang cops orchestrated the deportation of hundreds of illegal immigrants and then used deportation threats to elicit all kinds of phony informant testimony and to cover up their own brutally criminal behavior …

Want to get rich?  Work for feds  —  For decades, public sector unions have peddled the fantasy that government employees were paid less than their counterparts in the private sector.  In fact, the pay disparity is the other way around.  Government workers, especially at the federal level …

House Approves Puerto Rico Vote Legislation  —  The House of Representatives voted Thursday to allow Puerto Ricans to decide their own political future and relationship with the United States.  —  The vote was 223 to 169.  Rep. Louise Slaughter, D-N.Y., voted present.

Leslie Buck, Designer of Iconic Coffee Cup, Dies at 87  —  It was for decades the most enduring piece of ephemera in New York City and is still among the most recognizable.  Trim, blue and white, it fits neatly in the hand, sized so its contents can be downed in a New York minute.

One Woman's ‘Truth’: Rielle Hunter Talks to Oprah  —  Rielle Hunter, who told Oprah Winfrey in a program broadcast on Thursday that John Edwards had a secret affair with her because “he wanted to live a life of truth,” is a tough interview, tougher in some ways than President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad of Iran.

Judge asks feds to show militia did more than talk  —  DETROIT (AP) - A federal judge challenged prosecutors Wednesday to show that nine members of a Michigan militia accused of plotting war against the government had done more than just talk and should remain locked up.