G.O.P. Debate: A Broader Party or a Purer One?  —  WASHINGTON — A fundamental debate broke out among Republicans on Wednesday over how to rebuild the party in the wake of Senator Arlen Specter's departure: Should it purge moderate voices like Mr. Specter and embrace its conservative roots …

Biden says avoid planes, subways; puts out clarifying statement  —  Vice President Joe Biden said Thursday that he would not recommend taking any commercial flight or riding in a subway car “at this point” because swine flu virus can spread “in confined places.”

Administration Official Says Chrysler to Enter Chapter 11; Obama to Speak at Noon  —  WASHINGTON - An Obama administration official said that Chrysler LLC, after failing to convince all of its lenders to agree to a debt-reduction deal, will file for a Chapter 11 bankruptcy.

Elizabeth Edwards write about husband's affair in book … Campaign cad John Edwards' cheating ways made his wife, Elizabeth, sick to her stomach - literally.  —  After the former presidential hopeful confessed his betrayal, Elizabeth Edwards writes in her new book, “I cried and screamed, I went to the bathroom and threw up.”

Dead Certain  —  Tonight President Obama said he was “absolutely convinced” that he had made the right decision in putting an end to the use of the harsh interrogation techniques employed by the Bush administration.  After eight years of President Bush, it certainly is refreshing to have a leader …

Steele: GOP ‘disingenuous’ criticizing bailouts  —  RNC chairman Michael Steele says the GOP is being “disingenuous” in blaming Democrats for poor economic performance, since Republicans started the bailout process in the first place.  —  “Look, we can't go back out and start pointing fingers …

Obama Deftly Handles Another Prime-Time News Conference  —  The questions put to Barack Obama at his news conference last night covered nearly every topic but the Craigslist Killer, and if that had come up, Obama probably would have answered it in stride.  You ask, he'll answer — earnestly …

Stages of Denial  —  According to Pajamas Media, 700,873 people attended some 883 tea party protests on April 15.  It was a remarkable day, a tangible expression of public outrage that I have not experienced in my 25 years of advocacy and grassroots organizing on behalf of free-market principles.

EXCLUSIVE: Steele fights back against RNC ‘scheme’  —  Exchange spurs feud  —  The embattled Republican National Committee chairman angrily returned fire in his fight with current and former officers over control of the GOP's purse strings.  —  Under attack from conservatives since taking office …

Sarah Palin to Appear on American Chopper  —  Turns out the hockey mom is also a motorcycle maven.  —  Alaska Governor Sarah Palin recently welcomed the crew from Orange County Choppers - whose custom motorcycle business is featured on TLC's American Chopper - to Anchorage …

Condi Rice Pulls A Nixon: When the President Does It, That Means It is Not Illegal  —  Condoleezza Rice was recently speaking at Stanford when students asked her an excellent question on waterboarding and torture.  They have her answer on tape and it isn't pretty.  Condi Rice absolutely pulls a Nixon.

Justice Scalia Responds to Fordham Privacy Invasion!  —  Last week, we wrote about the Fordham law professor who assigned his information privacy law class to compile a dossier on Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia.  —  The professor had chosen Scalia as the target for privacy invasion …

I Smuggled Water Into The East Room  —  “Ladies and gentlemen.  The program will begin shortly.”  —  A disembodied voice really does say that about 15 minutes before the presidential news conference.  You half expect to see Greg Giraldo come out to warm up the crowd.

A Chilling Effect on U.S. Counterterrorism  —  Over the past couple of weeks, we have been carefully watching the fallout from the Obama administration's decision to release four classified memos from former President George W. Bush's administration that authorized “enhanced interrogation techniques.”

Swine influenza  —  The situation continues to evolve rapidly.  As of 18:00 GMT, 29 April 2009, nine countries have officially reported 148 cases of swine influenza A/H1N1 infection.  The United States Government has reported 91 laboratory confirmed human cases, with one death.