Gov. Jon Corzine's campaign released a new ad Tuesday called 'Expect'.

WASHINGTON (CNN) – New Jersey Gov. Jon Corzine's campaign released a new ad Tuesday that ties Republican opponent Chris Christie to former President George W.Bush, and to conservative culture war stands on social issues and gun control.

"What can you expect from Chris Christie? A governor who'll repeat the failed Bush economics," the announcer says.

The 30-second spot title "Expect," points to Christie's positions on abortion, stem cell research, and gun laws - a laundry list of Corzine's campaign trail attacks on his GOP challenger. "A governor who doesn't share our values. Chris Christie. Wrong when it matters most," the ad concludes.

A Farleigh Dickinson University survey released earlier this month suggests Corzine and Christie are now neck-and-neck among registered voters, 44 percent to 43 percent, with 9 percent undecided.

Voters in New Jersey head to the polls on November 3.

WASHINGTON (CNN) – Rep. Patrick Murphy, an Iraq war veteran, Wednesday kicked off a new push to convince Americans that the president should repeal "don't ask, don't tell" - the policy that prevents openly gay troops from serving in the U.S. military.

Murphy, D-Pennsylvania, appeared along with several gay, lesbian and straight service members to launch the initiative.

"We can not afford to wait any longer" for the repeal of "don't ask don't tell," Murphy said at an event at the National Press Club in Washington. "Now is the time to change this, when our military is stretched so thin" with wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

A "Voices of Honor" tour, sponsored by The Human Rights Campaign, will travel across the country sharing stories of gay, lesbian and straight service men and women in hope of garnering support for the Military Readiness Enhancement Act, which would repeal the law that established the policy and allow gay and lesbian Americans to serve openly in the military.

Human Rights Campaign President Joe Solmonese issued a statement saying, "We must repeal this discriminatory policy and ensure that our military can recruit and retain the best and the brightest troops regardless of their sexual orientation."

President Barack Obama has said he wants Congress to repeal the law, but gay rights groups have been angered that the president has not done more to hasten the change.

Since Obama took office, 287 service members have been discharged for being gay, according to the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network, which supports the repeal.

The bill, introduced by Colin Powell in 1993 and signed into law by President Bill Clinton, ended the protocol requiring servicemen and women to state their sexual orientation.

But Powell now says the time has come to review whether the policy is still necessary.

"Sixteen years have now gone by, and I think a lot has changed with respect to attitudes within our country, and therefore I think this is a policy and a law that should be reviewed," Powell said Sunday on CNN's "State of the Union with John King."

"I am withholding judgment because the commanders of the armed forces of the United States and the joint chiefs of staff need to study it and make recommendations to the president and have hearings before the Congress before a decision is made," Powell added.

The military's top uniformed officer, Adm. Michael Mullen, said on the same program Sunday that it is clear the president wants the law changed and he is beginning to work with his staff on how a repeal would be implemented by the military. But, he advises, with two wars ongoing, that the decision will not be hurried.

"And in my advice, you know, I've had conversations with him about that. What I've discussed in terms of the future is, I think, we need to move in a measured way," said Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

Defense Secretary Robert Gates recently said he is looking for ways to make the policy "more humane," including letting people serve who may have been outed due to vengeance or a jilted lover.

But there is plenty of opposition to the repeal. In the spring, more than 1,000 retired officers signed a letter organized by Flag and General Officers for the Military urging Obama to uphold the law.

"We believe that imposing this burden on our men and women in uniform
would undermine recruiting and retention, impact leadership at all levels, have adverse effects on the willingness of parents who lend their sons and daughters to military service, and eventually break the all-volunteer force," the letter said.

The recent shooting death of a sailor has also raised questions about acceptance of gays among troops. The family of Seaman August Provost of Houston, Texas, said they believe he was killed because of his sexual orientation and his race. But a spokesman for Camp Pendleton, where the shooting took place, said there was no indication early in the investigation that the killing was a hate crime.

Still, Genevieve Chase, who is a straight veteran of Operation Enduring Freedom and the founder of American Women's Veterans, said she believes not much would change in the military if "don't ask, don't tell" were to be repealed. Chase appeared with Murphy at the event Wednesday in Washington.

Calling them service members of a "new era," Chase said, "Gays have been and are already serving openly.

"Allowing discrimination and bigotry to continue is what disrupts cohesion."

There is no clear timeline for when the bill will be debated in Congress.
Obama has said he would sign the repeal if it comes to his desk.

The CNN Washington Bureau’s morning speed read of the top stories making news from around the country and the world.

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CNN: U.S. launches 'major operation' in Afghanistan
U.S. troops have launched a "major operation" against Taliban fighters in southern Afghanistan, U.S. military officials announced in Afghanistan early Thursday.

CNN: Obama assails 'scare tactics' by health care opponents
President Barack Obama used a town hall meeting Wednesday to urge Americans to reject what he called fear-mongering by those who oppose fixing the nation's ailing health care system this year.

CNN: White House releases staff salary list
Top-level staff members of the Obama White House earn the same amount as their predecessors in the Bush administration, according to a report submitted to Congress Wednesday. The president announced the pay freeze on his first full day in office for White House employees earning more than $100,000.

CNN: White House plans flu summit next week
CNN has learned that the Obama administration is planning to convene a "flu summit" next week to make preparations for the fall, as officials in Argentina declare a health emergency because 35 people have died in the Latin American nation from swine flu.

CNN: Call for Sanford resignation grows louder in South Carolina
South Carolina Republican Party Chairwoman Karen Floyd seemed to suggest Wednesday that the time had come for GOP Gov. Mark Sanford to consider resigning from office.

CNN: Release of CIA interrogation report delayed
The Justice Department has once again delayed the release of the CIA's internal investigation of its controversial interrogation and detention program.

NYT: Sotomayor’s Recusals Suggest Caution
Judge Sonia Sotomayor, a Supreme Court nominee, has recused herself at least 141 times since becoming a judge in 1992. In many of those cases, she has told Senate investigators, her withdrawals were prompted by simple reasons: one of the lawyers was a friend; a former law clerk was involved; or she had represented a party in private practice.

WSJ: Sotomayor Helped Push Minority Cases
Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor helped lead an advocacy group that pushed legal theories about employment and race much like the one scotched by the Supreme Court Monday, according to documents released Wednesday as part of her confirmation process.

Washington Post: No Limit in Place for Pending Request on Troops in Afghanistan
The nation's top military officer said yesterday that no limits have been placed on the number or types of troops the new U.S. commander in Afghanistan can request as he seeks to carry out a counterinsurgency strategy there.

McClatchy: Poll: Pakistanis worried about terrorists, wary of U.S.
In a reversal of public opinion, most Pakistanis now consider terrorist groups a "critical threat" to their country and support their government in its fight against the Taliban in Swat valley, according to a survey released Wednesday.

Bloomberg: Senate May Pass U.S. Climate Bill, Reject Treaty, Kerry Says
The U.S. Senate may pass legislation to slow climate change and then fail to approve a global treaty that commits nations to do so, Senator John Kerry said.

Washington Post: ACLU Says Government Used False Confessions
The American Civil Liberties Union yesterday accused the Obama administration of using statements elicited through torture to justify the confinement of a detainee it represents at the U.S. military prison in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

WSJ: Congress's Travel Tab Swells
Spending by lawmakers on taxpayer-financed trips abroad has risen sharply in recent years, a Wall Street Journal analysis of travel records shows, involving everything from war-zone visits to trips to exotic spots such as the Galápagos Islands.

Financial Times: Obama enters decisive phase of presidency
Barack Obama is gearing up for the most decisive phase of his presidency when the fate of his core legislative proposals will show whether he is capable of taming Washington or whether Washington will tame him.

WSJ: Two Centuries On, a Cryptologist Cracks a Presidential Code
For more than 200 years, buried deep within Thomas Jefferson's correspondence and papers, there lay a mysterious cipher - a coded message that appears to have remained unsolved. Until now.

Vanity Fair: It Came from Wasilla
Despite her disastrous performance in the 2008 election, Sarah Palin is still the sexiest brand in Republican politics, with a lucrative book contract for her story. But what Alaska’s charismatic governor wants the public to know about herself doesn’t always jibe with reality. As John McCain’s top campaign officials talk more candidly than ever before about the meltdown of his vice-presidential pick, the author tracks the signs—political and personal—that Palin was big trouble, and checks the forecast for her future.

Washington Post Op-Ed: Bolton: Time for an Israeli Strike?
With Iran's hard-line mullahs and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps unmistakably back in control, Israel's decision of whether to use military force against Tehran's nuclear weapons program is more urgent than ever.

WSJ Op-Ed: Rove: A Family's Valor, a Nation's Freedom
At a dinner last week in California, I was reminded of the debt we owe to those who have, for 233 years, sustained our freedom and independence. One remarkable family in particular exemplifies the best in the American spirit of courage and sacrifice.

Anchorage Daily News: Ethics investigations cost state $296,000
Ethics complaints against Gov. Sarah Palin and top members of her administration have cost the state personnel board nearly $300,000 over the past year, almost two-thirds of which appear to be from the Troopergate investigation of the governor.

Washington Times: EXCLUSIVE: Colombian prisoners strain D.C. Jail
Two of the District's top law enforcement officials are warning that dozens of federal prisoners with ties to Colombian rebel groups and international drug rings are a threat to security at the D.C. Jail and pose a risk of escape into the surrounding neighborhood.

NATIONAL
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CNN: Obama awards WWII-era women pilots congressional medal
President Obama on Wednesday signed a measure awarding the 300 surviving Women Airforce Service Pilots from World War II the Congressional Gold Medal.

CNN: Two anti-smoking drugs to carry mental-health warnings
Two popular anti-smoking drugs will now carry warnings about the risk of severe mental health problems, the Food and Drug Administration announced Wednesday.

CNN: Family: Michael Jackson viewing won't happen at Neverland
Michael Jackson's family will not hold a public or private viewing of his body at the Neverland Ranch, a spokesman for the family said Wednesday.

CNN: Jackson's will answers some questions, raises more
The will and the wake.

CNN: Staten Island Ferry crash injures 10
A Staten Island Ferry lost power and hit a pier Wednesday at full speed, resulting in one serious injury and nine minor injuries, a Coast Guard spokesman said.

Washington Post: Staffer at SEC Had Warned Of Madoff
An investigator at the Securities and Exchange Commission warned superiors as far back as 2004 about irregularities at Bernard L. Madoff's financial management firm, but she was told to focus on an unrelated matter, according to agency documents and sources familiar with the investigation.

LA Times: Hiring might not rebound in an economic recovery
Even as the nation's economy begins clawing its way out of the worst recession in 60 years, there are growing signs that this recovery could come with an unsettling twist: The wheels of commerce may begin to turn again without any substantial boost in jobs.

Forbes: The Jobless Decade
When the Bureau of Labor Statistics reports employment figures Thursday morning, economists expect the U.S. to take a big step toward an ugly milestone.

Boston Globe: Consumers likely to find increased bank costs
An array of government-created insurance agencies – which have long charged bargain-rate premiums to banks, credit unions, and brokerages – are seeking to make up for massive shortfalls in their insurance funds by raising fees and premiums, many of which are likely to be passed on to consumers.

WSJ: To Fix Health Care, Some Study Developing World
When doctors running the AIDS clinic at the University of Alabama at Birmingham wanted to increase the number of patients who showed up for treatment, they turned to an unusual place for help: southern Africa.

NYT: Nuns in the U.S. Are Facing Scrutiny by the Vatican
The Vatican is quietly conducting two sweeping investigations of American nuns, a development that has startled and dismayed nuns who fear they are the targets of a doctrinal inquisition.

NYT: Facing Deficits, Some States Cut Summer School
Nearly every school system in Florida has eviscerated or eliminated summer school this year, and officials are reporting sweeping cuts in states from North Carolina and Delaware to California and Washington. The cuts have come as states across the country are struggling to approve budgets, and California’s governor, Arnold Schwarzenegger, declared a fiscal state of emergency on Wednesday.

USA Today: 4th arrives amid shift in driving habits
The nation heads into the Independence Day holiday weekend amid the longest and steepest decline in driving since the invention of the automobile.

USA Today: Study could ease concerns over hiring ex-offenders
A study funded by the Justice Department concludes that over time accused robbers, burglars and batterers pose no greater risk to employers than job candidates in the general population.

LA Times: L.A. employers face immigration audits
Federal officials Wednesday notified more than 650 businesses around the country, including nearly 50 in Los Angeles, that their records will be audited as part of a widening effort to find companies that hire illegal immigrants.

Financial Times: Kmart offers discounts to jobless
In an unusual move by a US national retailer, Kmart has launched a discount programme for unemployed people. The plan applies to Michigan, which has the highest unemployment rate of any US state – 14.1 per cent in May, compared with a national average of 9.4 per cent. The Detroit metropolitan area has the highest unemployment rate of any US city, at 14.9 per cent.

INTERNATIONAL
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CNN: Teen plane crash survivor 'didn't feel a thing'
The father of a teenage girl who remarkably survived a plane crash off the Comoros islands has described how his daughter was ejected from the plane into the Indian Ocean.

CNN: Ousted Honduran leader delays return till deadline passes
Ousted Honduran President Jose Manuel Zelaya said Wednesday he will not return to his home country until at least Saturday, after a three-day international deadline to reinstate him.

Washington Times: Taliban buying children for suicide bombers
Pakistan's top Taliban leader, Baitullah Mehsud, is buying children as young as 7 to serve as suicide bombers in the growing spate of attacks against Pakistani, Afghan and U.S. targets, U.S. Defense Department and Pakistani officials say.

Washington Post: Honduras Targets Protesters With Emergency Decree
The new Honduran government clamped down on street protests and news organizations Wednesday as lawmakers passed an emergency decree that limits public gatherings following the military-led coup that removed President Manuel Zelaya from office.

BUSINESS
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CNN: Electronic health records: A checkup
Getting an electronic health record system in place by 2014? Tough.

CNN: Manhattan home prices plunge
The housing bust has finally clobbered super-pricey Manhattan home prices.

Bloomberg: European, U.S. Stock Futures Retreat Before Employment Report
European and U.S. stock-index futures fell before a report that may show unemployment in America climbed to the highest level since 1983.

Business Week: Will Tax Breaks Boost Jobs?
With the economy slumping and unemployment approaching 10%, states are kicking corporate tax incentives into overdrive. In the past year they've doled out a record $50 billion to spur job growth. Cash-strapped locales are depending indirectly on federal aid to fund the tax-break bonanza.

WSJ: Big Pay Packages Return to Wall Street
Business is back on Wall Street. If the good times continue to roll, lofty pay packages may be set for a comeback as well.

WSJ: Car Makers See End to Sales Slide
The three biggest car makers in America called a bottom to the long decline in U.S. auto sales as the industry reported its smallest monthly sales drop this year.

WSJ: Electronics Firms Fight State Recycling Programs
Small electronics makers are struggling with - and fighting against - new state laws mandating they pay for electronic recycling programs for consumers.

Bloomberg: GM Plans ‘Garage Sale’ for Toxic Plants, New Jersey Golf Course
As General Motors Corp. prepares to sell its best assets to a streamlined new entity, the worst of what it owns will be auctioned off in bankruptcy court, including contaminated factory sites, parking lots in Flint, Michigan, and a nine-hole golf course in New Jersey.

The CNN Washington Bureau’s morning speed read of the top stories making news from around the country and the world.

WASHINGTON/POLITICAL
For the latest political news: www.CNNPolitics.com.

CNN: GOP targets freshman Democrat in new ad
House Republicans will target freshman Rep. Tom Perriello in a new television
commercial that criticizes the Virginia Democrat for his recent vote in favor of controversial energy reform legislation.

CNN: S.C. Attorney General to review Sanford's travel records
The attorney general of South Carolina on Tuesday asked the state law enforcement division to review Gov. Mark Sanford's travel records after the governor admitted to more visits with his mistress than previously disclosed.

CNN: Al Franken: Where he stands on the issues
Next week Al Franken comes to the nation's capital to take his seat as his state's junior U.S. senator. So where does the Minnesota Democrat stand on some of the major issues the Senate will be grappling with this year?

CNN: Franken 'thrilled' after court declares his Senate victory
Democrat Al Franken said Tuesday evening he is "thrilled and humbled" the Minnesota Supreme Court ruled him the winner of a contentious Senate race that played out in court over several months.

CNN: Borger: Jenny Sanford becomes the new political paradigm
After years of watching those wives stand (sadly) by their men, there was something refreshing - and real - about Jenny Sanford's decision to be far, far away from the governor's apology tour.

Washington Post: Term Saw High Court Move to The Right
For the Supreme Court, it was the year of living on the verge. On the verge of declaring the key provision of the Voting Rights Act unconstitutional, but then stepping back. Looking hard at whether some protections of minorities amount to violations of the Constitution, then leaving the topic for another day. Appearing sympathetic to school officials for their decision to strip-search a 13-year-old student, but shielding them only from any liability for their actions.

Washington Times: Clinton urged Obama to talk tough on Iran
Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton urged President Obama for two days to toughen his language on Iran before he did so, and then was surprised when he condemned Iran's crackdown on demonstrators last week, administration officials say.

Bloomberg: Kennedy Seeks Public Health Insurance Plan That Finances Self
Senator Edward M. Kennedy’s committee will propose creating a government-backed alternative to private insurance designed to pay for itself after getting federal start-up money.

Washington Post: After Call From Senator's Office, Small Hawaii Bank Got U.S. Aid
Sen. Daniel K. Inouye's staff contacted federal regulators last fall to ask about the bailout application of an ailing Hawaii bank that he had helped to establish and where he has invested the bulk of his personal wealth.

WSJ: Franken Heads to Senate, Bolsters Democrats' Hand
The Minnesota Supreme Court cleared the way for Democrat Al Franken to become Minnesota's new U.S. senator, ending a festering eight-month election dispute and giving the Democrats a 60-seat voting majority in the Senate.

Minneapolis Star Tribune: At last, a second senator for Minnesota
Al Franken, a satirist known for his biting political humor, is headed to the U.S. Senate, the survivor of an epic legal struggle that opponent Norm Coleman finally conceded he couldn't win.

Washington Post: Obama Presents Bill to Create Consumer-Finance Watchdog
The Obama administration sent a detailed proposal to Congress yesterday for creating an agency to oversee nearly all facets of consumer lending, but the breadth of its powers is setting the stage for a fierce clash on Capitol Hill.

Bloomberg: Climate Bill Helps Utilities More Than Oil Companies
The climate-change bill that passed the U.S. House on June 26 would set up a “cap-and-trade” market for greenhouse gases that cushions the cost for power producers, manufacturers and farmers while limiting aid to oil companies.

McClatchy: Sanctions on North Korean firms indirectly target Iran
The Obama administration on Tuesday slapped financial sanctions on two North Korean firms, including one based in Iran, as part of a crackdown on North Korea's ballistic missile and nuclear weapons programs following a May nuclear test blast and a series of provocative missile launches.

McClatchy: Social Security audit finds dead people getting checks
The Social Security Administration has continued to pay millions of dollars in benefits to dead Americans, and other elderly U.S. residents are at risk of losing badly needed aid because they're improperly recorded as deceased, federal investigators warn in a new report.

CNN: Palin confident she can outrun Obama
Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin is confident Barack Obama can be beaten — in a long distance run.

Runner’s World Magazine: I'M A RUNNER: SARAH PALIN
The former Vice Presidential candidate opens up about her running life and explains why she's still on the trail.

Washington Times: GOP: EPA hid global warming memo
Republican lawmakers, coming off a loss Friday in their attempt to block passage of a massive climate bill, have seized on a global warming memo they say was suppressed by the Obama administration.

LA Times: 11th-hour votes on state budget fail
With a day to go until a cash crisis would force the state to stop paying its bills, lawmakers and Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger worked into the night Tuesday but failed to reach a budget agreement.

NATIONAL
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CNN: National Guard: Gay Iraq veteran must leave service
A panel of New York National Guard officers has recommended that an Iraq war veteran who acknowledged his homosexuality must leave the service, his supporters said Tuesday.

CNN: FDA advisers vote to take Vicodin, Percocet off market
A government advisory panel voted Tuesday to recommend eliminating prescription drugs that combine acetaminophen with narcotics - such as Vicodin and Percocet - because of their risk for overdose and for severe liver injury.

CNN: Jackson's public viewing set amid speculation on cause of death
More than two dozen television satellite trucks lined the narrow, two-lane road leading to Neverland Ranch early Wednesday, jostling to reserve space for a public viewing of pop icon Michael Jackson's body that won't happen for two more days.

CNN: Police: Duke University official offered adopted son for sex
A Duke University official is accused of offering his 5-year-old adopted son for sex on the Internet, according to the FBI and court documents in the case.

NYT: Many With Insurance Still Bankrupted by Health Crises
Health insurance is supposed to offer protection — both medically and financially. But as it turns out, an estimated three-quarters of people who are pushed into personal bankruptcy by medical problems actually had insurance when they got sick or were injured.

USA Today: Middle class may be developers' 2nd shot
Cities that have high housing costs are trying to make lemonade out of real estate lemons: turning failed developments into affordable housing for the shrinking urban middle class.

NYT: Study Dismisses Protein’s Role in Heart Disease
A blood protein that only a short time ago was thought by some to be more important than cholesterol in heart disease now appears to be little more than a bystander.

WSJ: Cities Grow at Suburbs' Expense During Recession
U.S. cities that for years lost residents to the suburbs are holding onto their populations with a mix of people trapped in homes they can't sell and those who prefer urban digs over more distant McMansions, according to Census data released Wednesday.

LA Times: Autism patients' treatment is denied illegally, group says
State regulators are violating mental health and other laws by allowing health insurers to deny effective treatment for children with autism, consumer advocates contend.

Forbes: What's North Dakota's Secret?
As the country has tipped into a deep recession over the past two years, North Dakota, under the leadership of the nation's longest-serving governor, John Hoeven, has bucked every trend. In 2008, North Dakota's economy grew 7.3%, twice as fast as any other state except Wyoming, which grew 4.4%. By this point, many states in the industrial Midwest, and housing-bubble states like Arizona, Nevada and Florida, were already shrinking.

Boston Globe: State draws zones for coast wind farms
Dozens of wind turbines could sprout within sight of the Massachusetts shoreline under a first-of-its-kind state blueprint with the promise of generating both electricity and controversy.

BBC: Vegetarians 'avoid more cancers'
Vegetarians are generally less likely than meat eaters to develop cancer but this does not apply to all forms of the disease, a major study has found.

USA Today: Panel pinpoints 100 areas to yield most bang for health-care buck
A report out today lists the top 100 areas of medicine in which research is needed to determine which treatments or preventive measures work best.

Miami Herald: Prescription drug overdose deaths soar in Florida
Florida continues to see a rapid rise in fatal overdoses caused by prescription-drug abuse - a trend fueled by a cottage industry of cash-only pain clinics - while deaths from illegal drugs wane, according to a report from the state's medical examiners released Tuesday.

INTERNATIONAL
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CNN: Ousted president vows to return to Honduras
A new stand-off was brewing in Honduras as the country's recently deposed president vowed to return, while the new provisional government said it would arrest him if he set foot back in the country.

CNN: Al Qaeda threatens France for perceived anti-burqa stance
Al Qaeda threatened to "take revenge" on France "by every means and wherever we can reach them" because of a debate in France over whether the burqa, a traditional Islamic woman's covering, violates French law, according to a statement posted on radical Islamist Web sites.

BBC: North Korean ship 'turned around'
A North Korean ship being tracked by the United States Navy on suspicion of transporting weapons to Burma has turned around, US officials have said.

BBC: Iran leader cancels Africa visit
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has cancelled his trip to an African Union summit in Libya, officials in Tehran say.

Al Jazeera: Girl survives Yemeni plane crash
A 14-year-old girl has survived after a Yemeni airliner with 153 people on board crashed in the Indian Ocean.

LA Times: Pakistan militants turn fruit juice bars into a front line
They are considered risque dens of iniquity and have been bombed simply for providing a place where men and women can (gasp) talk to each other.

BUSINESS
For the latest business news: www.CNNMoney.com.

CNN: New Orleans: Fastest growing city
The Big Easy is making a big comeback. New Orleans has steadily won back some of the population it lost in the wake of Hurricane Katrina in 2005, according to a government report released Wednesday.

CNN: Battle lines over Obama consumer agency
In the debate over how to prevent the next financial crisis, the first fight has already erupted - and it's over a proposal to create a new agency to protect consumers.

Financial Times: Citi raises card rates on millions
Citigroup has sharply increased interest rates on up to 15m US credit card accounts just months before curbs on such rises come into effect, in a move that could fuel political anger at the treatment of consumers by bailed-out banks.

WSJ: Wal-Mart Backs Drive to Make Companies Pay for Health Coverage
In a major break with most other large companies, Wal-Mart Stores Inc. Tuesday told the White House that it supports requiring employers to provide health insurance to workers, a centerpiece of President Barack Obama's effort to provide near-universal coverage to Americans.

WSJ: Stores Anxiously Watch Back-to-School Sales
Retailers that spent the last six months slashing inventories are now anxiously awaiting the back-to-school shopping season for clues that customers aren't turned off by the slim selections in stores.

Bloomberg: China Manufacturing Expands a Fourth Month, PMI Shows
China’s manufacturing expanded for a fourth month as a 4 trillion yuan ($585 billion) stimulus plan and record bank lending revive the world’s third-largest economy.

Business Week: Job Losses Lessen, but Recovery Remains Far Off
Sure, unemployment keeps getting worse. But look at the bright side: The rate of deterioration isn't as bad as it was a few months ago.

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CNN: Obama recognizes CNN Hero
President Obama today recognized CNN Hero Alfa Demmellash for helping low-income "mon-and-pop" businesses.

CNN: Pressure on immigration reform
Hispanic leaders are demanding President Obama make good on his campaign promise of immigration overhaul.

CNN: Obama eyes 2011 for Iraq exit
President Obama says the transfer of military power in Iraq is the first step in removing all troops by the end of 2011.

The CNN Washington Bureau’s morning speed read of the top stories making news from around the country and the world.

WASHINGTON/POLITICAL
For the latest political news: www.CNNPolitics.com.

CNN: Iraqi troops ready to secure major cities, top U.S. general says
Despite some high-profile bombings in recent days, Iraq's security forces are ready to take over for U.S. forces this week to stabilize the nation's major cities, the U.S. commander in Iraq told CNN on Sunday.

CNN: Pawlenty: GOP's 'clearly' been damaged
With two prominent Republicans falling prey to sexual scandals in as many weeks, Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty candidly conceded Sunday that his party is in trouble.

CNN: Sanford's mistress mum on affair, e-mail
The woman with whom South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford had an affair broke her silence Sunday long enough to say she wouldn't discuss her relationship with the now-embattled governor.

WSJ: New Rift Opens Over Rights of Detainees
The Justice Department has determined that detainees tried by military commissions in the U.S. can claim at least some constitutional rights, particularly protection against the use of statements taken through coercive interrogations, officials said.

USA Today: Fewer civilian deaths crucial in Afghanistan
The U.S.-led war in Afghanistan enters a critical phase this summer under a new commander whose goal will be to reduce the number of civilian casualties and restrict the ability of insurgents to attack freely, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said in an interview.

Washington Post: How a Loophole Benefits GE in Bank Rescue
General Electric, the world's largest industrial company, has quietly become the biggest beneficiary of one of the government's key rescue programs for banks.

LA Times: Obama champions energy bill but not its tariffs
President Obama on Sunday called a House-passed energy bill "an extraordinary first step" toward halting global warming and reducing the use of fossil fuels, but he expressed reservations about a controversial provision that would slap tariffs on imports from countries that do not similarly crack down on greenhouse gas emissions.

NYT: South Carolina Politics Looks Past Affair to Its Effects on Governor Race
The future of Gov. Mark Sanford’s political career after his secret trip to Argentina and admission of an extramarital affair may now depend on something more complicated than even the human heart: the wild and woolly politics of South Carolina.

NYT Op-Ed Krugman: Betraying the Planet
So the House passed the Waxman-Markey climate-change bill. In political terms, it was a remarkable achievement.

Washington Post: Will Obama Follow Bush Or FDR?
Soon after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, the Bush administration faced a fateful choice about terrorist detainees: Should it get Congress on board, or go it alone? President George W. Bush bypassed the legislature and for seven years based U.S. detention policy on his own constitutional authority, Congress's general authorization for the war against al-Qaeda and its affiliates, and the international laws of war. Working with Congress would be hard, administration officials reasoned; the legislature might constrain executive flexibility; and the president had powerful arguments that he didn't need additional legislative support.

WSJ Op-Ed: Kyl & Perle Our Decaying Nuclear Deterrent
A bipartisan congressional commission, headed by some of our most experienced national security practitioners, recently concluded that a nuclear deterrent is essential to our defense for the foreseeable future. It also recommended that urgent measures be taken to keep that deterrent safe and effective.

WSJ: Democrats Present Hurdles for Obama
As Congress tackles President Barack Obama's top two domestic priorities - climate change and health care - he faces some of his most serious challenges from fellow Democrats.

LA Times: Obama's curiously close labor friendship
They led the most powerful forces in healthcare - the trade groups representing doctors, insurance companies, hospitals and drug makers. Any one of them could stall, if not derail, President Obama's hopes of overhauling the U.S. healthcare system.

Boston Globe: Kerry becomes a bridge-builder
But the Kerry who returned to the Senate from the presidential trail was a different man, many colleagues noted, and now, with his presidential ambitions behind him and the senior colleague who long dominated his state sidelined by cancer, Kerry is experiencing what fellow lawmakers describe as a midcareer metamorphosis.

Newsweek: Will It Be 1972 Forever?
The question to which the Supreme Court recently gave a mistaken answer was: Has the revolution in race relations since enactment of the 1965 Voting Rights Act rendered the act's Section 5 anachronistic and hence unconstitutional as a no-longer defensible encroachment on the rights of the affected jurisdictions? The court's 8–1 ruling to preserve Section 5 is a reminder how misguided are conservatives' indiscriminate denunciations of "judicial activism."

Anchorage Daily News: Administration backs gas line, official says
Beyond its $30 billion cost, there are thousands of steps on the path to the proposed pipeline that will take North Slope natural gas 1,700 miles through Alaska and Canada

NATIONAL
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CNN: Law firm: Jackson had slight pulse when doctor found him
Michael Jackson's father says he is concerned about the last moment's of his son's life and about the personal physician who found pop icon unconscious at the singer's estate.

CNN: Great-grandmother donates 200th pint of blood
Margaret Delfino donated her 200th pint of blood last week, bringing her total to to more than 25 gallons.

CNN: Billy Mays, OxiClean pitchman, found dead
Infomercial pitchman Billy Mays died at his Tampa, Florida, home Sunday morning, authorities told CNN.

CNN: Metro driver called a hero who saved lives in crash
The head of Washington's mass transit system praised as a "hero" the driver who was killed in Monday's crash when her train struck another that was parked on the tracks.

USA Today: Thousands still in FEMA trailers
Four years since the devastation of Hurricane Katrina, there are still nearly 3,000 mobile homes and trailers across the Gulf Coast housing victims of that disaster.

NYT: A Plan to Stem Foreclosures, Buried in a Paper Avalanche
Somewhere on earth, there must be a more difficult task than this: persuading American mortgage companies to lower payments for homeowners who can no longer afford their loans. But as Karina Montenegro struggles to accomplish this feat for a troubled borrower, she strains to imagine a more futile pursuit.

The Economist: The end of retirement
Now retirement is for everyone, and often as long as whole lives once were. In some European countries the average retirement lasts more than a quarter of a century. In America the official pension age is 66, but the average American retires at 64 and can then expect to live for another 16 years. Average spending on public pensions across the OECD is now the equivalent of more than 7% of GDP (they cost America just 0.2% back in 1935). In some countries the current figure could double by 2050, to say nothing of the cost of private pensions and extra spending on health and long-term care.

NYT: In Uncertain Times, Valedictorians Look Ahead
CALL them members of the Obama generation: Seven of New York City’s valedictorians, invited to discuss the future — theirs, the city’s, the world’s — could not help circling back to themes resonant from President Obama’s historic campaign: diversity, globalization, cooperation, hope.

WSJ: States Consider Gas and Oil Levies
Cash-strapped states are considering raising taxes on oil production to plug yawning budget gaps, but they face strong resistance from oil companies, which warn the moves could lead to lost jobs and higher energy prices.

USA Today: Your Health: When does not wasting food sacrifice safety?
Times are tough and food is expensive. So a lot of us are standing in front of refrigerators or pantries these days asking the age-old question: Should I toss it or eat it?

Washington Post: Saving Species No Longer a Beauty Contest
Are we ready to start saving ugly species?

LA Times: LAPD names its first Islamic chaplain
American Muslims have never been much of a presence in the Los Angeles Police Department, accounting for less than 1% of its nearly 10,000 officers. But now, with department leaders eager to improve relationships with local Muslims, top brass have named the force's first Islamic chaplain: a Pakistani-born spiritual leader who has spent much of the last decade trying to build bridges between law enforcement and Los Angeles County's diverse Muslim communities.

Boston Globe: 'Tweets' on the menu are a sweet deal
What can you do with 140 characters or less, the length of each tweet? A lot, restaurants are discovering – everything from posting daily specials to luring followers with offers of free appetizers to offering a glimpse of kitchen life. It’s all good for business.

Miami Herald: Keys ill-prepared for rising sea
Some 35 miles west of Key West, in 45 feet of water under a five-foot layer of dense mud lay an 8,500-year-old shoreline not unlike today's coast of the Florida Keys. There were well-preserved mangroves, pine cones and pine tree pieces, some amazingly still fragrant when brought to the surface.

INTERNATIONAL
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CNN: Thousands demonstrate silently in Tehran
Watched closely by police, several thousand protesters moved slowly down a major Tehran thoroughfare Sunday in the first demonstration over the country's disputed presidential election that authorities have allowed in days.

CNN: Honduran Congress names provisional president
Hours after the sitting president was deposed by a military-led coup, a new president of Honduras was sworn in Sunday.

CNN: Brazil survive U.S. scare to win Confed Cup
Five-time world champions Brazil needed to come from two goals down to beat underdogs the United States 3-2 in the final of the Confederations Cup in South Africa on Sunday night.

Washington Post: Crackdown In Iran Puts Mousavi in Tight Spot
With the opposition visibly weakening in Iran amid a government crackdown, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and his supporters have begun to use his disputed victory in this month's election to toughen the nation's stance internationally and to consolidate control internally.

BBC: Argentine leader eyes poll loss
Early partial results in Argentina's mid-term legislative elections suggest President Cristina Fernandez's party has lost seats in Congress.

LA Times: Pakistanis begin to rebuild lives
Nearly two months after Taliban militants expanded from their stronghold in the Swat Valley into neighboring Buner district, touching off an army offensive to remove them, there are early signs here that life is slowly returning to normal.

NYT: Exiled to Russia’s Far Reaches: Casinos and Jobs
One of the largest mass layoffs in recent Russian history is to occur on Wednesday, and the Kremlin itself is decreeing it, economic crisis or not.

LA Times: U.N. fact-finding commission faces skepticism in Gaza
A novel approach toward injecting international justice into the Israeli-Palestinian conflict got underway Sunday in this embattled enclave, but it left neither side particularly satisfied.

Financial Times: North Korean ‘bright leader’ visits China
The son and heir apparent to North Korean leader Kim Jong-il joined a delegation of senior military officials for a top-secret, week-long visit to China in mid-June in spite of Beijing’s claims that no such trip occurred.

McClatchy: Flood of Afghan heroin fuels drug plague in Russia
Young men with sores on their arms shuffled up the stairs of a dark, underground shopping arcade and into the daylight to plop dingy wads of rubles into the drug dealers' hands. The dealers casually reached into their pockets or plastic shopping bags and handed over tablets of synthetic morphine, a type also used as a horse tranquilizer, and paper packets that appeared to contain heroin.

BUSINESS
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CNN: Here comes the second half
Investors barrel into the second half of the year in a holiday-shortened trading week that's loaded with key economic news.

CNN: Madoff's day of reckoning comes
Bernard Madoff, the mastermind behind the largest and most sweeping Ponzi scheme ever, on Monday faces the possibility of spending the rest of his life behind bars.

CNN: Gas prices hold steady as July 4 nears
Despite travelers taking to the road for vacations and the Independence Day weekend coming up, gasoline prices in the United States are unchanged from two weeks ago, according to a survey published Sunday.

WSJ: At Saturn, a Split Over Relying on the Penske Name
General Motors Corp.'s Saturn unit is set to be sold to a new owner later this year, but any road to recovery for the slumping brand will be challenging.

NYT: A Plan to Stem Foreclosures, Buried in a Paper Avalanche
Somewhere on earth, there must be a more difficult task than this: persuading American mortgage companies to lower payments for homeowners who can no longer afford their loans. But as Karina Montenegro struggles to accomplish this feat for a troubled borrower, she strains to imagine a more futile pursuit.

Financial Times: Madoff prepares to learn his sentence
His victims have called him a “monster” and a “devil” and want him jailed for the rest of his life. On Monday, Bernard Madoff, architect of the world’s biggest financial fraud, a $65bn “Ponzi” scheme that ruined thousands of investors, will learn his fate.

WSJ: Companies Cope With Twitter Imposters
Twitter users have caused an uproar by impersonating celebrities on the popular micro-blogging service. Businesses, too, are targets of fake Twitter profiles - sometimes from competitors.

LA Times: Steve Jobs set to return to Apple
With the intense - some would say obsessive - scrutiny of Steve Jobs and his health, what is sometimes overlooked is the company he founded and built: Apple Inc.

Business Week: U.S. Companies Seek New Tax Havens
For years the archipelago, along with its Caribbean siblings the Cayman Islands and British Virgin Islands, has played host to companies seeking favorable tax treatment. But rising concerns about a U.S. crackdown on tax havens have a growing number of companies rolling up their beach blankets and decamping to far less sunny shores.

In Case You Missed It
To watch the latest interviews and reporting: http://www.cnn.com/video.

CNN: Matalin, Carville on health care
Watch as political spouses Mary Matalin, a Republican, and James Carville, a Democrat weigh in on health care reform.

CNN: Pawlenty to Obama: Stop spending
Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty, a Republican, had strong words for the president's approach to health care reform.

CNN: Ohio's GOP comeback
John King visits Ohio, where Republicans see two faces from the past as critical to a GOP future.

The CNN Washington Bureau’s morning speed read of the top stories making news from around the country and the world.

WASHINGTON/POLITICAL
For the latest political news: www.CNNPolitics.com.

CNN: Obama to resurrect military tribunals for terror suspects
In a move that could reignite tensions with liberals in his own party, President Obama is planning on Friday to resume the Bush administration's highly controversial military tribunal system - which Obama suspended his first week in office - for some Guantanamo detainees, according to three administration officials.

CNN: Powell aide says torture helped build Iraq war case
Finding a "smoking gun" linking Iraq and al Qaeda became the main purpose of the abusive interrogation program the Bush administration authorized in 2002, a former State Department official told CNN on Thursday

CNN: Specter primary challenger drops out
U.S. Sen. Arlen Specter received welcome news Thursday evening when the Pennsylvanian's only current primary challenger abandoned a run for the Democratic Senate nomination, two Democratic sources told CNN.

CNN: Prosecutor to question Karl Rove on Friday
Former Bush administration official Karl Rove is scheduled to be interviewed Friday about why a number of U.S. attorneys were fired in 2006, according to an attorney in private practice familiar with the case.

CNN: Hoyer looks to change torture talk back to 'what was done'
The No. 2 Democrat in the House on Thursday dismissed talk of what House Speaker Nancy Pelosi knew or didn't know about the CIA's interrogation techniques.

CNN: CIA denies Cheney request on interrogations
The CIA has rejected former Vice President Dick Cheney's request to declassify records of abusive interrogations of suspected terrorists, a spokesman for the spy agency said Thursday.

CNN: Limbaugh hits back at McCain's mom
Rush Limbaugh responded to Roberta McCain's criticism of his tough radio persona Thursday, joking over the fact "McCain's mother is dumping on me."

NYT: New York City Official Is Obama Pick for C.D.C.
President Obama will announce on Friday that he has chosen Dr. Thomas R. Frieden, the New York City health commissioner, as the next director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, administration officials said Thursday.

Washington Post: Trade Wars Launched With Ruses, End Runs
Is this what the first trade war of the global economic crisis looks like?

WSJ: New Strikes Against Taliban Are Expected
The Obama administration's new Afghanistan commanders are likely to order fresh military strikes against the Taliban as part of a broad push to encourage more militants to join U.S. and Afghan reconciliation efforts, senior defense officials said.

Bloomberg: Republicans Adopt Emanuel’s Tactics to Deliver 2010 ‘Thumpin”
Republicans are getting inspiration on how to rebuild their party in the U.S. Congress from an unlikely source: White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel.

Boston Globe: Health pioneer may get Obama post
Dr. Paul Farmer, the global health crusader who has crafted lifesaving projects from Haiti to Rwanda, has told colleagues privately that he is mulling a possible appointment by the Obama administration to coordinate the United States' growing overseas health initiatives.

NYT: On Abortion, Obama Is Drawn Into Debate He Hoped to Avoid
In nearly four months in office, President Obama has pursued a careful two-pronged strategy on abortion, enacting policies that secure a woman’s right to the procedure while vowing to move beyond the culture wars that have divided the nation on the issue for more than three decades.

The Daily Beast: Cheney's Role Deepens
Former NBC News investigative producer Robert Windrem reports that the vice president’s office suggested waterboarding an Iraqi prisoner who was suspected of knowing about a relationship between al Qaeda and Saddam.

Washington Post: A Single-Minded Focus on Dual Wars
"The bureaucracy's first impulse was to deny that the demand really existed," said Brad Berkson, who served as director of program analysis and evaluation in the defense secretary's office.

WSJ Op-Ed: Orszag: Health Costs Are the Real Deficit Threat
This week confirmed two important facts - that health-care costs are the key to our fiscal future, and that even doctors and hospitals agree that substantial efficiency improvements are possible in how medicine is practiced.

CS Monitor: To probe detainee abuse, Congress leans toward outsourcing
Congress is on track to punt its toughest investigations – including the hot-button one over harsh and possibly illegal treatment of terrorism suspects – to freshly minted, independent commissions, seen as freer of partisan rancor than the House and Senate.

NATIONAL
For the latest national news: www.CNN.com.

CNN: Three NYC schools closing for week over H1N1 flu
Five new cases of the H1N1 virus in New York City schools will force three schools to close for a week, Mayor Michael Bloomberg said at a news conference Thursday evening.

CNN: Police say they're close to solving triple homicide
Police say they believe they know who killed a 31-year-old Southern Illinois woman and her two young sons, but are waiting for prosecutors to build a strong forensic case against the suspect before disclosing his identity.

CNN: Legal fight brews over 'Farrah's Story'
As Ryan O'Neal walked the red carpet at the premiere of "Farrah's Story," he stopped every few feet to answer reporters' questions about Farrah Fawcett's battle with cancer.

USA Today: Medical grant requests overwhelm agency
Scientists from around the country are scrambling to get a share of new federal stimulus funding designed to enhance innovative research.

LA Times: Kaiser hospital fined $250,000 for privacy breach in octuplet case
California health regulators fined Kaiser Permanente's Bellflower hospital $250,000 Thursday for failing to keep employees from snooping in the medical records of Nadya Suleman, the mother who set off a media frenzy after giving birth to octuplets in January.

Bloomberg: Superfood’ Promoted on Oprah’s Site Robs Amazon Poor of Staple
Rising U.S. sales of acai, a purple Amazon berry promoted as a “superfood” on Oprah Winfrey’s Web site, are depriving Brazilian jungle dwellers of a protein-rich nutrient they’ve relied on for generations.

Boston Globe: Waits to see Hub doctors grow longer
Despite Boston's abundance of top-notch medical specialists, the waits to see dermatologists, obstetrician-gynecologists, and orthopedic surgeons for routine care have grown longer – to as much as a year for the busiest doctors.

The Economist: The rebirth of news
THE race is crowded, but San Francisco stands a fair chance of becoming the first major American city without a daily newspaper. The San Francisco Chronicle, founded in 1865, is trimming its already pared-down staff in an attempt to avoid closure. And if it does disappear? “People under 30 won’t even notice,” says Gavin Newsom, the city’s mayor.

Lexington-Herald Leader: 8,000 feet under: In Kentucky, quest to bury CO2 is halfway
Beside a cow pasture in Hancock County, scientists are drilling through 8,000 feet of rock, hoping to learn how to lock away forever an invisible gas that threatens Earth's climate and our way of life.

USA Today: Study: Ginger can help reduce nausea after chemotherapy
Ginger capsules can relieve the nausea caused by chemotherapy, a new study shows.

USA Today: Finding help to pay for college: You just need to know where to look
The staff at Scholarship America, the nation's largest scholarship administrator, fielded more phone calls from families this year and noticed a heightened sense of urgency among callers.

INTERNATIONAL
For the latest international news: http://edition.cnn.com/

CNN: Clinton hopeful for detained U.S. journalists
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Thursday that North Korea's announcement of a trial date for two American journalists could signal that their detention will be resolved soon.

CNN: Abuse photos put U.S. in 'double catch-22'
The one-star general almost yells when asked to talk about the infamous Abu Ghraib photos showing U.S. soldiers abusing Iraqi detainees.

CNN: 'Slumdog Millionaire' child star's 'illegal' home demolished
"Slumdog Millionaire" leaves audiences uplifted. But that is hardly how one of its child stars felt on Thursday.

BBC: Pakistan lifts Swat valley curfew
Pakistan's army has temporarily lifted the curfew in large parts of the Swat valley, to allow civilians to flee the intense fighting against the Taleban.

Al Jazeera: Madagascar leader 'will go home'
Madagascar's ousted president has said he is "confident" he will return home and suggested he could use force to achieve that aim.

NYT: Mexican Data Say Migration to U.S. Has Plummeted
Census data from the Mexican government indicate an extraordinary decline in the number of Mexican immigrants going to the United States.

Jerusalem Post Exclusive: IAF revamps security measures following breaches
New security measures have been taken to secure several air force bases across the country after soldiers disguised as civilians managed to breach security in a top-secret base in the South and even steal a computer and codes to war rooms, The Jerusalem Post has learned.

WSJ: Muslim Brotherhood Falters as Egypt Outflanks Islamists
Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood is on the defensive, its struggles reverberating throughout Islamist movements that the secretive organization has spawned world-wide.

Times of London: Silvio Berlusconi attacks press for defamation over unanswered questions
Silvio Berlusconi has launched a fierce attack on La Repubblica, accusing the newspaper of defamation and denigration after it challenged him to explain his relationship with Noemi Letizia, the teenager who calls him Papi.

Business Week: Can China Go Green?
China's unprecedented growth in recent years has come at a terrible price. Two-thirds of its rivers and lakes are too polluted for industrial use, let alone agriculture or drinking. Just 1 in 100 of China's nearly 600 million city dwellers breathes air that would be considered safe in Europe. At a time when arable land is in short supply, poisoned floodwaters have ruined many productive fields. And last year, ahead of most forecasts, China passed the U.S. to become the world's largest source of greenhouse gases.

BUSINESS
For the latest business news: www.CNNMoney.com.

CNN: Next on the block: 2,600 GM dealers
The next auto businesses on the chopping block will be 2,600 General Motors dealerships.

CNN: 55,000 helped by Obama mortgage rescue
More than 55,000 troubled homeowners have received loan modification offers under President Obama's foreclosure prevention program, officials said Thursday.

WSJ: BofA Urged by Regulators to Revamp Board of Directors
Federal officials have pressured Bank of America Corp. to revamp its board by bringing in directors with more banking experience, as regulators place the bank under increasingly heavy government scrutiny.

Financial Times: Treasury plans help for muni bond market
The US Treasury would provide a backstop to stricken states like California, which are struggling to raise debt, under legislation due to be introduced to Congress.

The Economist: Three trillion dollars later...
COULD there be a better time to be a bank? If you have capital and courage, the markets are packed with opportunities—as they well understand at Goldman Sachs, which is once again filling its boots with risk. Governments are endorsing high leverage and guaranteeing huge parts of the financial system, so you get to keep the profits and palm off the losses on the taxpayer.

Financial Times: Toyota plans top-level overhaul
Toyota Motor is planning one of the most drastic management overhauls in its 70-year history next month when Akio Toyoda, grandson of the Japanese car company’s founder, takes over as chief executive.

The CNN Washington Bureau’s morning speed read of the top stories making news from around the country and the world.

WASHINGTON/POLITICAL
For the latest political news: www.CNNPolitics.com.

CNN: Obama turns controversy into jokes, lesson at commencement
President Obama on Wednesday turned a flap over his commencement speech at Arizona State University into a joke - then a lesson about never being satisfied with one's accomplishments.

CNN: Obama reverses course on alleged prison abuse photos
President Obama said Wednesday he told government lawyers to object to a court-ordered release of additional images showing alleged abuse of detainees because the release could affect the safety of U.S. troops and "inflame anti-American opinion."

CNN: Sources: High court selection process down to finalists
The search for a Supreme Court nominee has been trimmed to about half a dozen candidates by top White House officials, and an announcement may come by month's end, two sources close to the selection process tell CNN.

CNN: Bill Clinton: Cheney should stick to target practice
Bill Clinton jokingly laughed off a question Wednesday about former Vice President Dick Cheney and his recent claims that the country is less safe under the Obama administration.

CNN: Family feud roils Republican Party
President Obama poked fun at the travails of the Republican Party last weekend, telling the party's chairman that no, the GOP does not qualify for a bailout, and conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh does not count as a troubled asset.

WSJ: Obama Considers Detaining Terror Suspects Indefinitely
The Obama administration is weighing plans to detain some terror suspects on U.S. soil - indefinitely and without trial - as part of a plan to retool military commission trials that were conducted for prisoners held in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

Telegraph UK: US government renews threat to withdraw intelligence sharing
The High Court agreed to re-open the case last week after lawyers for Mr Mohamed argued that it was unclear if the new government maintained the position of the Bush administration.

Washington Times Exclusive: Choice of shipping exec for post reviewed
The Department of Homeland Security says it is reviewing a last-minute Bush administration appointment of a shipping industry executive and registered lobbyist to serve on a government maritime security board, even as his company faced serious allegations of defrauding the U.S. military in war zones.

LA Times: Supreme Court candidate Elena Kagan has admirers left and right
If there is a Supreme Court candidate with inside connections, it is Elena Kagan, the Harvard Law School dean who was recently named U.S. solicitor general.

NYT: Unease Grows for Democrats Over Security
Congressional Democrats are voicing growing unease over the Obama administration’s national security policies, including the seemingly open-ended commitment in Afghanistan and the nettlesome question of what to do with prisoners held at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba.

CS Monitor: Congress inches toward ‘truth commission’ for torture probe
Congress is in danger of losing control of its own investigations into Bush-era “enhanced interrogation” methods – leading to calls for an independent “truth commission” to resolve the tough, increasingly partisan issues.

Chicago Tribune: Obama and Notre Dame: As commencement nears, debate over President Obama's invitation rages on
Andrew Chronister will graduate from the University of Notre Dame this Sunday, but the theology major from suburban La Grange will not be at his own commencement ceremony, choosing instead to attend a prayer service for the unborn.

Forbes: Obama Takes On Shadow Banking System
The Obama administration is taking its first significant steps to shine a light on the so-called shadow banking system.

Washington Post: Defense Official Charged With Giving Classified Data to China
A Defense Department official has been charged in an espionage conspiracy with providing classified information to a Chinese government agent, including a report on Chinese military power and details about a joint U.S.-Chinese naval exercise, prosecutors announced yesterday.

Washington Post: As Cheney Seizes Spotlight, Many Republicans Wince
Today Cheney is the most visible - and controversial - critic of President Obama's national security policies and, to the alarm of many people in the Republican Party, the most forceful and uncompromising defender of the Bush administration's record. His running argument with the new administration has spawned a noisy side debate all its own: By leading the criticism, is Cheney doing more harm than good to the causes he has taken up and to the political well-being of his party?

WSJ Op-Ed: Rove: Congress and Waterboarding
Someone important appears not to be telling the truth about her knowledge of the CIA's use of enhanced interrogation techniques (EITs). That someone is Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi. The political persecution of Bush administration officials she has been pushing may now ensnare her.

LA Times: Obama takes risk with reversal on detainee photos
President Obama's decision Wednesday to try to block the court-ordered release of photographs depicting alleged abuse of detainees by U.S. soldiers sets him on a confrontational course with his liberal base. But it is a showdown he is willing to risk - and may even view as politically necessary.

Denver Post: Army calls for retreat on Piñon expansion
The Army has given up attempts to acquire land for expanding the Piñon Canyon training site in the next year, shifting the money that had been allocated for the purpose to other uses, according to congressional and Army sources.

Chicago Tribune: Blago Volumizing Shampoo and Conditioner: 'It's Bleep'n Golden'
Say what you will about disgraced former Gov. Rod Blagojevich, but you can't say he has thin hair.

NATIONAL
For the latest national news: www.CNN.com.

CNN: Hispanic population boom fuels rising U.S. diversity
The nation is becoming even more diverse: More than one third of its population belongs to a minority group, and Hispanics are the fastest-growing segment.

CNN: At least 10 dead after apparent human-smuggling boat capsizes
At least 10 people were killed, and an unknown number remained missing Wednesday, after a boat authorities believe was used for human smuggling capsized off the coast of Florida.

CNN: Ashton Kutcher fulfills promise, pranks CNN
The scene was more reminiscent of a Hollywood production than an elaborate prank by the Punk'd-master himself.

NYT: Killings Away From Combat Deal Sharper Blow to Families of Five Military Men
One was a native of Peru who lived in New Jersey and joined the Army after watching the twin towers fall. Another was a doting young father who followed his older brothers into the military, extending a brave family tradition. Another was a doctor and reservist, based in Baghdad to counsel soldiers through trauma and stress.

USA Today: Gap between Baby Boomers, young minorities grows
The USA is developing a stark generation gap between aging white Baby Boomers and a young, growing minority population, according to U.S. Census data released today.

WSJ: Downturn Slows Growth of Hispanics, Asians in U.S.
The recession has reduced the growth rate of U.S. Hispanic and Asian populations, the Census said Wednesday, slowing the spread of diversity in American suburbs and exurbs.

NYT: For Explorer Scouts, Good Deeds Have Whole New Meaning
The Explorers program, a coeducational affiliate of the Boy Scouts of America that began 60 years ago, is training thousands of young people in skills used to confront terrorism, illegal immigration and escalating border violence — an intense ratcheting up of one of the group’s longtime missions to prepare youths for more traditional jobs as police officers and firefighters.

Boston Globe: Graduation, recession style
It's a springtime ritual, one eagerly anticipated by hoteliers and restaurateurs. Each weekend starting this month and through the beginning of June, scores of parents descend upon the region for the college commencement season. In boom times, they rack up hotel bills, splurge on meals, and open their wallets at the shops along Newbury Street.

Washington Post: More Homeowners Getting Aid, but Demand Keeps Rising
In the two months since it launched, the Obama administration's foreclosure prevention plan has outperformed the government's previous attempts, offering more than 50,000 homeowners lower-cost mortgages.

LA Times: 3 California counties will check immigration status as inmates enter jail
Los Angeles, Ventura and San Diego will become the first counties in California to begin checking the immigration status of all inmates booked into jail as part of a national effort to identify and deport more illegal immigrants with criminal records.

Boston Globe: Senate bill cuts about $29m from youth violence programs
In a move that stunned and worried youth advocates, the Senate Ways and Means Committee approved a state budget yesterday that would gut nearly all money for programs aimed at reducing urban youth violence.

Chicago Tribune: Chicago BPA ban: Chicago bans sale of baby bottles, sippy cups with dangerous chemical
The City Council's vote Wednesday to make Chicago the first U.S. city to ban bisphenol A in baby bottles and sippy cups is the latest act in a groundswell of public concern about a widely used chemical that has been linked to cancer, diabetes and other ailments.

INTERNATIONAL
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CNN: Myanmar democracy leader Suu Kyi facing trial
Nobel Peace Prize laureate Aung San Suu Kyi was taken to a prison compound in Myanmar on Thursday, where she was scheduled to stand trial next week for allegedly letting an American stay in her house in violation of her house-arrest terms.

CNN: North Korea sets trial date for American journalists
Two American journalists will be tried in a North Korean court on June 4, Pyongyang's official news agency said Thursday.

CNN: Report: Some at U.S. diplomatic posts earn less than $1 a day
A new State Department report says some local employees hired by U.S. embassies and other posts around the world are so poorly paid they have to cut back to one meal a day or send their children to peddle on the streets.

CNN: U.N., U.S. call for end to Sri Lanka fighting
The U.N. Security Council and U.S. President Barack Obama on Wednesday called for both sides in Sri Lanka's civil war to protect civilians and allow humanitarian aid into the conflict zone, where tens of thousands are trapped.

CNN: Dancer paralyzed in fall, dashing Olympic dreams
Liu Yan, regarded as China's top classical dancer, was to give the performance of a lifetime: She was to dance a solo at the opening ceremony of the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

BBC: Military 'charge Burma's Suu Kyi'
Burmese pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi has been charged with breaching the conditions of her detention under house arrest, her lawyer has said.

WSJ: U.K. Sailors to Remain in Iraq to Train the Navy
The Iraqi government said Wednesday it was studying a formal agreement to have a few hundred British sailors stay past the end of a mandate that expires in July to train their Iraqi counterparts.

Al Jazeera: India polls predict weak coalition
Early exit polls in India's election suggest the country's next government will be a weak coalition, with the ruling Congress-led alliance only slightly ahead of its rivals.

LA Times: Pakistan's displacement camps: A study in contrasts
At the entrance to the Hazrat Usman camp just south of the Swat Valley, a welcoming committee greets those fleeing violence between the government and militants with a cool glass of water, a meal and a place to sleep with fans and a pharmacy.

NYT Op-ed: Kristof: What a Little Vitamin A Could Do
I’m bouncing across West Africa in the back of a Land Cruiser with the winner of my “win-a-trip” contest, Paul Bowers, a student at the University of South Carolina, talking about wonky ways to tackle global poverty — such as vitamin A capsules.

Times of London: Rape audit to find out why so few win justice
Rape victims are to be asked why they feel that they are being failed by the criminal justice system as new research suggests that Britain has the lowest conviction rates in Europe.

Telegraph UK: Elliot Morley claimed £16,000 for mortgage that did not exist: MPs' expenses
Mr Morley, the ex-agriculture minister, continued claiming for the mortgage interest on his constituency home for more than 18 months after the loan had been repaid.

BUSINESS
For the latest business news: www.CNNMoney.com.

CNN: The rich get richer on Wall Street
The rush to repay government bailout loans is fattening up what's left of Wall Street.

CNN: Religion and money: The price of faith
Ask Abbi Perets about financial pain, and she starts talking about grape juice. Specifically, she's referring to the half-gallon bottles of grape juice that her local grocery sells for $9 each.

CNN: White House on rescue: How we're doing
The Obama administration, issuing its first progress report on the $787 billion stimulus program, said Wednesday that $88 billion has been made available and that it's ahead of schedule in implementing most initiatives.

Bloomberg: Paulson Told Bankers to Take U.S. Taxpayer Aid or Be ‘Exposed’
Former Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson, saying nine U.S. banks were “central to any solution” of the credit crisis, told their leaders to take government aid or be forced to by regulators, according to a memo prepared for an October meeting.

NYT: Slow Start to Federal Plan for Modifying Mortgages
The Obama administration’s plan to help millions of troubled homeowners avoid foreclosure by reducing the size of their mortgage payments is just getting off the ground.

WSJ: Lehman Considers Spinoff of Remnants
Eight months after its plunge into bankruptcy, Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc. is taking steps to spin off the Wall Street firm's remaining assets - a collection of battered real-estate and private-equity holdings - to investors willing to bet the value will rise as the economy recovers.

Financial Times: This has not been a pure failure of markets
Only the rulers of Cuba, Venezuela, Iran and some ideologues in the west condemn capitalism. Empirically minded people know that there is no good alternative. However, capitalism takes many forms and evolves over time. The questions to ask, then, are “What capitalism?” and “Does the present crisis shed new light on this issue?”

WSJ: SEC Poised to Charge Mozilo With Fraud
The Securities and Exchange Commission staff is readying civil fraud charges against Countrywide Financial Corp. co-founder Angelo Mozilo, in what would be the highest-profile government legal action against a chief executive connected to the financial crisis.

BusinessWeek: Car Dealers are Fighting The Hammer as Chrysler and GM Send Out Pink Slips To Retailers
For all the talk in the last six months about the billions being spent to cushion the U.S. auto companies and suppliers, very little has been said or done to consider the plight of the car dealers who are being told in this process that they will be run out of business with not too many people caring about soft landings.

Bloomberg: Fed Views Jump in Yields as Sign of Better Outlook
The Federal Reserve considers the recent jump in Treasury yields more as a reflection of a better economic outlook than a signal it needs to step up purchases of U.S. government debt, according to central bank officials who declined to be identified.

In Case You Missed It
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CNN: Reporters busted for cell phones
A series of ringing cell phones prompts Press Secretary Robert Gibbs to take the phones of two White House reporters.

CNN: $250,000 mistake
A financially struggling single mom discovers more than $250,000 in her bank account. KOMO's Elisa Jaffe

CNN: Blago shampoo
The former Illinois Gov comes clean in the form of a shampoo. Jeanne Moos reports Blago Shampoo is more than a novelty.

The CNN Washington Bureau’s morning speed read of the top stories making news from around the country and the world.

WASHINGTON/POLITICAL
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CNN: Obama Official Expected to be rejected by Senate Wednesday
The Senate Democratic leadership is preparing to lose a vote Wednesday morning on the confirmation of David Hayes as Deputy Secretary of Interior. If that happens, it would be the first time Congress votes to reject one of President Obama’s nominees.

CNN: Crist gives GOP 'big fish' in 2010 Senate elections
Score a big one for John Cornyn.

CNN: Source: Aide told Pelosi waterboarding had been used
A source close to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi now confirms that Pelosi was told in February 2003 by her intelligence aide, Michael Sheehy, that waterboarding was actually used on CIA detainee Abu Zubaydah.

CNN: Changing course in Afghanistan
Just 11 months ago, Defense Secretary Robert Gates selected Gen. David McKiernan to head the war in Afghanistan.

CNN: Commentary: Harry, Louise back at the table
It's hard not to be cynical about the prospects for the passage of serious health care reform.

CNN: Liz Cheney suggests Obama 'siding with terrorists'
Liz Cheney is picking up where her father left off when it comes to taking aim at the Obama administration, saying Tuesday the new commander-in-chief appears to be siding with terrorists.

CNN: Elizabeth Edwards discusses tragedies, strengths
CNN's Larry King sat down with Elizabeth Edwards on Tuesday to discuss her new book, her personal tragedies and the power of resilience.

NYT: U.S. Considers Limits on Financial Pay
Obama Administration officials are contemplating a major overhaul of the compensation practices in the financial services industry, moving beyond banks to include more loosely regulated hedge funds and private equity firms.

USA Today: U.S. warhead disposal in 15-year backlog
President Obama plans deep new cuts in the U.S. nuclear arsenal at a time when the government faces a 15-year backlog of warheads already waiting to be dismantled and a need for billions of dollars in new facilities to store and dispose of the weapons' plutonium.

Washington Post: Officials Knew of AIG Bonuses Months Before Firestorm
As American International Group chief executive Edward M. Liddy returns to Washington to face Congress today, new details are emerging about how long federal officials were aware of the company's recent bonus payments to its executives and of how inflammatory the payments could be.

LA Times: U.S. military, Pakistan carrying out Predator drone missions together
The U.S. military has begun flying armed Predator drones inside Pakistan and has given Pakistani officers significant control over targets, flight routes and decisions to launch attacks under a new joint operation, according to U.S. officials familiar with the program.

WSJ: Idea on Hill: Taxing Health Benefits
The idea of taxing employee health-care benefits to raise money for an overhaul of the health system is gaining strength in Congress, although it drew criticism from Barack Obama when he was campaigning for president.

LA Times: EPA's greenhouse gas ruling criticized within the government
In ruling last month that greenhouse gases posed health and safety risks, the Environmental Protection Agency brushed aside warnings from Bush administration holdovers who said the move was "likely to have serious economic consequences" for small businesses and the economy overall, according to documents obtained Tuesday.

Washington Post: Hesitation at White House On Releasing Abuse Photos
The Obama administration signaled yesterday that it may be rethinking its promise to release several dozen photos depicting abuse or alleged abuse of detainees held in U.S. custody abroad.

NYT: Army Disputes Doctor’s Claim in Study of Injured
A former surgeon at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, who is a paid consultant for a medical company, published a study that made false claims and overstated the benefits of the company’s product in treating soldiers severely injured in Iraq, the hospital’s commander said Tuesday.

WSJ Op-Ed: Frank: Republicans vs. Bureaucrats
Last week, the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform approved a bill to provide paid parental leave to federal workers and thus make government employment more attractive. The committee's ranking Republican, Rep. Darrell Issa of California, reportedly opposed the measure because he fears, among other things, that rascally federal workers will scam the system, piling up child after child just to claim the four weeks of paid leave.

LA Times: Crist's Senate bid represents ideological struggle for GOP
It is a heated debate in the struggling Republican Party: whether to broaden its ideology or follow the advice of Dick Cheney, Rush Limbaugh and others who argue against deviating from core conservative principles.

Miami Herald: Crist's GOP tent too quick to snub Rubio
Off goes Gov. Charlie Crist to run for the U.S. Senate to replace retiring Sen. Mel Martinez.

NYT Op-Ed: Divoll: Congress’s Torture Bubble
JUST four members of Congress were notified in 2002 when the Central Intelligence Agency’s “enhanced interrogation techniques” program was first approved and carried out, according to documents released by the agency last week. They were Senators Bob Graham and Richard Shelby and Representatives Porter Goss and Nancy Pelosi, then the chairmen and ranking members of the Senate and House intelligence committees — the so-called “Gang of Four.” Each was briefed orally and it was understood that they were not to speak about the program with anyone, including their colleagues on the committees.

Chicago Tribune: White House poetry: Chicago poet Mayda del Valle visits the White House
When Chicago native Mayda del Valle walked into the ornate East Room of the White House on Tuesday evening to recite a newly written poem about a grandmother she barely knew, it took all of her professionalism to disguise her nervousness.

Hartford Courant: House Backs Measure That Aims To Elect President By Popular Vote
In the closest vote of the year, the state House of Representatives voted Tuesday night to allow Connecticut and other states to join an interstate compact to elect the president by the national popular vote.

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CNN: Man who spent 22 years on death row is cleared
A former death row inmate in Tennessee has been cleared of murder, three years after the Supreme Court raised repeated questions about his conviction.

CNN: ACLU sues over patents on breast cancer genes
Patents on two human genes linked to breast and ovarian cancers are being challenged in court by the American Civil Liberties Union, which argues that patenting pure genes is unconstitutional and hinders research for a cancer cure.

CNN: Office refrigerator stench packs punch, sends seven to hospital
We've all been there: reached for our food in the office refrigerator, only to recoil from the stench from the crammed containers of decomposing food.

USA Today: AAA: Cheaper gas, deals to boost holiday travel
The USA will kick off the summer vacation season with slightly more people taking Memorial Day trips this year than in 2008 as lower gas prices and abundant travel bargains unleash the nation's "pent-up demand" for travel, according to a report from leisure travel organization AAA.

USA Today: Website estimates education's effect on health, crime, income
Researchers have known for decades that rising education levels positively influence a host of social factors: income, health, voting rates and even the likelihood that a person will stay out of prison.

NYT: N.Y. Assembly Passes Gay Marriage Bill
The State Assembly approved legislation on Tuesday night that would make New York the sixth state to allow same-sex marriage — a pivotal vote that shifts the debate to the State Senate, where gay rights advocates and conservative groups alike are redoubling their efforts.

Anchorage Daily News: Assembly to consider gay rights ordinance
A proposed ordinance to ban discrimination against homosexuals in hiring, housing and education will be considered by the Anchorage Assembly next month.

Orlando Sentinel: Kids can learn lessons from recession
When Judith Edmond talks about personal finance at school, it's more than just another academic subject. The recession nearly left her homeless last year. The 18-year-old single mother says her family almost lost its house to foreclosure. To help save the property, she and her 10-month-old son moved in with her aunt so her mother could make extra money renting out Edmond's room.

Bloomberg: Schwarzenegger Tells Lawmakers Deficit May Swell to $21 Billion
California’s budget deficit has grown so severe that Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger said he may be forced to release 40,000 prisoners or lay off 51,000 teachers if voters next week reject three budget balancing measures.

Boston Globe: Data breach ensnares many in Mass.
Tens of thousands of Massachusetts consumers have been forced to get new credit or debit cards after cyber thieves hacked one of the nation's largest payment processors and accessed consumers' account information.

Financial Times: FDA warns Cheerios over health claims
The Food and Drug Administration has taken issue with health claims made by Cheerios, America’s best-selling breakfast cereal, signalling a new approach to food industry marketing under the Obama administration.

US News & World Report: 10 Not So "Recession-Proof" Industries
According to conventional wisdom, some industries are "recession-proof," poised to ride out even the roughest of downturns. They're thought to be propped up either because they provide sins for the downtrodden to dabble in (like gambling), simply are indispensable (like hospitals), or enjoy a consumer base either so rich or so passionate that no number of frightening figures on the unemployment rate or gross domestic product can keep customers away (like luxury retailers). But as the recession deepens, even those popular doctrines are revealed to be about as reliable as an asset-backed security.

CS Monitor: Soldier rampage hints at stress of repeated deployments
Military police on Tuesday charged Sgt. John Russell, a soldier on a 15-month tour to Iraq – his third deployment to the country – with murder in the shooting deaths of five soldiers at an American base.

Baltimore Sun: Johns Hopkins Hospital at center of identity theft probe
Federal authorities are investigating the theft of patient information, possibly by a former Johns Hopkins Hospital employee, as part of a scheme to make fraudulent Virginia driver's licenses.

SF Chronicle: California's high school dropout rate at 20%
One in five students dropped out of a California high school last year – about the same as the year before, state Superintendent Jack O'Connell announced Tuesday. The graduation rate also held at about 68 percent.

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CNN: U.S. soldier charged with murder in Iraq shooting deaths
The U.S. soldier who authorities say killed five fellow troops - including a Navy commander - at a stress clinic in Iraq on Monday apparently used a weapon he wrested away from another soldier, a Defense official said.

CNN: Al Qaeda figure who provided link to Iraq reportedly dead in Libya
The accused terrorist who said he was tortured into making a false connection between al Qaeda and Iraq has died in a Libyan prison, human rights monitors said Tuesday.

CNN: Report: Exploited workers lose $20B a year
Suryavathi Rao entered her 40th year in what can be called no man's land.

CNN: U.N. to expand relief efforts in Pakistan
U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon agreed on the need for additional humanitarian aid after meeting with Pakistani President Asif Zardari on Tuesday.

NYT: Christians in Mideast Losing Numbers and Influence
Christians used to be a vital force in the Middle East. They dominated Lebanon and filled top jobs in the Palestinian movement. In Egypt, they were wealthy beyond their number. In Iraq, they packed the universities and professions. Across the region, their orientation was a vital link to the West, a counterpoint to prevailing trends.

China Daily: Bailout plan for pig farmers as price plummets
Pig farmers are warned to stop expanding their farms after fear of the A(H1N1) flu and a glut of hogs caused China's pork prices to plummet.

Al Jazeera: Zimbabwe court frees journalists
Two senior Zimbabwean journalists detained on charges of publishing false material have been released, a lawyer representing them has said.

Al Jazeera: Indian election enters final phase
Voting has begun in the fifth and final phase of India's month-long general election, with polling under way across nine states and territories.

Times of London: David Miliband: Barack Obama Middle East plan best since Camp David
David Miliband hailed President Obama’s efforts to kick-start the Middle East peace process yesterday as a once in a generation opportunity to resolve the 60-year conflict between Palestinians and Israelis.

BBC: Key coral reefs 'could disappear'
The world's most important coral region is in danger of being wiped out by the end of this century unless fast action is taken, says a new report.

Jerusalem Post: Hizbullah confirms broad aid for Hamas
In what seems to be a stark change in policy, Hizbullah now admits to not only providing Hamas with "every type of support," but also to having done so for some time, Sheikh Naim Qassem, the deputy leader of the organization said in an interview published by the Financial Times on Wednesday.

BUSINESS
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CNN: Recession hits Social Security hard
The recession has taken its toll on Social Security. The officials who oversee the program forecast Tuesday that the Social Security trust fund will be exhausted by 2037 - four years earlier than estimated last year.

CNN: For a healthy GM, look overseas
General Motors, the quintessential U.S. company, sold more vehicles in Asia in the first quarter than it did in the United States.

CNN: Can big banks escape the TARP?
With the stress tests behind them, banking regulators now face the potentially thornier issue of deciding which banks, if any, should be allowed to repay government funds.

WSJ: States' Revenue Sinks Amid Income Tax Drop-Off
State tax collections continued to fall in the first quarter as muted consumption, falling incomes and weak profits plunged states into a deeper financial hole, the Nelson A. Rockefeller Institute of Government at the State University of New York said in a report to be released Wednesday.

Forbes: Google Rolls Out New Digital Tools
Google on Tuesday unveiled a series of new offerings for Internet search, from mobility and language translation to spreadsheets that arrange information from multiple Web sites on the fly. What the company is really after, however, is building an Internet that more closely mimics the physical world.

Financial Times: Signs of recovery lift oil and commodity prices
Oil prices rose above $60 a barrel for the first time in six months yesterday, boosted by signs of economic recovery, a weaker US dollar and growing investor appetite for riskier assets such as commodities.

The CNN Washington Bureau’s morning speed read of the top stories making news from around the country and the world.

WASHINGTON/POLITICAL
For the latest political news: www.CNNPolitics.com.

CNN: Gates replacing top U.S. commander in Afghanistan
The United States replaced the top allied commander in Afghanistan on Monday, deciding "fresh eyes" are needed to reverse the course of the seven-year-old war there, Defense Secretary Robert Gates said.

CNN: Florida governor to run for Senate, sources say
Florida Gov. Charlie Crist will announce Tuesday he will forgo another bid for governor and instead run for the Senate, two Republican sources tell CNN.

CNN: Romney camp hits back at Steele for Mormonism comments
In an unusual move for the person tasked with being his party's top cheerleader, Republican National Committee chairman Michael Steele is shining a light on the political vulnerabilities of one of the GOP's top figures and a likely frontrunner for the 2012 Republican nomination — former presidential candidate Mitt Romney.

CNN: Cheney ramps up attacks on both sides of the aisle
Far from a secure, undisclosed location, former Vice President Dick Cheney is out in the open and increasing his criticism on the Obama administration and even fellow Republicans.

LA Times: A new U.S. approach expected in Afghanistan
In ousting his top commander in Afghanistan, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates agreed Monday with growing criticism in military circles that the U.S. war effort has been suffering from stale ideas and inadequate innovation.

Washington Post: Hispanics See Stars Aligned on High Court
Justice David H. Souter's departure from the Supreme Court gives the first African American president a historic opportunity to break another barrier by appointing the first Hispanic to the nation's highest court.

US News & World Report: Sonia Sotomayor Could Be on Obama's Short List for Replacing Souter
President Obama has been vague about what type of jurist he intends to nominate to replace retiring Justice David Souter on the nation's highest court. There's no end of speculation about what the president means when he says he's looking for someone with "heart and empathy" and a keen understanding of "how our laws affect the daily realities of people's lives." But many think that means he intends to diversify the bench.

NYT: Potential Justice Offers a Counterpoint in Chicago
When President Bill Clinton had a rare opportunity in 1995 for a Democratic president to fill a vacancy on the federal appeals court based in Chicago, a bastion of conservative thinking, he received an unusually strong recommendation from Senator Paul Simon.

Washington Post: Nephew Mentioned Rep. Murtha in Dealings as Contractor
Robert C. Murtha Jr. has made a sizable living for years working with companies that rely on Pentagon contracts over which his uncle, Rep. John P. Murtha (D-Pa.), holds considerable sway.

Washington Post: Senators Cut Deal On Credit Card Bill
The top senators on the Senate Banking Committee have reached a compromise on a bill that would protect consumers from abusive credit card industry practices, increasing the likelihood that the Senate will pass it as early as this week.

LA Times: Governor: Budget shortfall could reach $21.3 billion if ballot measures fail
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger told legislative leaders Monday the state's annual income tax collections are expected to fall this year for the first time since 1938, punctuating a budget shortfall that he said will reach $21.3 billion if voters reject a slate of ballot measures next week.

LA Times: Healthcare groups join Obama at negotiating table
Welcoming leaders of the hospital, drug and insurance industries to the White House on Monday, President Obama trumpeted their pledge to work together to contain the nation's skyrocketing healthcare tab.

Bloomberg: Boeing Targets $10 Billion Market for Leased Drones
Boeing Co., the second-largest U.S. defense contractor, is leasing drones to government agencies and militaries seeking to bypass years-long purchasing processes, a market the company says may grow to $10 billion in a decade.

BusinessWeek: Health-Care Reform: The Industry Signs On
Insurers, hospital executives, and drugmakers have stuck their finger in the wind and decided they are better off standing with President Barack Obama than against him on health-care reform.

NY Daily News: Obama administration distances itself from Wanda Sykes' 9/11-Rush Limbaugh joke
President Obama smiled at the time, but the White House declared Monday there was nothing funny about comic Wanda Sykes joking about 9/11.

NATIONAL
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CNN: U.S. soldier kills 5 comrades in Iraq, officials say
A U.S. soldier fired on his fellow troops at a counseling center at a base outside Baghdad on Monday, U.S. officials said, killing five people in the worst such attack of the six-year war.

CNN: Demjanjuk deported to Germany
Nazi war crimes suspect John Demjanjuk was deported to Germany on Monday evening after he was removed from his Cleveland, Ohio-area home in the presence of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers earlier in the day.

CNN: Postal service: Worker stole $20,000 in stamps for mortgage
Postal authorities say a Michigan postal worker has admitted to stealing some $20,000 worth of first-class stamps since September and trying to sell them to online auction-site customers to help pay his mortgage.

CNN: Astronauts ready for rescue mission they hope never happens
With space shuttle Atlantis on its way to upgrade the Hubble Space Telescope, that leaves one shuttle, Endeavour, at the ready on the other launch pad here.

CNN: Airline defends training of pilot involved in fatal crash
The regional airline involved in a fatal February plane crash outside Buffalo, New York, contested a report Monday alleging the pilot did not have the training to handle the emergency that brought the plane down, and that he might have been fatigued on the night of the crash.

LA Times: U.S. journalist Roxana Saberi had classified Iran document
A copy of a classified Iranian government report about the U.S. war in Iraq in the possession of journalist Roxana Saberi was a key piece of evidence that led to her conviction on espionage charges, one of the Iranian American journalist's lawyers disclosed Monday.

USA Today: New effort helps net potential deportees
In Fairfax County, the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency has put detainers on 200 of the jail's 1,300 inmates since the program began there March 9, said Capt. Glenda Pfister of the county sheriff's office. "When we have aliens who are serious criminals, they get removed from the county instead of being released to the street," Pfister said.

SF Chronicle: Hairstylist offers work pro bono
Twenty-five years ago, Iranian immigrant Manijeh Kazemi was a single working mom trying to hold onto her waitressing job at Denny's in South San Francisco.

NYT: Hospitals Begin to Move Into Supermarkets
As walk-in clinics at stores like CVS and Wal-Mart offer convenient alternatives to doctors’ offices and hospital emergency rooms, some hospitals are fighting back — with walk-in clinics at some of those same retailers.

Denver Post: Infection data spur changes at hospitals
When Colorado passed a law requiring hospitals to publicly reveal their infection rates, lawmakers hoped it would push them to improve surgical hygiene. It seems that it's working.

NYT Op-Ed: Herbert: ‘What Color Is That Baby?’
I remember as a young deputy city editor at The Daily News attending my first “sked meeting,” a large gathering of editors held every afternoon to consider which stories would go into the next morning’s paper and how they would be played.

Washington Post: Prices Fall To Match A New Frugality
The nation's retailers have begun to embrace the new cost-conscious consumer, developing products they can sell at lower prices without driving themselves out of business in the post-splurge era.

WSJ: New Fees for Card Usage Abroad
It's getting more expensive to use your credit cards for overseas purchases.

WSJ: A New Route to Easing Air-Traffic Congestion
U.S. airlines and the FAA are phasing in a new navigation system that has already proved it can reduce weather delays, shave minutes off flight times and reduce noise pollution on the ground.

Miami Herald: A false alarm puts scare into sex victims
Eleven thousand Floridians - many of them recovering victims of sexual assaults - were notified over the weekend that the state would no longer be tracking registered sex offenders whose whereabouts concerned them. As it turned out, the e-mailed notifications were sent out by mistake.

Forbes: Where U.S. Homeowners Are Most In Debt
"Water, wealth, contentment, health" is the motto of Modesto, Calif., a mid-size Central Valley city of 210,000. Problem is, it hasn't been a positive year by any of those measures.

Kansas City Star: Urban chicken movement taking roost in KC area
Chickens could be coming to roost in a backyard near you.

Dallas Morning News: Some Dallas-area schools use state college-prep money elsewhere
State money aimed at helping prepare students for college is in some cases paying for school office supplies and utility bills – and it's perfectly legal.

INTERNATIONAL
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CNN: Analysis: What journalist's release means for Iran, U.S. relations
Iran's Judiciary spokesman Alireza Jamshidi said Monday that journalist Roxana Saberi's sentence was commuted as a gesture of "Islamic mercy" because she expressed regret and cooperated with authorities.

CNN: Politics interrupt pope during Gaza visit
With his visit already bogged down in historical disputes, the pope's message of peace in Gaza was interrupted Monday by an impromptu speaker who fueled the longtime resentment between Palestinians and Israelis.

CNN: Official: More than 1M child prostitutes in India
Around 1.2 million children are believed to be involved in prostitution in India, the country's federal police said Monday.

CNN: China marks earthquake anniversary
China on Tuesday marked the first anniversary of a devastating earthquake that left nearly 90,000 dead or missing one year ago in mountainous Sichuan province.

USA Today: In China's quake zone, pain and anger
From the famous pig that survived under rubble for 36 days, to a water bottle used by Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao as he toured devastated buildings and schools, the Wenchuan Earthquake Museum seems to have it all.

NYT: Journalist’s Release Shows Divide Among Iran’s Leaders
The release of an Iranian-American journalist imprisoned on charges of spying for the United States removes an obstacle to President Obama’s opening to Iran but illustrates the volatility of the Iranian government.

The Guardian: Somali pirates guided by London intelligence team, report says
The Somali pirates attacking shipping in the Gulf of Aden and Indian Ocean are directed to their targets by a "consultant" team in London, according to a European military intelligence document obtained by a Spanish radio station.

NYT: In German Suburb, Life Goes on Without Cars
Residents of this upscale community are suburban pioneers, going where few soccer moms or commuting executives have ever gone before: they have given up their cars.

Times of London: Worst of the recession may be over for Britain, says OECD
Hopes are mounting that the worst of the recession is over for Britain, after influential organisations and investors said that there were clear signs of economic recovery.

BBC: Lawyer accuses Guatemala leader
The Guatemalan government has dismissed allegations which link President Alvaro Colom to the death of a lawyer.

BBC: Children sanitation alert issued
Millions of children's lives are being put at risk each year because aid agencies and governments make wrong choices about health care priorities. This is the conclusion of a new report from the charity WaterAid.

CS Monitor: In Colombia, rape now being prosecuted as weapon of war
Amelia had spent years counseling a woman who was raped by a right-wing warlord and suffered an unwanted pregnancy. So when the woman called her for advice after the warlord threatened to return to take away the child, Amelia rushed to go see her.

BUSINESS
For the latest business news: www.CNNMoney.com.

CNN: Gas prices surge 9%: Don't fear $4
There's plenty of economic pain to go around these days because of the recession. Now there's this: Gas prices have surged nearly 9% over the past two weeks.

CNN: 750,000 stimulus jobs by August – White House
The Obama administration estimates that the economic stimulus plan will create or save 750,000 jobs by early August, a senior administration official said on Monday.

CNN: Chrysler's sorry state revealed
Among the thousands of pages of documents filed in connection with Chrysler's Chapter 11 bankruptcy are affidavits from Chrysler executives that open up a window on the auto business previously closed to outsiders in this intensely competitive business.

NYT: We’re Dull, Small Banks Say, but Have Profits
It’s unlikely that any group of professionals is happier to highlight the dullness of their work than small-town bankers.

WSJ: Target Believes a Rebound Recipe Is in Grocery Aisle
Target Corp., under pressure from an activist shareholder, is using fresh foods and other recession-proof groceries as the cornerstone of a plan to quiet criticism and reverse a slide in sales.

Bloomberg: Bank of America Said to Sell $7.3 Billion CCB Stake
Bank of America Corp., under pressure from U.S. regulators to raise money, sold a 5.8 percent stake in China Construction Bank Corp. for about $7.3 billion, said two people with knowledge of the matter.

Financial Times: Geffen sets sights on NY Times
David Geffen, the former record executive who made an offer for the Los Angeles Times two years ago, now wants to buy the New York Times, according to people close to the situation.

McClatchy: Deficits soar even with rosy assumptions in new Obama budget
The White House on Monday projected 2009 and 2010 federal budget deficits far higher than it forecast just two and a half months ago, even as it continued to defy most experts and predict that the economy is headed for a strong comeback starting late this year.

Providence Journal: Sharp fall in revenues leads to jump in budget deficit
Rhode Island government’s budget deficits have grown by $200 million over the last six months, a massive jump that exacerbates an already-staggering budget hole and intensifies pressure on the General Assembly to raise taxes or slash state spending across a host of popular programs.

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CNN: Texting, driving and crashing
More than half the states have or currently are considering a ban on texting while driving. CNN's Bill Tucker reports.

CNN: Cheney center stage for GOP
Candy Crowley reports on Dick Cheney's visible, forceful defense of the GOP.

CNN: Crist makes the jump
Florida governor Charlie Crist is set to make a bid for a U.S. Senate seat. CNN's Jessica Yellin reports.

CNN: Rush vs. Wanda
Wanda Sykes takes on Rush Limbaugh, and some on the right take on Pres. Obama for laughing about it. Jeanne Moos reports.

The CNN Washington Bureau’s morning speed read of the top stories making news from around the country and the world.

WASHINGTON/POLITICAL
For the latest political news: www.CNNPolitics.com.

CNN: DNC keeps up attacks on Cheney, Gingrich, McCain
The Democratic National Committee criticized the Republican Party in a new Web video released Sunday evening for having former Vice President Dick Cheney, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich and Sen. John McCain serve as the GOP’s national spokesmen.

CNN: Gingrich: Pelosi not truthful about waterboarding issue
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who has denied she was ever told explicitly that waterboarding had been used on terrorist suspects, "has a lot of explaining to do," former Speaker Newt Gingrich said Sunday.

CNN: Obama pokes fun at Republicans, Clinton, self at annual dinner
President Obama drew big laughs at the annual White House Correspondents' Association dinner Saturday, taking jabs at his administration, his Republican rivals and even himself.

CNN: What's new on Capitol Hill? Motherhood
At 8:30 a.m., Kirsten Gillibrand looks like any other working mom in a minivan dropping off her baby boy at day care and her other son at school.

CNN: I don't think Palin is the future of the GOP, Republican says
Prominent Republican Bill Bennett took issue Sunday with what he called the “media’s focus” on Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin.

CNN: King: Bad economy puts more families on the streets
The tears begin and her voice trembles as Ruth Martinez remembers the first few days of her new world.

Washington Post: Health Groups Vow Cost Control
Volunteering to "do our part" to tackle runaway health costs, leading groups in the health-care industry have offered to squeeze $2 trillion in savings from projected increases over the next decade, White House officials said yesterday.

USA Today Op-Ed: Orszag: Administration targets ineffective programs and health care costs
To build a new foundation for economic growth and change for the future, we can't afford to waste taxpayer dollars. That's why the president is taking on the No. 1 driver of our deficit, spiraling health care costs, this year. Make no mistake: Getting health care costs under control is the key to our fiscal future.

Washington Post: Ex-Hospital CEO Battles Reform Effort
The television ads that began airing last week feature horror stories from Canada and the United Kingdom: Patients who allegedly suffered long waits for surgeries, couldn't get the drugs they needed, or had to come to the United States for treatment.

LA Times: For Michael Steele, it's 100 days and counting
Michael S. Steele completed his first 100 days as Republican national chairman this weekend, but the party let the milestone pass without notice.

CBS: Drones: America's New Air Force
Every so often in the history of war, a new weapon comes along that fundamentally rewrites the rules of battle. This is a story about a revolution in unmanned aviation that is doing just that.

LA Times: Memos shed light on CIA use of sleep deprivation
As President Obama prepared last month to release secret memos on the CIA's use of severe interrogation methods, the White House fielded a flurry of last-minute appeals.

USA Today: White House defends 3.5M job forecast
The Obama administration is defending its projection that the economic stimulus plan will save or create 3.5 million jobs in a new report to be released today, saying that the figure is a cautious estimate based on a "relatively conservative rule of thumb" about the national economy.

NYT: Schumer Urges Inquiry of Companies Behind Bogus Auto Warranty Calls
Senator Charles E. Schumer has never struggled to find a reason to hold a news conference on a Sunday. But the inspiration for the one on Mother’s Day arrived unexpectedly, when the senator’s cellphone rang during a health care meeting on Capitol Hill last week.

NYT Op-ed: Packwood: The G.D.P. Question
PRESIDENT OBAMA’S plan to increase the tax rate on those making more than $250,000 has further fueled a national debate about the virtue of raising taxes on the “rich.” But this debate puts the cart before the horse. The real question is not how much we want to tax, but how much we want to spend. After all, the more a government spends, the more it has to tax or borrow.

LA Times: SEIU may be linked to ultimatum on withholding stimulus funds
Officials in the governor's office say a politically powerful union may have had inappropriate influence over the Obama administration's decision to withhold billions of dollars in federal stimulus money from California if the state does not reverse a scheduled wage cut for the labor group's workers.

Chicago Tribune: Political perks: Illinois state legislators' raises, benefits under review
Legislators have racked up pay raises worth 17.7 percent over the last two years, with another one due this summer. Most of them make more than $77,000 a year for what's supposed to be a part-time job. And they still assent to pension windfalls that give retired colleagues thousands a year more than they made in the General Assembly.

Washington Post: Terrorist Traffic Via Syria Again Inching Up
Last October, as the Bush administration was touting a dramatic drop in the number of suicide bombings in Iraq, four young Tunisian men left their homes for Libya and then headed to Syria. There, they were met at the Damascus airport and taken to a safe house.

The Telegraph: Warship of future revealed by US Navy
With a top speed of 50 knots (60 mph), the Littoral Combat Ship (LCS), is a small, fast, manoeuvrable ship equipped to tackle almost any situation.

WSJ: Choosing a New Flower Czar
Nancy Clarke, the longtime chief florist at the White House, plans to retire May 29, but not before she helps Michelle Obama incorporate her personal style into official floral designs.

Newsweek: Daschle: A public plan will reduce costs and improve access
I have baseball on my mind: It is spring, the teams are on the field, the season has begun. It seems to me that winning the health-care debate is a lot like the Chicago Cubs' winning the World Series—it hasn't happened in forever, and some proponents are hearing the same old refrain of "Wait till next year."

NATIONAL
For the latest national news: www.CNN.com.

CNN: Deadly storms rip through Midwest, South
Emergency teams on Sunday were assessing damage from deadly storms that devastated parts of Missouri, Kentucky and West Virginia this weekend - even as the threat of more severe weather continued.

CNN: California fire possibly started by power tool
The wildfire that scorched thousands of acres and destroyed dozens of homes in Southern California this week apparently was started by a power tool clearing brush in the area, fire officials said Sunday.

CNN: Starting Monday, it costs more to mail
Unless you've got a stash of Forever Stamps sitting around, it might be time for a trip to the post office. The price of mailing a letter jumps 2 cents Monday.

CNN: Convicted soldier: 'You probably think I'm a monster'
"You probably think I'm a monster."

NYT: Outbreaks and Recalls Put Worry on the Table
Every few weeks, it seems, deadly germs turn up in the food supply.

NYT: In Schools, a Cautionary Video About America’s ‘Stuff’
The thick-lined drawings of the Earth, a factory and a house, meant to convey the cycle of human consumption, are straightforward and child-friendly. So are the pictures of dark puffs of factory smoke and an outlined skull and crossbones, representing polluting chemicals floating in the air.

BBC: Men 'suffering recession blues'
Men are struggling to cope with the emotional impact of the recession, a mental health charity has warned.

Financial Times: Shortages stir coffee and sugar prices
Caffeine addicts face higher prices for their daily fix as the wholesale cost of both coffee and sugar rise sharply because of poor crops and robust demand.

WSJ: Utilities Unite to Upgrade Response During Storms
As hurricane season approaches, electric utilities are banding together to use a new communications system designed to help them respond more quickly to customers who lose power.

WSJ: Captain's Training Faulted In Air Crash That Killed 50
The captain of a commuter plane that crashed Feb. 12 near Buffalo, N.Y., had flunked numerous flight tests during his career and was never adequately taught how to respond to the emergency that led to the airplane's fatal descent, according to people close to the investigation.

Business Week: Immigration Amid a Recession
As unemployment rises and the economy sinks further into recession, an old debate has become new again: the question of immigrants' impact on the U.S. economy. On one hand, the chorus of calls to restrict immigration is getting louder. Many U.S. workers are fearful of losing their jobs and want to ensure that the domestic workforce gets priority for new positions, especially for those created by the taxpayer-funded economic stimulus plan. On the other hand, tech, health-care, and other companies warn that tightening restrictions on immigrants will hinder, not help, the economic recovery.

LA Times: Naturalized citizens are poised to reshape California's political landscape
More than 1 million immigrants became U.S. citizens last year, the largest surge in history, hastening the ethnic transformation of California's political landscape with more Latinos and Asians now eligible to vote.

Boston Globe: Still there, foreclosed no longer
Quinn is one of a small but growing group of former owners who are not only staying in foreclosed homes but are buying them back, with the help of nonprofit groups and housing advocates. And in some cases, they are getting their homes at significant discount the second time around, because real estate values have plunged.

Providence Journal: Real estate investing making a comeback
Holland and her husband, Stephen E. Holland, hope to buy the house, which is listed at $174,900, as an investment and rent it as two apartments. Improvements before that can happen could cost $100,000.

Chicago Tribune: American Airlines revamps frequent-flier program
Trying to cash in frequent-flier miles is an exercise in frustration for many airline passengers, who often have no clue why the flights they've selected are rejected by a carrier's Web site.

Denver Post: Rap boosting kids' academics
Math is not Koran Ray's best subject, but the 13-year-old student at Wyatt-Edison has figured out a trick to help him master his multiplication tables: He raps them.

The Wichita Eagle: Wichita State biologist's discovery could help solve infertility
A biologist at Wichita State University has made a breakthrough discovery about human reproductive hormones that scientists say could give women worldwide new hope in solving fertility problems.

Washington Times: One industry still booming: Shoplifting
The "five-finger discount" has a hold on the nation.

INTERNATIONAL
For the latest international news: http://edition.cnn.com/

CNN: Pope Benedict begins visit to Israel
Pope Benedict XVI headed to Israel on Monday on his first visit to the Mideast, aimed at promoting good relations between Muslims and Christians.

CNN: Pakistan: 200 Taliban die in 24 hours
Pakistani forces have killed as many as 200 Taliban militants in the past day in the Swat and Shangla areas, the military said Sunday.

NYT: Shaky Pakistan Is Seen as a Target of Plots by Al Qaeda
As Taliban militants push deeper into Pakistan’s settled areas, foreign operatives of Al Qaeda who had focused on plotting attacks against the West are seizing on the turmoil to sow chaos in Pakistan and strengthen the hand of the militant Islamist groups there, according to American and Pakistani intelligence officials.

Bloomberg: Pakistan Kills 700 Taliban in Two-Week Swat Valley Operation
Pakistani troops backed by helicopter gun ships have killed about 700 Taliban militants in the past two weeks as the military tries to seize control of the northwestern region, according to Interior Minister Rehman Malik.

Times of London: King Abdullah of Jordan's ultimatum: peace now or it’s war next year
America is putting the final touches to a hugely ambitious peace plan for the Middle East, aimed at ending more than 60 years of conflict between Israel and the Arabs, according to Jordan’s King Abdullah, who is helping to bring the parties together.

BBC: Whaling peace talks 'fall short'
Moves to make a peace deal between pro and anti-whaling nations have stalled, with no chance of agreement this year.

LA Times: U.S. gets tough on Canadian border
High above the rugged border, an unmanned Predator B drone equipped with night-vision cameras and cloud-piercing radar has scanned the landscape for signs of smugglers, illegal immigrants or terrorists.

Al Jazeera: Zuma unveils new S Africa cabinet
Jacob Zuma, South Africa's newly elected president, has announced appointments to his cabinet that he said will improve the way the country is run.

BUSINESS
For the latest business news: www.CNNMoney.com.

CNN: Stocks: Trying for week 10
For Wall Street to stretch its spring stock run to a tenth straight week, investors may need a little extra ammunition – and some good news on the consumer front.

CNN: Obama wins business support for health care reform
President Obama will announce Monday that he has secured the commitment of several industry groups to do their part to rein in the growth in health care costs.

WSJ: AIG Sees Long Road Back From the Brink
The turnaround of American International Group Inc. was once hoped to be a quick process. But a new internal memo shows that the insurer and its government owners expect a multiyear roadmap to restructure AIG.

Bloomberg: Cult of Common Encouraged by Geithner Delays Bank Consolidation
As U.S. banks rebound from their worst brush with insolvency in almost three decades, the appreciation of common equity is obscuring the inevitable need to consolidate in a shrinking economy.

NYT: Administration Plans to Strengthen Antitrust Rules
President Obama’s top antitrust official this week plans to restore an aggressive enforcement policy against corporations that use their market dominance to elbow out competitors or to keep them from gaining market share.

Financial Times: Micro-payments considered for WSJ website
News Corp is planning to introduce micro-payments for individual articles and premium subscriptions to the Wall Street Journal’s website this year, in a milestone in the news industry’s race to find better online business models.

In Case You Missed It
To watch the latest interviews and reporting: http://www.cnn.com/video.

CNN: Al-Qaeda 'not in Afghanistan'
Gen. David Petraeus says al-Qaeda is no longer operating in Afghanistan. Watch his full interview with CNN's John King.

CNN: The President's funny side
President Obama mixes serious talk with well-placed humor at the annual White House Correspondents' dinner.

CNN: Staff briefing: Los Angeles
Go behind the scenes with John King as he discusses his trip to L.A., and previews this week's "State of the Union."

CNN: Changing face of homelessness
After becoming homeless and almost losing her job, Ruth Martinez is turning her life around for her son.

The CNN Washington Bureau’s morning speed read of the top stories making news from around the country and the world.

WASHINGTON/POLITICAL
For the latest political news: www.CNNPolitics.com.

CNN: Republicans rip Obama for insufficient budget cuts
Republican congressional leaders tore into President Obama's proposed 2010 budget Thursday, arguing that his spending cuts will do little to stem a rising tide of red ink.

CNN: Military procurement reform sweeps through Senate
The Senate unanimously approved a bill Thursday to change the costly process of procuring weapons and equipment for the military, a budget reform pushed by President Obama.

CNN: CNN Political Ticker wins best political news blog
The CNN Political Ticker Thursday was named the best political news blog by Editor & Publisher and Media Week Magazines.

CNN Commentary: 5 reasons GOP will rebound
"It is important for us to have a strong Republican Party," Democratic Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi tauntingly told a press conference on April 23. "And I hope that the next generation will take back the Republican Party for the Grand Old Party that it used to be."

CNN: Cheney: Mistake for GOP to 'moderate'
Former Vice President Dick Cheney is weighing into the heated internal debate over the future of the Republican Party, declaring it would be a mistake for the GOP to "moderate."

CNN: Palin pulls out of White House Correspondents' Dinner
Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin will miss a chance to chat up President Obama this weekend because she's cancelling plans to attend the White House Correspondents' dinner, but she's got a good excuse.

NYT: Elite Unit’s Problems Pose Test for Attorney General
A week after shutting down the criminal case against former Senator Ted Stevens of Alaska because it had been botched by prosecutors, Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. delivered a pep talk to Justice Department lawyers.

Washington Post: Democrats Assail Obama's Hit List
President Obama's modest proposal to slice $17 billion from 121 government programs quickly ran into a buzz saw of opposition on Capitol Hill yesterday, as an array of Democratic lawmakers vowed to fight White House efforts to deprive their favorite initiatives of federal funds.

LA Times: Records suggest Pelosi, others were told of harsh interrogations
Congressional leaders were briefed repeatedly on the CIA's use of severe interrogation methods on Al Qaeda suspects, according to new information released by the Obama administration Thursday that appears to contradict the assertions of House Majority Leader Nancy Pelosi.

WSJ: U.S. to Appoint Top General to Kabul in Afghan Revamp
Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates is expected to bolster the U.S. military leadership in Afghanistan by appointing a three-star general to Kabul, according to senior defense officials. The move underscores growing concern in the military over the course of the conflict and marks the first time since the seven-year war began that the U.S. will have two senior commanders there.

Boston Globe: Psychologists' e-mails stir interrogation issue
Newly public e-mails between psychologists involved in the Bush administration's controversial detention program have fueled a fierce debate over whether mental-health professionals should give advice on warfare, and whether the nation's largest psychology association tacitly blessed the government's use of abusive interrogations involving waterboarding and sleep deprivation.

The Weekly Standard: The U.K. and U.S. retreat to pre-Reagan-Thatcher economic policies
Thirty years ago this week, Margaret Thatcher became Prime Minister in the UK, promising a new future of growth and prosperity. She ushered in an era in which policymakers took for granted their role not as managers not of the economy, but as custodians of the conditions in which economic prosperity could occur. Shortly after her ascendancy to the top spot in British government, she was joined by Ronald Reagan in the United States, and the rest is history.

Bloomberg: Billionaire Donors Split With Obama on Law That May Hurt Hotels
Three Chicago billionaires who helped fund President Barack Obama’s election campaign are fighting legislation he backs that would make it easier for unions to organize hotels they own.

NYT: Souter’s Exit Opens Door for a More Influential Justice
A couple of days ago, Fred R. Shapiro, the editor of The Oxford Dictionary of American Legal Quotations, asked constitutional law scholars for memorable quotations from Justice David H. Souter of the Supreme Court.

Financial Times: Obama keeps partners guessing on trade
During last year’s US presidential campaign Austan Goolsbee, then Barack Obama’s economic adviser, got into hot water when he told a Canadian diplomat not to pay too much attention to his candidate’s tough rhetoric on the North America Free Trade Agreement.

WSJ: Republicans and ObamaCare
Listen. That sound of silence? That's what's known as the united Republican response to President Barack Obama's drive to socialize health care.

LA Times: NASA's deep space missions may get new jolt of fuel
The Energy Department plans to restart its program of making radioactive fuel for NASA's deep space missions, the agency announced Thursday, a decision that came only hours after the National Research Council warned that the nation was fast running out of the fuel.

Washington Post: Obama Administration Is Bringing Nuclear Arms Control Back
In an Obama administration characterized by youth, they are a Cold War throwback, the aging arms-control experts who haggled with Soviet officials over nuclear weapons and testing.

NYT: The President’s Name Trips Up a Would-Be Voice of the News
The Amazon Kindle, an electronic reader, has been lavished with praise by hopeful newspaper and book executives who say they believe it has the potential to do for newspapers and books what the iPod did for music.

NATIONAL
For the latest national news: www.CNN.com.

CNN: Drew Peterson charged with murder, authorities say
Drew Peterson, the former police sergeant who authorities call the prime suspect in the disappearance of his fourth wife, Stacy Peterson, has been indicted on murder charges related to his third wife, Kathleen Savio, the Illinois state attorney's office said.

CNN: Wesleyan shooting suspect in custody
The suspect in the shooting of a Wesleyan University student will be arraigned Friday morning after surrendering to police without incident Thursday evening in neighboring Meriden, authorities said.

CNN: $250 checks going to millions of seniors Thursday
Grandparents, retirees and struggling seniors have waited months for this.

CNN: Nine people hurt in gas explosion in Maryland strip mall
Eight firefighters and a gas employee were injured Thursday when a gas leak at a strip mall exploded in Forestville, Maryland, officials from the Prince Georges County Fire Department said.

Forbes: Part-Time Nation
When the Labor Department releases monthly jobless data Friday morning, investors will focus on the non-farm payroll figure, and for good reason. Though lots of people lost jobs in April, it's widely expected those losses were fewer than the month before, which themselves were fewer than losses at the start of the year.

Oprah.com: Why right-brainers will rule this century
Your left brain is logical, linear, by-the-numbers; the right side is creative, artistic, empathetic. Oprah Winfrey talks with Daniel Pink about his groundbreaking book, "A Whole New Mind", and explores how right-brain thinkers are wired for 21st-century success.

USA Today: Recession, patriotism boost National Guard numbers
The Army National Guard witnessed a recruiting surge in small-town Waupaca, Wis., when the Zalusky sisters decided to enlist.

USA Today: National Guard to cut forces after recruiting creates surplus
As unemployment soars, a combination of cash incentives and aggressive recruiting has left the Army National Guard with a surplus of soldiers, and now it plans to trim its force, according to government documents and interviews with Guard officials.

NYT: Ready or Not, Katrina Victims Lose Temporary Housing
Earnest Hammond, a retired truck driver, did not get any of the money that went to aid property owners after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.

NYT: What Happens to the American Dream in a Recession?
Given the battered economy, increasing joblessness and collapse of the housing market, what is the state of the American dream?

Washington Post: Hackers Want Millions For Data on Prescriptions
The FBI and Virginia State Police are searching for hackers who demanded that the state pay them a $10 million ransom by Thursday for the return of millions of personal pharmaceutical records they say they stole from the state's prescription drug database.

WSJ: New Cash-Flow Crunch on California's Horizon
California will face another cash-flow crisis as early as this summer if it doesn't find budget fixes or borrow an unprecedented amount of short-term funds, according to a report released Thursday.

LA Times: Dodgers' Manny Ramirez suspended 50 games after failing drug test
There was a lectern set up behind home plate at Dodger Stadium on Thursday, just as it was nine months ago, when Manny Ramirez was ceremoniously introduced to Los Angeles.

Boston Globe: Globe publisher sees future for paper
Boston Globe publisher P. Steven Ainsley said yesterday that the threatened shutdown of the newspaper has been "extraordinarily difficult" for readers, advertisers, employees, and him, but the outpouring from the community has underscored the importance of restoring the Globe to financial health.

Denver Post: Nonprofit aims to cut citizens' fat
A nonprofit backed by $34.1 million aims to reverse weight gain and increase fitness among Colorado residents over the next five years.

McClatchy: Coal ash is damaging water, health in 34 states, groups say
People in 34 states who live near 210 coal ash lagoons or landfills with inadequate lining have a higher risk of cancer and other diseases from contaminants in their drinking water, two environmental groups reported on Thursday.

INTERNATIONAL
For the latest international news: http://edition.cnn.com/

CNN: Malaysia arrests terrorism manhunt target
A terrorism suspect - whose 2008 escape from Singapore launched a global manhunt - has been arrested in Malaysia, according to authorities there.

CNN: Jailed Briton could be transferred from Laos to UK if convicted
A pregnant British woman jailed in Laos could be transferred to Britain to serve out her sentence if she is convicted under an agreement signed Thursday between UK and Laotian officials.

CNN: Pope to embark on Mideast tour
Pope Benedict XVI will leave for a weeklong tour of the Middle East Friday morning, the first papal visit to some of Christianity's most holy places since Pope John Paul II made the pilgrimage in 2000.

CNN: At least 31 dead, 50,000 homeless in Brazil flooding
Rain-induced flooding over large parts of Brazil have killed at least 31 people and left another 500,000 homeless, the government's civil defense agency said Thursday.

WSJ: Chávez Moves to Seize Oil Contractors' Assets
Venezuela's President Hugo Chávez said Thursday his government will seize the local assets of some international oil-service companies starting Friday - a response to threats by several firms to stop their work in Venezuela because of nonpayment of bills owed by state-run oil giant Petróleos de Venezuela SA.

Jerusalem Post: US denies Israel access to F-35 computer
A refusal by the United States to allow Israel to repair computer systems in the Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) is at the heart of disagreements between the Defense Ministry and the Pentagon that have been holding up an official Israeli order for the fifth-generation fighter jet.

LA Times: Jordan first stop on pope's Holy Land visit
Pope Benedict XVI arrives in Jordan today on a three-day pilgrimage to bless a tiny Catholic population and improve the Vatican's relations with a Muslim world greeting him with aloofness, anger and a slight hope that he may advance peace in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.

LA Times: In Afghanistan conflict, Pentagon considers structural changes
The Obama administration's emphasis on the war in Afghanistan, including an influx of additional troops, has exposed weaknesses in U.S. military planning that top officers are scrambling to address.

Bloomberg: Medvedev Steps From Putin Shadow to Share Foreign-Affairs Power
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev took office a year ago dogged by perceptions he was a placeholder for predecessor Vladimir Putin. He marks his first anniversary today having carved out some zones of influence within Putin’s power structure.

Al Jazeera: Banks give Zimbabwe cash lifeline
Zimbabwe has secured nearly $430m in credit from two African banks as the country's unity government struggles to rescue an economy ravaged by years of mismanagement, political turmoil and hyperinflation.

Times of London: Ministers under fire over lavish expenses
Gordon Brown came under renewed pressure after it emerged last night that more than half the Cabinet face embarrassment over expense claims.

BUSINESS
For the latest business news: www.CNNMoney.com.

CNN: Stress tests: Banks need $75 billion
Ten of the nation's 19 largest banks will need to raise a total of $74.6 billion in capital, federal officials announced Thursday, bringing an end to relentless speculation about how much more money the nation's leading banks would need to withstand the recession.

CNN: NY Fed chair quits over Goldman role
The chairman of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York resigned Thursday, days after coming under attack for his continuing involvement in a company regulated by the institution.

CNN: What's on Obama's chopping block
Even on the campaign trail last year, President Obama pledged to cull waste from the budget. On Thursday, he pulled back the curtain on his plans.

NYT: U.S. Says Ailing Banks Need $75 Billion
After subjecting the nation’s biggest banks to the most public scrutiny in decades, federal regulators ordered 10 of them on Thursday to raise a total of $75 billion in extra capital and gave the rest a clean bill of health.

Bloomberg: Geithner Bets U.S. Can Avoid Japan Trap Through Bank Earnings
Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner is betting that U.S. banks can do something their Japanese counterparts were unable to accomplish in that country’s “lost decade” of the 1990s: earn their way out of trouble.

NYT: GMAC, Among the Weakest, Seems in Line for a Bailout
It looks as if one more bank needs a bailout. And, four months ago, this bank was not even a bank.

Washington Post: Under Restructuring, GM To Build More Cars Overseas
The U.S. government is pouring billions into General Motors in hopes of reviving the domestic economy, but when the automaker completes its restructuring plan, many of the company's new jobs will be filled by workers overseas. According to an outline the company has been sharing privately with Washington legislators, the number of cars that GM sells in the United States and builds in Mexico, China and South Korea will roughly double.

The Economist: The greater of two evils
An unusually satirical country and western crooner, has captured monetary confusion better than anyone else. “Inflation or deflation,” he warbles, “tell me if you can: will we become Zimbabwe or will we be Japan?”

NYT: U.S. Drops Research Into Fuel Cells for Cars
Cars powered by hydrogen fuel cells, once hailed by President George W. Bush as a pollution-free solution for reducing the nation’s dependence on foreign oil, will not be practical over the next 10 to 20 years, the energy secretary said Thursday, and the government will cut off funds for the vehicles’ development.

Washington Post: U.S. to Wind Down Help for Some Banks
The government signaled yesterday that its financial rescue efforts may have reached their high-water mark, announcing that the much-anticipated "stress tests" of 19 large banks showed that only one, GMAC, was likely to need additional taxpayer aid and that it would begin to unwind assistance for the healthiest firms.

WSJ: April Store Sales Seed Recovery Hopes
Warm weather, Easter sales and tax rebates convinced cost-conscious shoppers to open their wallets in April, propelling retail sales to the biggest monthly gain since August.

The Statesman: DJ to double investment in India
Dow Jones has major expansion plans for India and will double its investment in its Indian operation in each of the next two years, the company said today.

The CNN Washington Bureau’s morning speed read of the top stories making news from around the country and the world.

WASHINGTON/POLITICAL
For the latest political news: www.CNNPolitics.com.

CNN: Obama: Afghanistan, Pakistan, U.S. working to defeat extremists
President Barack Obama said Wednesday that the leaders of Afghanistan, Pakistan and the United States are meeting "as three sovereign nations joined by a common goal: to disrupt, dismantle and defeat" al Qaeda and the Taliban.

CNN: White House plans to release plane flyover report, photo
The White House indicated Wednesday that a report and a photo from the controversial low-altitude New York flyover by a 747 plane used as Air Force One could be released soon.

CNN: Obama tones down National Day of Prayer observance
For the past eight years, the White House recognized the National Day of Prayer with a service in the East Room, but this year, President Obama decided against holding a public ceremony.

CNN: Limbaugh to Powell: 'Become a Democrat'
Rush Limbaugh fired back at Colin Powell for his critical comments earlier this week, saying Wednesday that the former secretary of state should join the Democratic Party.

CNN: Reid discusses Obama's 'I have a gift' quote
In his interview with CNN Wednesday, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid discussed a 2005 encounter with then-Sen. Barack Obama, when the newly-elected senator declared, "I have gift."

Washington Post: U.S. Halts Pilot Program in New York to Detect Biological Attacks
The Department of Homeland Security is dismantling a next-generation biological attack warning system in New York City subways because of technical problems, U.S. officials said.

NYT: F.B.I. To Pay for Anthrax Inquiry Review
The Federal Bureau of Investigation has agreed to pay $879,550 to the National Academy of Sciences for a 15-month review of its scientific work on the anthrax investigation, academy officials said, but the review will not assess the bureau’s detective work or its conclusion that an Army microbiologist, Bruce E. Ivins, sent the deadly letters in 2001. The academy panel will review genetic fingerprinting that led agents to Dr. Ivins’s Maryland laboratory, as well as clues to how and where the anthrax was grown and dried. Some colleagues of Dr. Ivins, who killed himself in July, have expressed doubt that he mailed the anthrax.

WSJ: Audit Faults FBI Handling of Terrorist Watch List
The Federal Bureau of Investigation is sometimes dangerously slow to add suspects to the nation's terrorist watch list, and even slower to remove those cleared of suspicion, an internal audit found.

WSJ: Budget Proposes Cuts in 121 Programs
President Barack Obama's detailed 2010 budget plan, due out Thursday, will propose to eliminate or consolidate 121 domestic and defense programs to save $17 billion, administration officials said Wednesday.

USA Today: Rice glad to be out of political spotlight
Condoleezza Rice does not miss her old job.

LA Times: Democrats face hard time over Guantanamo
President Obama's decision to close the Guantanamo Bay detention facility in Cuba, one of his first acts after taking office, is putting fellow Democrats on the political hot seat as word spreads that terrorism suspects and other detainees would be relocated to the U.S. or transferred to domestic prisons.

Bloomberg: ‘Blue Dog’ Democrats Ask for Billions in Spending
U.S. Representative Jim Marshall is a Georgia Democrat and a member of his party’s Blue Dog Coalition, a group of lawmakers bound by a desire to restrain federal spending. The Blue Dogs have something else in common: a fondness for funding pet projects.

Washington Post: N.Y. Federal Judge Likely on Shortlist
George M. Pavia remembers being instantly impressed with the young woman he hired for his law firm in 1984. Sonia Sotomayor had graduated summa cum laude at Princeton, edited the Yale Law Journal in law school and had courtroom experience in the Manhattan prosecutor's office.

NYT Op-Ed: Geithner: How We Tested the Big Banks
THIS afternoon, Treasury, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency and the Federal Reserve will announce the results of an unprecedented review of the capital position of the nation’s largest banks. This will be an important step forward in President Obama’s program to help repair the financial system, restore the flow of credit and put our nation on the path to economic recovery.

Washington Times: Senator, defying other Dems, to seek Gitmo funds
The Senate's top appropriator Monday vowed to restore funding President Obama requested to close the Guantanamo Bay prison camp, challenging his own Democratic Party leaders who expressed skepticism about the administration's plan.

NYT: Emphasis on Al Qaeda at Three-Way Talks
Confronting a deteriorating situation in Afghanistan and Pakistan, President Obama said Wednesday that the United States was deeply committed to helping the two countries defeat Al Qaeda and its extremist partners, and in helping democracy endure and flourish.

Washington Post Op-Ed: Sen. Kerry & Dreier: A Friend To Georgia And Russia
As the Obama administration seeks a fresh start in our strained relationship with Russia, the case for cooperation with Moscow on everything from nuclear terrorism to global finance is clear and compelling. So, too, is the case for protecting the freedom and sovereignty of the fledgling democracies on Russia's borders. We must do both

LA Times Op-Ed: Amar & Ayers: Why not nominate vice justices for the Supreme Court?
As if President Obama did not have enough on his plate! He will soon need to nominate a Supreme Court justice to replace David H. Souter, who intends to retire. While Obama is at it - and to make things easier next time around - perhaps he should consider nominating a second justice now, to fill whatever vacancy might arise after Souter's departure.

WSJ Op-Ed: Rove: Republicans and Obama's Court Nominees
Few events mobilize as many interest groups and set Washington atwitter as much as a Supreme Court vacancy. In the Bush White House, I served on a five-person committee charged with recommending nominees for Supreme Court vacancies. We had the opportunity to do so twice, though admittedly it took us three nominees.

USA Today: FDA is failing to meet its food-safety inspection audit goals
The Food and Drug Administration is failing to meet its goals for auditing food-safety inspections that states do on its behalf, FDA data show. The FDA fell short of its goal in at least 17 of 39 states it paid to do inspections in the 2007-08 contract year, according to data the FDA gave USA TODAY. In five states, the FDA did no audits. State agencies do half the FDA's food inspections. The FDA aims to audit 7% to help make sure states do good inspections

NATIONAL
For the latest national news: www.CNN.com.

CNN: Lawmakers approve same-sex marriage in N.H., Maine
Lawmakers voted in favor of same-sex marriage in New Hampshire and Maine on Wednesday, leaving Rhode Island as the only other New England state without legislation in favor of the issue.

CNN: Texas police will return cash in case that prompted lawsuit
Authorities who seized $8,500 and assorted jewelry from a Tennessee man after a traffic stop in east Texas have agreed to return the property after his case drew attention from CNN.

CNN: Florida priest removed after beach photos with woman published
An internationally known Catholic priest sometimes called "Father Oprah" has been removed from his posts in Florida after published photos showed him lying down bare-chested in an embrace with a woman on a beach.

CNN: Another racy Prejean photo emerges; site promises more
A second lingerie-modeling photo of Miss California USA Carrie Prejean has appeared after she assured pageant officials this week that the earlier shot was the only one she had appeared in.

USA Today: No stimulus for police after past violations
Twenty-six police agencies in 16 states are barred from receiving shares of $1 billion in federal stimulus money to hire more officers after misusing millions of dollars in prior aid, Justice Department documents show.

WSJ: Civil-Rights Gains Test New Memorials' Relevance
Does the America of 2009, led by an African-American president, need any more museums or monuments to the struggle for civil rights? The question hangs over the proposed Center for Civil and Human Rights in Atlanta where organizers in Martin Luther King Jr.'s hometown are trying to raise a total of $125 million for the planned facility. Last month, they unveiled renderings of the museum's design and said the facility, scheduled to open in 2011, already has commitments for about $20 million in private support and $40 million in publicly backed funding.

NYT: With Gay Issues in View, Obama Is Pressed to Engage
President Obama was noticeably silent last month when the Iowa Supreme Court overturned the state’s ban on same-sex marriage.

NYT: Mothers in Crisis Turn to Temporary ‘Parents’
After resolving to leave her longtime but violent partner in March, Janai Parahams, 25 and jobless, wanted to make a fresh start. But she felt trapped: she was tending four small children with no family support or child care. She could scarcely leave her house, let alone find a job and a new place to live.

Bloomberg: Swine Flu Travels to Poland as 1,893 Confirmed Ill
A 58-year-old Polish woman was hospitalized with swine flu after returning home from a trip to New York, bringing the number of influenza cases worldwide to 1,893 in 24 countries.

Boston Globe: State seeks to revamp way doctors, hospitals are paid
Massachusetts soon may embark on another bold healthcare experiment, with a state commission poised to recommend this month that insurers radically change how they pay doctors and hospitals.

Times of London: Wrongly accused people could have DNA on database for 12 years
The DNA profiles of people released without charge or found not guilty by a court could be stored for up to 12 years on a national police database.

Washington Post: U.S. Running Out of Time to Join Shanghai Expo
The Web site for the Shanghai 2010 Expo displays picture after picture of gleaming national pavilions that are under construction in anticipation of the grand opening a year from now. Virtually every country in the world is participating in a six-month event that is expected to attract 70 million visitors at a site twice the size of Monaco, with the Chinese government spending $7.3 billion to demonstrate its new global standing.

WSJ: U.S., Europe Are Ocean Apart on Human Toll of Joblessness
In Germany, losing his factory job didn't stop Alfred Butt from taking a Mediterranean vacation this winter. Thanks to generous jobless benefits, being out of work "hasn't changed my life that much," Mr. Butt says.

CS Monitor: California prisons could get tougher on cellphones
California state senators on Wednesday passed a bill making it a crime for prisoners to possess a cellphone or for anyone to smuggle one into an inmate. The bill, which passed by a 35-0 margin, now heads to the Assembly, where it will be heard this summer.

Bloomberg: Shaved Heads Keep Barbers Idle as Drought Sears California
The drought in California’s Central Valley is so severe that it’s drying up money for haircuts.

Anchorage Daily News: Gasoline-powered car now runs on batteries
Mel Langdon's 1985 Toyota Tercel got a new lease on life Sunday when, after 21 hours of work, University of Alaska Fairbanks undergraduate Michael Golub turned the key on a new electric motor.

INTERNATIONAL
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CNN: Blackwater era ending in Iraq
The troubled Blackwater era ends in Iraq on Thursday as another firm takes over the once-dominant company's security services contract in Baghdad.

CNN: China: 2008 quake killed 5,335 students
A magnitude-7.9 earthquake that struck southwestern China last year killed 5,335 students and left an additional 546 children disabled, state media reported.

CNN: Germany refuses to halt Demjanjuk transfer
A German court Wednesday rejected an effort by suspected Nazi war criminal John Demjanjuk to block his expected transfer from the United States to Germany.

NYT: Economic Crisis Raises Fears of Extremism in Western Countries
A solid majority of people in the major Western democracies expect a rise in political extremism in their countries as a result of the economic crisis, according to a new poll.

LA Times: Pakistan appears unprepared for 'massive displacement'
As the number of people leaving their cattle sheds and mountain houses increases, so do the questions: Why was Islamabad apparently caught off guard by the large numbers of displaced? Why hasn't there been better coordination between the army and provincial agencies? What impact will these legions of dispossessed have on Pakistan's fight with the Taliban and its political stability?

Chicago Tribune: The Other Dangers in Pakistan
If you want Americans to pay attention to Pakistan - not an easy thing to do - your best bet is to conjure up images of Armageddon. The Obama administration, being put out with the Islamabad government, has decided understatement is no virtue. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton recently pronounced Pakistan nothing less than "a mortal threat" because it is "abdicating to the Taliban."

BBC: Delhi's turn in Indian election
Polling is under way in the fourth stage of India's marathon five phase general election with the capital, Delhi, one of the key battlegrounds.

BUSINESS
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CNN: Regulators put bank CEOs on notice
Banks that need more capital under the stress tests will have a month to present regulators with a fundraising plan, federal officials said Wednesday.

CNN: Stress test day arrives at last
At long last, investors will get some much-needed answers about whether the nation's biggest banks need more capital - and how much.

CNN: VW and Porsche to merge
Iconic German automakers Volkswagen and Porsche have reached an agreement to merge operations - the latest move in an industry that has seen whiplash changes in recent weeks.

NYT: As Stress Tests Are Revealed, Markets Sense a Turning Point
The results of the bank stress tests have been trickling out for days, from Washington and from Wall Street, and the leaks seem to confirm what many bankers feel in their bones: despite all those bailouts, some of the nation’s largest banks still need more money.

WSJ: Banks Need at Least $65 Billion in Capital
The Federal Reserve directed at least seven of the nation's biggest banks to bolster their capital levels by $65 billion while effectively blessing the stability of six others, marking for the first time a bold line between some of the nation's stronger and weaker banks.

LA Times: Amazon's Kindle has a big job: saving the newspaper industry
It's not even 10 inches tall, it's just one-third of an inch thick, and it costs nearly $500. But Amazon.com Inc.'s Kindle DX, unveiled Wednesday, has already been assigned a huge job: reversing the fortunes of the struggling newspaper industry.

WSJ: As SEC Steps Up Vigilance, It's Policing Some New Beats
The Securities and Exchange Commission has put credit-derivatives traders on notice: Their once-inscrutable corner of Wall Street is now in regulators' cross hairs.

Financial Times: Porsche and VW agree merger
Volkswagen and Porsche announced plans to merge on Wednesday in a move that would relieve the sports carmaker from its debt burden and bring the 3½-year takeover saga surrounding Europe’s largest carmaker to an end.

The CNN Washington Bureau’s morning speed read of the top stories making news from around the country and the world.

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CNN: Analysis: Obama faces test on Afghanistan, Pakistan
President Obama's ambitious strategy for Afghanistan and neighboring Pakistan, dubbed "Afpak" by administration officials, will face its first test Wednesday when he meets with the leaders of both countries - neither of which is seen as able to maintain stability and fight strengthening Islamic insurgencies.

CNN: Obama official to appear on 'The Daily Show'
Interior Secretary Ken Salazar is either about to score a major public relations coup for the Obama White House or wind up with some egg on his face.

CNN: Deep-pocketed donors want campaign finance reform
After giving more than $16 million in political contributions, a group of Democratic donors is saying enough is enough – it's time for Congress to scrap the current campaign funding system and encourage a new hybrid model of small dollar donations and public financing.

CNN: Elizabeth Edwards breaks silence on affair
Elizabeth Edwards, the wife of two-time presidential hopeful John Edwards, does not know whether he fathered a child during his affair with a campaign staffer, she says in an interview that is to air this week.

CNN: Borger: Partisan juices flowing over Supreme Court opening
In a Washington that pays homage to bipartisanship but never quite gets there, the prospect of a new Supreme Court battle only gets the partisan juices flowing.

CNN: DNA test could shed light on Lincoln's last days, doctor says
Was President Abraham Lincoln dying of a rare genetic disease when an assassin killed him in 1865?

Washington Post: Bush Officials Try to Alter Ethics Report
Former Bush administration officials have launched a behind-the-scenes campaign to urge Justice Department leaders to soften an ethics report criticizing lawyers who blessed harsh detainee interrogation tactics, according to two sources familiar with the efforts.

WSJ: Changes Coming for the 401(k) Plan
Policy makers and some industry representatives say major changes to retirement investing and 401(k) plans are becoming increasingly likely under the Democratic Party's control of Congress.

WSJ Op-Ed: McCain, Graham: How to Handle the Guantanamo Detainees
When President Barack Obama declassified and released legal memoranda from the Department of Justice, he opened the door to a drawn-out battle over the Bush administration's use of coercive interrogation techniques on suspected terrorists. We believe that any subsequent attempts to subject those who provided such legal advice to prosecutions are a mistake. They will have a chilling effect on the candor with which future government officials provide their best counsel.

USA Today: Chemical weapons disposal on fast track
The Pentagon plans to speed the destruction of its aging chemical weapons by more than three years with a $1.2 billion acceleration of construction at two new disposal plants, budget documents show.

Washington Times Exclusive: Steele yields powers to foes in RNC
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 of millions of dollars in party funds and contracts, The Washington Times has learned.

Financial Times: Washington sets out Tarp payback rules
US regulators are moving to impose tough conditions on banks that want to repay federal bail-out funds, requiring them to prove that they can issue debt without government insurance.

The Daily Beast: Hooray for Obama's 'Socialist' Budget
Later this week, the Obama administration is expected to release the details of its budget proposal, the broad outlines of which passed Congress yesterday with no Republican votes. A lack of bipartisan support is becoming customary, but the specific terms of the debate are interesting. As The Hill reported: "Republicans blasted the budget as a turn toward a bigger-government philosophy prevalent in Europe." Obama's proposals, in other words, aren't just bad. They're downright un-American! But political attacks can sometimes have surprising results.

Business Week: President Obama, Cut Corporate Taxes Instead
As the old saying goes, the road to hell is paved with good intentions. For decades various Washington politicians have tinkered with corporate income tax rules with the laudable goal of getting U.S.-based multinationals such as General Electric (GM) and IBM (IBM) to pay their "fair" share of taxes on growing overseas operations. The result has been a disaster—a system no one understands that requires vast resources to administer while raising very little revenue. The current corporate tax rules even seem to encourage U.S.-based multinationals to move jobs overseas, although no one really knows for sure.

Washington Post: Party Switch Costs Specter His Seniority on Senate Committees
The Senate last night stripped Sen. Arlen Specter (Pa.) of his seniority on committees, a week after the 29-year veteran of the chamber quit the Republican Party to join the Democrats.

Slate.com: An Unnatural Woman
Over time, America grew used to thinking of Justice David Souter as an only child turned unmarried man who liked history books and hiking alone in the mountains. People stopped speculating about his singleton status, and he was left alone as America's last respectable bachelor. Now the talk of his successor has opened a whole new round of status speculation. The list of potential replacements is overpopulated by women who are single, childless, or divorced. So America asks—or worries without overtly asking—what is this suspicious creature called the bachelorette, and what is she really up to?

Washington Post: EPA Proposes Changes To Biofuel Regulations
The Obama administration waded deeper into climate regulation yesterday, proposing new standards for alternative motor fuels and setting off a debate among ethanol producers and environmentalists about scientific assumptions that could be worth billions of dollars to industry.

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CNN: Second U.S. death linked to swine flu, officials say
A Texas woman who had swine flu has died, officials said Tuesday, marking the second death in the United States linked to the virus and the first of a U.S. resident.

CNN: Authorities suspect man threw baby from car
A Florida man threw a 4-month-old boy out the window of a moving car Tuesday after a fight with the infant's mother, investigators said.

CNN: First U.S. face transplant recipient offers thanks
In 2004, a bullet ripped away Connie Culp's nose, cheeks and upper jaw. Metal fragments sprayed into her skull and stripped her face away, leaving nothing except for her eyes, her chin and forehead.

NYT: Health Insurers Agree to End Higher Premiums for Women
Insurance companies offered Tuesday to end the practice of charging higher premiums to women than to men for the same coverage.

USA Today: Stressed troops take cues from ancient plays
After nine grinding years of war, the once-mighty soldier abruptly comes unglued. Denied an honor he thinks he's due, he goes to kill the officers he holds responsible, but after his night of rage finds he has slaughtered barnyard animals, not generals.

Washington Post: Uproar in D.C. as Same-Sex Marriage Gains
The D.C. Council overwhelmingly approved a bill yesterday to recognize same-sex marriages performed elsewhere, in a vote that followed a sharp exchange between an openly gay member and a civil rights champion and set off shouts of reproach from local ministers.

Miami Herald: Dim future for Bright Futures' scholarships
Florida can't afford its popular Bright Futures Scholarship Program.

WSJ: The Fine Print: What's Really in a Lot of 'Healthy' Foods
A lot of Americans think they're eating a healthy diet these days. But it's easy to be fooled by our assumptions and the ways that food manufacturers play on them.

LA Times: Santa Barbara brush fire forces evacuations
A wind-driven brush fire Tuesday in the Santa Barbara foothills charred at least 420 acres, forced the evacuation of about 1,000 homes and renewed grim memories of the devastating fires that swept through the area last fall.

Boston Globe: Police prying into stars' data
Police from communities across the state have repeatedly tapped into the state's criminal records system to improperly access information on celebrities and "high-profile citizens," according to a scathing audit released yesterday that also branded the system as obsolete and flawed.

BBC: Scientists pinpoint fats danger
Scientists have identified a genetic mechanism which appears to determine which fatty deposits in the arteries have the potential to kill us.

Chicago Tribune: Man gives 10,000 dictionaries to area kids
He's been Theodore, Ted and Teddy, depending on the time and circumstances in his life.

NYT: Cooking Up Millions of Viruses for a New Vaccine
As soon as Doris Bucher learned that a new strain of swine flu had turned up in the United States, she e-mailed the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention offering to send materials that might be useful in making a vaccine.

Denver Post: Study: Education yields health
Good health depends on education, according to a new study that shows wide health disparity between college-educated Coloradans and those who didn't finish high school.

LA Times: Post-Katrina trailer residents fearful as eviction day looms
Belinda Jenkins was picking up her diabetes medication Tuesday afternoon, and worrying about being away from the trailer she has lived in since Hurricane Katrina trashed her house.

USA Today: More homes get multiple offers; downturn may be nearing end
More homes for sale are attracting multiple offers as buyers pursue lower-price homes and banks low-ball asking prices to attract competing bids on foreclosures.

INTERNATIONAL
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CNN: Brit wins 'best job in the world' competition
A British man beat 34,000 other applicants Wednesday to win, what has been dubbed, "the best job in the world" - to stroll the white sands of a tropical island in Queensland, Australia, file weekly reports online to a global audience and earn a cool $100,000.

CNN: Biden prods Israel on settlements
Vice President Joe Biden prodded Israel on Tuesday to halt the expansion of its settlements on the West Bank, a move he called a necessary step toward ending the decades-old Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

LA Times: Pakistani civilians flee area of Taliban-army fighting
Laborer Amir Zada kicked the flies off his sandals, looked around at the rows of tents and relived the nightmare he had just endured. How the Taliban came and said there would be peace. How the army arrived with helicopter gunships to attack the Taliban. And how the two sides started firing at each other, with civilians like him caught in the middle.

WSJ: In Mexico City, Flu Brings Varied Lessons
This city of around 20 million will begin to come back to life on Wednesday after enduring nearly two weeks of virtual quarantine due to the new and deadly flu bug. Mexico City's restaurants and shops are set to open their doors again, while schools will gradually reopen.

LA Times: Sinaloa cartel may resort to deadly force in U.S.
The reputed head of Mexico's Sinaloa drug cartel is threatening a more aggressive stance against competitors and law enforcement north of the border, instructing associates to use deadly force, if needed, to protect increasingly contested trafficking operations, authorities said.

Al Jazeera:US to investigate Afghan deaths
The US is to hold an inquiry into the deaths of up to 50 Afghan civilians allegedly killed in an air raid on Taliban elements by their forces.

Washington Times 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

BUSINESS
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CNN: Chrysler won't repay bailout money
Chrysler LLC will not repay U.S. taxpayers more than $7 billion in bailout money it received earlier this year and as part of its bankruptcy filing.

CNN: Why stimulus money goes unspent
The federal government has made available more than $74 billion in stimulus funds, but the majority of that money has yet to hit the streets.

NYT: U.S. Says Bank of America Needs $33.9 Billion Cushion
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.

WSJ: Condition Is Set for Banks' TARP Exit
Banks that want to return Troubled Asset Relief Program funds will have to demonstrate their ability to wean themselves off another major federal program, according to senior government officials, making it less attractive for some banks to return the money.

LA Times: Bernanke's cautiously optimistic forecast does little for markets
Federal Reserve Chairman Ben S. Bernanke didn't sway the markets much Tuesday with his cautious optimism about an economic recovery later this year, and he downright chilled U.S. workers with his prediction of "further sizable job losses" to come.

Bloomberg: BMW Posts Second Consecutive Loss on Drop in Car Deliveries
Bayerische Motoren Werke AG, the world’s biggest maker of luxury vehicles, posted its second consecutive quarterly loss as the global recession trampled demand for upscale sedans and sport-utility vehicles.

Boston Globe: Globe, guild talk into the night
Boston Globe management and the Boston Newspaper Guild were locked in negotiations into the early hours this morning, raising a glimmer of hope that the two sides might be moving closer to a deal on a package of concessions sufficient to keep The New York Times Co., the newspaper's owner, from shutting the paper down.

NYT: U.S. May Set a Debt Test for Banks
The Treasury Department is planning to require banks seeking to free themselves from the government’s grip to show that they can survive without the taxpayer aid that has helped them through the financial crisis, senior government officials said Tuesday.

Seattle Times: Latest round of Microsoft layoffs may not be last
With Tuesday's second round of layoffs, which included 1,200 locally, Microsoft has made almost all of the planned 5,000 job cuts announced in January.

In Case You Missed It
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CNN: Gates visits Mideast allies
Defense Secretary Robert Gates says talks with Iran won't undermine U.S. ties. CNN's Chris Lawrence reports.

CNN: Limbaugh takes on GOP council
CNN's Bill Schneider reports Rush Limbaugh and other conservatives are pushing back at the GOP's new strategy.

CNN: Obama, Biden go for burgers
The president and vice president make an unscheduled stop for burgers in Washington.

The CNN Washington Bureau’s morning speed read of the top stories making news from around the country and the world.

WASHINGTON/POLITICAL
For the latest political news: www.CNNPolitics.com.

CNN: Specter starts anew with longtime constituents
He has represented Pennsylvania in the U.S. Senate for nearly three decades, but Arlen Specter now has to re-introduce himself back home.

CNN: Is trade embargo with Cuba hurting U.S. interests?
If Americans wonder what it's like to travel to Cuba, just ask a Canadian.

CNN: Edwards and wife deny financial wrongdoing
While acknowledging federal authorities are investigating the finances related to John Edwards political efforts, he and his wife say they don't believe there was any financial wrongdoing.

CNN: Dems nix money to close Gitmo, say plan needed first
House Democrats told the president Monday he won't be getting money to close the military detention facility at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, until he has a "concrete program" for shutting it down and moving its prisoners.

Washington Post: Murtha's Nephew Got Defense Contracts
The headquarters of Murtech, in a low-slung, bland building in a Glen Burnie business park, has its blinds drawn tight and few signs of life. On several days of visits, a handful of cars sit in the parking lot, and no trucks arrive at the 10 loading bays at the back of the building. Yet last year, Murtech received $4 million in Pentagon work, all of it without competition, for a variety of warehousing and engineering services.

NYT: Advances by the Taliban Sharpen U.S. Concerns
The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Adm. Mike Mullen, said Monday that he was “gravely concerned” about Taliban advances in Pakistan and Afghanistan, as President Obama prepared for meetings here this week with President Asif Ali Zardari of Pakistan in an atmosphere of crisis.

LA Times: What the Pakistani people would tell Obama
Many Pakistanis welcomed the election of President Obama as an opportunity for some fresh thinking about their troubled region.

Washington Post: Ridge May Run for Specter's Senate Seat
Former Pennsylvania governor Tom Ridge (R) is seriously considering a 2010 bid for the Senate seat held by Republican-turned-Democrat Arlen Specter and will make his decision in the next two weeks, according to several sources familiar with his thinking.

NYT: Porous Border With Pakistan Could Hinder U.S. Troops
President Obama is pouring more than 20,000 new troops into Afghanistan this year for a fighting season that the United States military has called a make-or-break test of the allied campaign in Afghanistan.

Newsweek: The Dilemma of Dissent
In early July 2002 I went to see Condoleezza Rice, President George W. Bush's National Security Advisor, in her West Wing office. I was meeting Condi in my capacity as director of policy planning, the State Department's internal think tank. But we were longtime friends, dating back to our work together for the first President Bush more than a decade before, and our get-togethers were not part of any formal interagency process.

LA Times: Supreme Court limits identity theft law
The Supreme Court on Monday took away one of the government's tools for prosecuting and deporting workers in this country illegally, ruling that the crime of identity theft was limited to those who knew they were using another person's Social Security number.

Al Jazeera: US army 'does not promote religion'
The US's highest ranking military officer has said it is not the US military's position to promote any specific religion, after Al Jazeera revealed footage of troops apparently preparing to convert Afghans to their Christian faith.

Washington Post: Democrats Seek More Interrogation Documents
Fallout from the Bush administration's detainee interrogation practices persisted yesterday, with House Democrats requesting documents that reportedly challenged the decision to use methods critics have likened to torture.

McClatchy: Nevada files voter fraud charges against ACORN
Nevada's attorney general on Monday filed criminal charges accusing liberal community activist group ACORN and two of its employees of facilitating voter registration fraud in November's election by requiring canvassers to submit 20 applications each day or face termination.

Washington Times: For political comedians, the joke's not on Obama
What's so unfunny? That's what some comics – citing the scarcity of satire directed at President Obama and his administration – want to know.

NATIONAL
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CNN: Toddler brain difference linked to autism
The size of a specific part of the brain may help experts pinpoint when autism could first develop, University of North Carolina researchers report.

CNN poll: Generations disagree on same-sex marriage
A new national poll suggests a majority of Americans oppose legalizing same-sex marriages, but the survey indicates a vast generational divide on the issue.

CNN: Supreme Court wants new look at 'wardrobe malfunction'
The case of Janet Jackson's "wardrobe malfunction" on national television - and subsequent fines against CBS - will be re-examined at the order of the Supreme Court.

CNN: Casey Anthony's attorney wants trial moved to Miami
Accusing local media in the Orlando, Florida, area of a "barrage" of coverage, Casey Anthony's lead defense attorney asked Monday to have her death-penalty case moved from Orlando to Miami, Florida.

Providence Journal: R.I. to charge suspect in craigslist killing
It was him, law enforcement officials now officially say. But they’re not offering any evidence. Two days after Philip Markoff allegedly killed a masseuse in a Boston hotel last month, law enforcement officials say, the Boston University medical student walked into the Holiday Inn Express in Warwick with a gun and attempted to rob a Las Vegas exotic dancer whom he had similarly arranged to meet on the Web site craigslist.

WSJ: Giving Internships a Post-College Try
Nora Cook has her dream job. As a member of the "recycling police" for the Central Contra Costa Solid Waste Authority in Walnut Creek, Calif., Ms. Cook, who graduated with a business economics degree from California State University East Bay in June, finds businesses that don't recycle, educates them on the process and keeps track of their progress.

NYT: Lost Manuscript Unmasks Details Of Original Ponzi
In the summer of 1920, William H. McMasters, one of Boston’s top publicists, was in a pickle. A new client, a dapper and charming Italian immigrant named Charles Ponzi, was raking in millions on promises to pay investors 50 percent interest in 45 days.

LA Times: Gasoline prices continue slow climb
Pump prices in California and around much of the nation continued their ever-so-slow crawl higher over the past week, the Energy Department said Monday. But analysts said gasoline costs might be kicked into a higher gear by a resurgent oil market.

USA Today: Airlines see signs of improvement in April
U.S. airlines, which saw much of their high-fare business traffic evaporate this winter, may finally be coming out of their tailspin.

Chicago Tribune: McDonald's, Starbucks take coffee war to national ad battlefield
On Tuesday, McDonald's begins a massive advertising blitz to persuade customers to associate its famous "Mc" prefix with fancy coffee. Meanwhile, coffee king Starbucks has launched its own ad assault.

Newsweek: The Next Pandemic
How does it feel to be a pandemic? Fairly addictive, in fact. In the Flash-based Web game Pandemic 2, players take on the identity of a deadly disease trying to wipe out the earth's population. Using preset options, players create an illness designed for a maximum body count: will the disease be a virus, bacteria or a fungal pathogen? Will it be resistant to moisture? Cause coughing or sneezing? Be carried by rats or insects? If players make the symptoms too apparent, doctors will treat their disease before it spreads; too contagious and the airports close down before it can jump to other countries.

Denver Post: Death-penalty foes reeling
A last-minute legislative rewrite could kill a plan to repeal Colorado's death penalty by providing an alternative funding source to investigate the state's 1,434 cold-case homicides.

Anchorage Daily News: Alaska looks for bargain in prisoner contract
Alaska's $20-million-per-year contract with an Arizona prison is nearly up, and the Department of Corrections is seeking a better deal.

Providence Journal: Coalition of R.I. groups sets survey on racial profiling
Have you ever been confronted or called to account by a police officer because of your race or ethnicity? If so, a coalition of 11 sociopolitical advocacy groups concerned about racial profiling wants to hear from you.

USA Today: Student's letter to Congress leads to school makeover
Students who had grown resigned to old, "nasty" furnishings at their dilapidated middle school in rural South Carolina were elated Monday to find new furniture and a freshly painted cafeteria, thanks to a student's plea, a president's speech and a businessman's response.

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CNN: Dozens killed in Turkish wedding massacre
Forty-four people were killed during an attack on a wedding party in Turkey's southeastern Mardin province Monday.

CNN: Al Qaeda exporting jihad with a hip-hop vibe
The latest video from Somalia's al Qaeda-backed Al-Shabaab wing is as slickly produced as a reality TV show but with a startling message - complete with a hip-hop jihad vibe.

CNN: WWI mass graves to be exhumed in France
Wide green expanses of farmland outside a picturesque northern French village hide memories of a World War I battle in which thousands of British and Australian troops were killed or wounded on a single night.

CNN: British woman could face Laos death penalty
A pregnant British woman facing possible execution in Laos will go on trial this week, the country's foreign affairs ministry said Monday.

Washington Post: KBR Connected to Alleged Fraud, Pentagon Auditor Says
KBR, the Army's largest contractor in Iraq and Afghanistan, is linked to "the vast majority" of suspected combat-zone fraud cases that have been referred to investigators, as well as a majority of the $13 billion in "questioned" or "unsupported" costs, the Pentagon's top auditor said yesterday.

LA Times: Berlusconi divorce spat merges with politics
For better and for worse, Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi has revolutionized Italy during the last 15 years, toppling walls between government and business, media and ideology, traditional parties and maverick movements.

Times of London: Licence to let will hit all private landlords
All private landlords would have to be registered before letting residential property under government plans to curb abuses in the growing rental market, The Times has learnt.

Al Jazeera: Pakistan-Taliban pact under strain
Pakistan's peace pact with the Taliban is close to collapse, a Taliban spokesman has warned, accusing the government and the army of being stooges for the US.

BUSINESS
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CNN: New Chrysler auto incentives coming
With bankruptcy threatening to further weigh down the carmaker's sales, Chrysler is expected to announce a new incentive program Tuesday.

CNN: Obama plans corporate tax crackdown
President Obama on Monday spelled out his proposals to close corporate tax loopholes on U.S. multinational corporations and crack down on overseas tax havens.

CNN: Bankers see more losses ahead
Bankers are bracing for additional losses this year across a wide variety of loan categories, according to a report published Monday by the Federal Reserve, as the nation continues to suffer under the weight of a painful recession.

Bloomberg: UBS Posts SF1.98 Billion Quarterly Loss on Writedowns
UBS AG, Switzerland’s largest bank by assets, reported a first-quarter loss after writing down the value of hard-to-trade holdings.

WSJ: More Banks Will Need Capital
The U.S. is expected to direct about 10 of the 19 banks undergoing government stress tests to boost their capital, according to several people familiar with the matter, a move that officials hope will quell fears about the solvency of the financial sector.

Forbes: Street Locks Up Big Rally
U.S. stocks gained more than two percent on Monday finishing the trading session with a sharp rise in the indexes. The possible culprit for all that buying: home sales increased for the second month in a row and a bank under suspicion of having to raise capital denied it. The biggest financial news of the week is still to come, though, with the results of the government's bank stress tests and the monthly jobs report due Thursday and Friday, respectively.

Bloomberg: ‘Great Recession’ Will Redefine Full Employment as Jobs Vanish
Post-recession America may be saddled with high unemployment even after good times finally return.

WSJ: 401(k)s Hit by Withdrawal Freezes
Some investors in 401(k) retirement funds who are moving to grab their money are finding they can't.

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CNN: 'Party on,' Obama says
President Obama's makes remarks at the White House on the eve of Cinco de Mayo.

CNN: Obama date night
It's date night for the first couple as they hit the streets of DC for a romantic evening. CNN's Jeanne Moos reports.

CNN: Fired over MySpace postings?
CNN's Alina Cho reports on how some employers are using the Internet to spy on workers.

The CNN Washington Bureau’s morning speed read of the top stories making news from around the country and the world.

WASHINGTON/POLITICAL
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CNN: Obama likely to pick female nominee?
In the very early stages of the selection process to replace Justice David Souter, Obama administration officials say there is a strong inclination to pick a woman, but stress there is no short list and the field of candidates is wide open.

CNN: Rice: Bush wouldn't approve illegal interrogations
Former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice defended the Bush administration's policies on the interrogation of terrorism suspects Sunday, saying former President George W. Bush would not have authorized anything illegal.

CNN: Specter: Switch should be 'wake-up call' to GOP
Veteran Pennsylvania Sen. Arlen Specter said Sunday that he hopes his recent switch to the Democratic Party will serve as a "wake-up call" to an increasingly conservative GOP.

CNN: Sestak says he's 'not sure' Specter's a Democrat yet
Pennsylvania Rep. Joe Sestak told CNN Sunday that he wasn't sure Sen. Arlen Specter is really part of the Democratic Party, the latest in a series of tough comments aimed at his potential Senate primary rival.

CNN: Former Republican VP candidate, congressman Kemp dies
Former congressman and Republican vice presidential candidate Jack Kemp died Saturday at age 73 after a battle with cancer, his family announced.

CNN: Conservatives prepare for Supreme battle
Few issues rally conservatives as much as a Supreme Court nomination - and activists are wasting no time gearing up for a battle.

NYT: Senators Accuse Pentagon of Delay in Recovering Millions
The Pentagon has done little to collect at least $100 million in overcharges paid in deals arranged by corrupt former officials of Kellogg Brown & Root, the defense contractor, even though the officials admitted much of the wrongdoing years ago, two senators have complained in a letter to Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates.

Washington Post: 4th-Grader Questions Rice on Waterboarding
Days after telling students at Stanford University that waterboarding was legal "by definition if it was authorized by the president," former secretary of state Condoleezza Rice was pressed again on the subject yesterday by a fourth-grader at a Washington school.

Forbes: What Souter's Exit Means For Business
Justice David Souter's retirement from the Supreme Court gives President Obama an opportunity to appoint a left-leaning justice. How scared should business be? Not very.

Jerusalem Post: Gingrich tells 'Post': Obama endangering the Jewish state
Former US House Speaker Newt Gingrich on Sunday blasted the Obama administration for setting itself on a collision course with Israel and endangering the Jewish state, ahead of his address to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC).

Newsweek: That’s One Classy Mom
Michelle Obama likes to call herself the "mom in chief." Images abound of the first lady frolicking on the White House swing set with Malia and Sasha. Basically, you'd have to be living under a rock not to know that Michelle is a mama. Yet when people were asked in a recent Pew Research poll to pick one word to describe her, only seven out of the 765 surveyed used the word "mother." (The most common was "classy.") In a similar 2001 poll, 24 out of 1,212 described Laura Bush as a mother—a slightly higher ratio—even though her daughters were in college.

Baltimore Sun: GOP barely hangs on in Maryland
Even before Pennsylvania Sen. Arlen Specter switched to the Democratic side, Republican leaders were warning that their national party was in danger of becoming a regional one.

Boston Globe: Accidental deaths plaguing US in Iraq
The 130,000 American troops serving in Iraq are more likely to die in accidents, from natural causes, or in other "nonhostile" incidents than at the hands of insurgents, according to Defense Department statistics for the past eight months ending in April.

NATIONAL
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CNN: Confirmed cases of H1N1 virus approach 900
The World Health Organization cautioned that the swine flu outbreak could gain momentum in the months ahead, despite claims by the health secretary of Mexico - the epicenter of the outbreak - that the virus "is in its declining phase."

CNN: Cowboys scout paralyzed after canopy collapse
A Dallas Cowboys scouting assistant suffered a broken back and has been permanently paralyzed after the collapse of the team's practice canopy during a heavy thunderstorm, the Cowboys announced Sunday.

CNN: Image shows what missing tot Madeleine McCann may look like
The parents of missing English toddler Madeleine McCann on Friday unveiled a digitally enhanced picture showing what she might look like today if she is still alive.

Washington Post: The Pork Lobbyists, Ready to Reassure
It was Day 7 of the great swine flu outbreak, and inside the eighth-floor conference room in a concrete hulk of an office building on Capitol Hill, the pork lobbyists were in crisis mode. The National Pork Producers Council, whose members were watching with dismay as hog prices fell, labored to reverse the public dialogue about the fast-spreading virus and to convince consumers that the "other white meat" was still safe to eat.

WSJ: The Age of Pandemics
In 1967, the country's surgeon general, William Stewart, famously said, "The time has come to close the book on infectious diseases. We have basically wiped out infection in the United States." This premature victory declaration, perhaps based on early public health victories over 19th-century infectious diseases, has entered the lore of epidemiologists who know that, if anything, the time has come to open the book to a new and dangerous chapter on 21st-century communicable diseases.

LA Times: Schools consider four-day weeks
Facing deep funding cuts during the economic downturn, increasing numbers of school districts nationwide are contemplating trimming the traditional school week to four days to save money.

USA Today: Seniors at home in co-housing
Projects such as Silver Sage are called co-housing. European-inspired housing built around a common area and a social compact that all residents agree to, co-housing has existed on a small scale in the USA for years. Now, the concept is coming to senior housing, a trend supported by advocates who favor independent living for the old.

Washington Post Op-Ed: Spellings: 'No Child' in Action
Student achievement results from the "nation's report card" published last week show that we are on the right track. Since enactment of the bipartisan No Child Left Behind Act, which called for all students to be on grade level in reading and math by 2014, students have been making progress in reading and math in elementary and middle school. Improvement has been greatest for African American and Hispanic students and those students who are lowest-achieving.

LA Times: Army extends immigrant recruiting
Starting today, 10 Los Angeles-area Army recruiting offices will begin taking applications from some foreigners who are here on temporary visas or who have been granted asylum.

Boston Globe: Agree or else, Globe tells unions
Boston Globe management was continuing to negotiate concessions with its major unions well past a midnight deadline, but said it was prepared to file a plant closing notice with the state today if they failed to reach agreement. That would allow the paper's owner, the New York Times Co., to follow through on its threat to shutter the 137-year-old newspaper.

Chicago Tribune: Fast-food chains push lower-priced items, seek higher profit margins
Before the recession, Andrew Puzder, who heads the Hardee's and Carl's Jr. burger chains, liked to joke about how sharp-priced competitors were "giving food away."

Kansas City Star: FBI’s art crime team is finding missing masterpieces
The art crime team formed in 2004 to combat the multimillion-dollar trade in stolen art and items of cultural and historical significance that transcends international boundaries. It has recovered more than 1,000 items worth more than $135 million.

INTERNATIONAL
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CNN: Tribunal: Opposition leader wins Panama presidential race
Opposition leader and supermarket mogul Ricardo Martinelli has won Panama's presidential election, the head of the country's electoral tribunal said Sunday.

CNN: Nepal government splits over general's firing
Nepal's government ordered the country's army chief of staff fired Sunday, touching off street protests and a split in Nepal's Maoist-dominated ruling coalition.

CNN: Egyptian farmers protest mandatory swine slaughter
Pig farmers threw rocks at police officers in Cairo, Egypt, on Sunday as health workers gathered the farmers' herds for slaughter in what the government says is a precaution against the spread of swine flu, an interior ministry official told CNN.

CNN: Pirates seized after threatening French navy ship
The French Navy said they seized 11 pirates Sunday after they apparently mistook a French military vessel for a commercial ship and made a run at it.

Times of London: Government to close lifeline for Iraqi interpreters in two weeks
The Government has been accused of deserting former Iraqi interpreters who risked their lives for Britain, after announcing that it would close its assistance scheme in a fortnight.

NYT: Pakistan Strife Raises U.S. Doubts on Nuclear Arms
As the insurgency of the Taliban and Al Qaeda spreads in Pakistan, senior American officials say they are increasingly concerned about new vulnerabilities for Pakistan’s nuclear arsenal, including the potential for militants to snatch a weapon in transport or to insert sympathizers into laboratories or fuel-production facilities.

WSJ: Slump Hits Armenia Despite Its Isolation
Most countries hammered by the financial crisis ran into trouble because their banks crumbled, their exports collapsed or they ran up too much debt. Armenia, a landlocked nation of three million in the Caucasus, has a different problem.

Bloomberg: Iraq Bombs May Slow U.S. Pullout as Splits Fuel Fresh Violence
The recent spate of bombings in Iraq means U.S. officials may have to keep troops there longer than they planned, and Iraqis may have to live with a higher level of violence than they wish.

Al Jazeera: Tsvangirai: Zimbabwe is broke
Zimbabwe's unity government is out of money and is unable to meet demands by unions for higher wages, the country’s prime minister has said at a May Day rally.

BUSINESS
For the latest business news: www.CNNMoney.com.

CNN: Buffett: Berkshire looking to deal
Berkshire Hathaway is ready to make a deal at the right price, but it has nothing in its shopping cart right now, CEO Warren Buffett said Sunday.

CNN: Freelance is the new full-time
As unemployed Americans struggle to find full-time work, many will have to settle for positions that are easier to come by – freelance.

CNN: Obama: Reduced role for financial sector – report
The financial sector will make up a smaller part of the U.S. economy in the future as new regulations clamp down on "massive risk-taking," President Barack Obama said in an interview published Saturday.

Bloomberg: Citigroup Said to Weigh Capital Boost That Averts U.S. Control
Citigroup Inc., girding for results of the Federal Reserve’s bank stress test, may try to wring capital from private investors instead of U.S. bailout funds as a way of bolstering equity without ceding control to the government, people briefed on the matter said.

WSJ: New York Fed Chairman's Ties to Goldman Raise Questions
The Federal Reserve Bank of New York shaped Washington's response to the financial crisis late last year, which buoyed Goldman Sachs Group Inc. and other Wall Street firms. Goldman received speedy approval to become a bank holding company in September and a $10 billion capital injection soon after.

Financial Times: Fiat plans European car supergroup
Sergio Marchionne, Fiat chief executive, is on Monday due to outline plans to transform the global automotive landscape by spinning off Fiat’s core cars division, joining it with Chrysler and General Motors Europe, and creating a new publicly traded European car company.

Washington Post: How OpenTable Could Actually Matter
Dot com meltdown survivor and restaurant reservation software company OpenTable had been a rumored IPO candidate for a while. Still, it shocked many when it finally filed its intention to debut on the Nasdaq back in January. What? Does this company just have a thing for market meltdowns?

Business Week: GM: The Government Is in Charge
The Obama Administration has "no desire to run an auto company on a day-to-day basis," says White House spokesman Robert Gibbs. If so, somebody forgot to tell the team of Treasury Dept. staffers and management consultants now camped out at the Detroit Renaissance Center, a hotel and office complex anchored by General Motors' (GM) headquarters. There, GM executives are mapping out a survival strategy ahead of a government-imposed June 1 deadline to squeeze concessions from bondholders and the United Auto Workers union or face bankruptcy.

In Case You Missed It
To watch the latest interviews and reporting: http://www.cnn.com/video.

CNN: New face of homelessness
Out of work and with nowhere to go. CNN's Kate Bolduan reports on the changing face of homelessness.

CNN: 9-year-old patient rocks out
9-year-old cancer patient Noah O'Neal makes his debut as a rock star. KSDK's Mike Bush reports.

CNN: Immigration back in focus
Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney offers his take on the immigration debate making a return appearance in the nation's capital.

CNN: Cantor, Romney on GOP future
House Minority Whip Eric Cantor and former GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney talk turnign the GOP around.

The CNN Washington Bureau’s morning speed read of the top stories making news from around the country and the world.

WASHINGTON/POLITICAL
For the latest political news: www.CNNPolitics.com.

CNN: Justice David Souter to retire from Supreme Court, source says
After more than 18 years on the nation's highest court, Supreme Court Justice David Souter is retiring, a source close to Souter told CNN Thursday.

CNN: Analysis: What's ahead for Obama in the next 100 days
After passing the 100 days benchmark, President Obama pushes on with a daunting task ahead of him: Tackling foreign and domestic issues while dealing with a Republican Party opposed to nearly all his major economic initiatives.

CNN: White House apologizes for undue alarm over Biden comments
The White House apologized Thursday "if anybody was unduly alarmed" by Vice President Joe Biden's comments that seemed to suggest Americans should avoid air travel or confined spaces of any kind.

CNN: Immigration agents told to target employers who hire workers
The Department of Homeland Security told its immigration enforcement agents Thursday to target employers who hire illegal workers, but also to continue to arrest the illegal immigrants it encounters.

Washington Times Exclusive: Interrogation blame spread to Congress
In a rare gesture, House intelligence committee Chairman Silvestre Reyes sent a letter this week to all CIA employees suggesting that Congress shared some blame for the CIA interrogation controversy and should play a more robust role in the intelligence policymaking process.

Washington Post: White House Cheat Sheet: Souter Retirement (Further) Roils Political Landscape
The news that Supreme Court Justice David Souter is planning to retire as early as next month is likely to set off a massive campaign-style fight over the man or woman that President Obama nominates to fill the vacant slot on the bench, and could well sidetrack other legislative priorities of the administration.

WSJ: At Treasury, Big White House Role
On Jan. 20, Timothy Geithner took control of the Treasury Department, directing the government's response to the financial crisis.

NYT: In Military, New Debate Over Policy Toward Gays
Here at the military academy that is nearly as old as the nation itself, two cadets recently engaged in a modern debate: whether they agreed with President Obama’s pledge to end the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy and allow gay men and lesbians to serve openly.

WSJ: Cybersecurity Review Sets Turf Battle
President Barack Obama's cybersecurity review has ignited turf battles inside the White House, with economic adviser Lawrence Summers weighing in to prevent what he sees as a potential threat to economic growth, according to people familiar with the deliberations.

CS Monitor: Formula for an Obama press conference: 13 questions
Barack Obama has these East Wing presidential press conferences down to a science: He makes TelePrompTer-assisted opening remarks and then calls on exactly 13 reporters. Some sneak in more than one question, but somehow after the 13th member of the Fourth Estate has had his or her moment in the spotlight – always the AP first, then a mix of print, TV, and a few alternative outlets – the hour is up.

Bloomberg: ‘Beloved’ Michelle Outshines Obama, Speaks to Youth
Nine months ago, The New Yorker lampooned the political frenzy over Michelle Obama by portraying her as a camouflage-clad, fist-bumping radical. Now, 100 days into her tenure as first lady, she has emerged as the most popular figure in her husband’s administration.

Newsweek: Long Hot Summer
The long hot summer is typically a phrase that strikes fear in the hearts of politicians. In the '60s, it meant race riots in American cities. In the months leading up to the 9/11 attacks, it evoked an oblivious media obsessing over an intern who had gone missing and who was having an affair with a congressman, and a wave of shark attacks, which turned out to be not much of a wave after all.

Washington Times: EPA reviewing Bush policies
The Navajo Nation plans to earn $50 million annually by building a coal-fired power plant on its New Mexico reservation. But its plans hit a snag earlier this week, when the Environmental Protection Agency, citing air pollution concerns, moved to revoke a Bush administration permit and block the project.

NATIONAL
For the latest national news: www.CNN.com.

CNN: Confirmed swine flu cases leap
Confirmed cases of swine flu worldwide increased to 257 on Thursday, up significantly from the previous day's total of 147, the World Health Organization reported.

CNN: Survey: Support for terror suspect torture differs among the faithful
The more often Americans go to church, the more likely they are to support the torture of suspected terrorists, according to a new survey.

CNN: Inaccurate 'swine' flu label hurts industry, pork producers say
The disease most people in the United States and worldwide know as "swine flu" is actually a combination of human and animal strains and has not been shown to be transmissible through eating pork.

WSJ: In California, Cases Suggest Border Origin
Doctors tracking swine flu in this state are investigating a new theory: What if it didn't originate in Mexico but instead had been floating around the border region for months?

Washington Post: Many States Do Not Meet Readiness Standards
More than two dozen states, including Maryland, as well as the District, have not stocked enough of the emergency supplies of antiviral medications considered necessary to treat victims of swine flu should the outbreak become a full-blown crisis, according to federal records.

US News & World Report: Swine Flu: 8 Ways to Get Your Family Ready
Pandemic flu plans aren’t just for governments: Families need them too, says Ted Epperly, president of the American Academy of Family Physicians and a family doc in Boise, Idaho. And parents need to prepare now.

NYT: Panel Advises Clarifying U.S. Plans on Cyberwar
The United States has no clear military policy about how the nation might respond to a cyberattack on its communications, financial or power networks, a panel of scientists and policy advisers warned Wednesday, and the country needs to clarify both its offensive capabilities and how it would respond to such attacks.

Boston Globe: For children, an urban lifeline
he effort to help children in this one large swath of Harlem begins even before they are born, as street workers walk door to door, encouraging pregnant young women to attend a free crash course on parenting.

WSJ: Alternative Energy's Fortunes Shift With the Winds
James Dehlsen has spent decades trying to build a bigger and better machine to convert a breeze into electricity.

WSJ: Banker: 'What'd I Do Wrong, Officer?' Cop: 'You've Got Algae in the Pool, Sir'
Officials at a Citigroup Inc. office in St. Louis placed a call to this desert town recently. The bank had caught word that Indio was coming after the lending giant with fines and threats of criminal charges. The offense: an algae-infested swimming pool at 79760 Eagle Bend Court.

Boston Globe: Severin suspended for comments about Mexican immigrants
Jay Severin, the fiery right wing talk show host on Boston's WTKK-FM radio station, was suspended yesterday after calling Mexican immigrants "criminaliens," "primitives," "leeches," and exporters of "women with mustaches and VD," among other incendiary comments.

CNN: DNA leads to suspect in 1970s Los Angeles serial killings
A man who Los Angeles police believe raped and murdered dozens of women decades ago was arrested by cold case investigators this month after a computer matched his DNA to evidence from two killings in the 1970s.

Chicago Tribune: Wedding insurance buys peace of mind from this day forward
For years, some venues have required liability insurance for protection in case a guest is injured or causes property damage. General wedding insurance covers other details that are out of your control: vendors going out of business, a tornado on your wedding day, a damaged dress, lost rings, dead flowers, spoiled food or emergency schedule changes, among many other stress-inducing scenarios.

INTERNATIONAL
For the latest international news: http://edition.cnn.com/

CNN: Report: Terror attacks up in Pakistan, Afghanistan
Terror attacks have spiked dramatically in Afghanistan and Pakistan as extremists in both countries strengthen their power and expand operations, according to a State Department report released Thursday.

CNN: Bush-era memos vindicate Abu Ghraib soldiers?
Interrogation tactics such as waterboarding, sleep deprivation and forced nudity did not violate laws against torture when there was no intent to cause severe pain, according to the Bush-era memos on the tactics released by the Obama administration April 16th.

CNN: Confirmed swine flu cases leap
Confirmed cases of swine flu worldwide increased to 257 on Thursday, up significantly from the previous day's total of 147, the World Health Organization reported.

CNN: Report: Saudi girl granted divorce
A court in Saudi Arabia has granted an 8-year-old girl a divorce from her 47-year-old husband, after twice denying the divorce request previously, local media reported Thursday.

NYT: Plea Deal Reached With Agent for Al Qaeda
During the nearly six years that Ali Saleh Kahlah al-Marri spent in isolation in a Navy brig as the last enemy combatant held on United States soil, he denied the government’s charges that he was a sleeper agent for Al Qaeda, his lawyers said. But on Thursday, in a federal courtroom in Peoria, Ill., that denial fell apart when Mr. Marri reached a deal with the government to plead guilty to conspiracy to provide material support to Al Qaeda.

BBC: China database to track children
China is setting up a DNA database to help trace missing children, as the authorities struggle to tackle people trafficking.

Washington Post: In Remote Afghan Province, Mullen Finds Daunting Need
In this impoverished province on the Pakistani border, the U.S. military's most senior officer came face to face with the consequences of nearly eight years of American indifference and neglect in Afghanistan.

Al Jazeera: Kenya women stage 'sex strike'
Women's groups in Kenya have started a week-long "sex strike", in an attempt to press the country's leaders to resolve rifts and work together.

Times of London: British airline wipes Israel off the map
Passengers were shocked to discover that Israel had been wiped off the map by Britain’s BMI airline, which omitted the Jewish state from its digital charts on flights from London to Tel Aviv.

BUSINESS
For the latest business news: www.CNNMoney.com.

CNN: Chrysler files for bankruptcy
Chrysler LLC filed for bankruptcy Thursday. But a deal has been reached to combine the company with Fiat in order to allow Chrysler to stay in business.

CNN: BofA's Lewis: Down, but not out
Bank of America's Ken Lewis may be down, but he's far from out.

CNN: Chill out, Chrysler owners
The word "bankruptcy" in headlines along with the name of the company that made your car – or a car you're thinking about buying – could send your blood pressure soaring.

Bloomberg: U.S. Bank Stress Test Results Delayed as Conclusions Debated
The Federal Reserve is postponing the release of stress tests on the biggest U.S. banks while executives debate preliminary findings with examiners, according to government and industry officials.

Business Week: Help Wanted: Why That Sign's Bad
Surprising statistic: In the midst of the worst recession in a generation or more, with 13 million people unemployed, there are approximately 3 million jobs that employers are actively recruiting for but so far have been unable to fill. That's more job openings than the entire population of Mississippi.

Forbes: Why They Can't Boot Ken
Emboldened by their narrow victory Wednesday, Bank of America shareholder agitators continue to press for the removal of Kenneth D. Lewis as the company's chief.

LA Times: Chrysler's bankruptcy path is uncharted, but GM could follow
President Obama's decision to save Chrysler by pushing it into bankruptcy Thursday puts the major U.S. automaker in risky, uncharted territory and could portend a similar outcome for General Motors Corp. as it races to meet its own government restructuring deadline.

The Economist: Electric evangelist
German audiences are not always easy to warm up, especially when they are composed of conservative businessmen in dark suits. But the laws of cultural physics were repealed in Berlin last June when Shai Agassi addressed the annual conference of the CDU-Wirtschaftsrat, a business association.

In Case You Missed It
To watch the latest interviews and reporting: http://www.cnn.com/video.

CNN: Looking to the future

Republicans launch efforts to revive their image as they debate where the party should head. Jessica Yellin reports.

CNN: Communicator-in-chief
Media analyst Bill McGowan critiques different patterns in President Obama's speech and mannerisms.

CNN: Miss California in ad campaign
Miss California appears in a new ad campaign from a group that opposes same-sex marraige. CNN's Samantha Hayes reports

CNN: Bartender turns wine to water
Bartender Doc Hendley is helping provide clean water to communities worldwide.

The CNN Washington Bureau’s morning speed read of the top stories making news from around the country and the world.

WASHINGTON/POLITICAL
For the latest political news: www.CNNPolitics.com.

CNN: Obama says he doesn't have 'rubber-stamp Senate'
President Obama said Wednesday that he's under no illusions that he'll have a "rubber-stamp Senate" now that Sen. Arlen Specter has switched parties to join the Democrats.

CNN: GOP set to launch rebranding effort
Coming soon to a battleground state near you: a new effort to revive the image of the Republican Party and to counter President Obama's characterization of Republicans as "the party of 'no.'"

CNN: Congress approves $3.44 trillion budget resolution
Congress approved a $3.4 trillion budget for the coming year Wednesday, approving most of President Obama's key spending priorities including increasing in health care, education and alternative energy spending.

CNN: Torture tape delays U.S.-UAE nuclear deal, say U.S. officials
A videotape of a heinous torture session is delaying the ratification of a civil nuclear deal between the United Arab Emirates and the United States, senior U.S. officials familiar with the case said.

CNN: GOP using Specter's own campaign ads against him
After Arlen Specter bolted the GOP Tuesday, Republicans like party chair Michael Steele attacked him as a "leftist" with a history of "left-wing" stands.

Washington Post: Justice Department Backs Plan to Eliminate Cocaine Sentencing Disparity
Justice Department officials yesterday endorsed for the first time a plan that would eliminate vast sentencing disparities between possession of powdered cocaine and rock cocaine, an inequity that civil rights groups say has affected poor and minority defendants disproportionately.

Washington Times: Donors demand refund from Specter
Sen. Arlen Specter's switch to the Democratic Party is prompting his campaign donors large and small to demand their money back, including several Republican senators whose political action committees gave tens of thousands of dollars to the Pennsylvania lawmaker.

WSJ: Obama Aims for Fast Private Sector Exit
President Barack Obama said he wants to get the government out of the private sector as fast as possible - but that as long as his administration is acting as a major shareholder for large sectors of American commerce, from cars to finance, he won't hesitate to shape decisions at those firms.

LA Times: Obama 100-day crystal ball? Don't count on it
It has become more than a cliche: Every new president's first 100 days are a crystal ball foretelling the course of his administration.

Forbes: On 100th Day, Obama Given A Rest On Economy
On the 100th day of his presidency, Barack Obama wanted to have the final say on his progress thus far.

Financial Times: Caterpillar chief hits at ‘buy American’
The Obama administration is likely to need another stimulus package if the US’s industrial sector is to recover, Caterpillar’s chief executive said on Wednesday.

Washington Post: On First Day as Democrat, Specter (Again) Bucks His Party
Sen. Arlen Specter (Pa.) began his first full day as a Democrat since the early 1960s at a party-switching celebration hosted by President Obama and Vice President Biden. He ended it by casting another vote against Obama, opposing his budget as too authoritarian in the rules it establishes for the health-care debate later this year.

Washington Times Exclusive: Steele fights back against RNC 'scheme'
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.

Times of London: Barack Obama invokes Churchill in repudiation of CIA 'torture'
President Obama last night waded back into the bitter controversy over the CIA’s harsh interrogation of terror suspects by declaring clearly that the waterboarding authorised by the Bush Administration was torture.

CS Monitor: Obama channels FDR in prime time press conference
Banks failing and the economy in shambles, the new U.S. president reassured a nationwide audience that his administration was putting America back on the right track.

USA Today: Justice Kennedy questions need for voting rights rule
The Supreme Court justice who could cast the deciding vote on federal oversight of election law in states with a history of discrimination questioned the need for a core provision of the law during vigorous arguments Wednesday.

WSJ: Tough Call Looms for Minnesota Governor
By switching parties and handing Democrats a crack at a filibuster-proof majority, former Republican Sen. Arlen Specter could be putting another Republican - presidential hopeful and Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty - in a political bind.

Washington Post: RNC Move Seen as Bid To Rein In Chairman
A group of Republican National Committee members is circulating a resolution that would limit how much Chairman Michael S. Steele could spend without authorization from other party leaders, a move some Steele backers say is an attempt to limit the authority of the sometimes controversial chairman.

WSJ Op-Ed: Rove: Obama Outsources His Presidency
While officials in the Obama White House dismissed yesterday's "100 Days" anniversary as a "Hallmark Holiday," they understood it was what sociologist Daniel J. Boorstin called a "pseudo-event." By that, Boorstin meant an occasion that is not spontaneous but planned for the purpose of being reported - an event that is important because someone says so, not because it is.

Washington Post: Milbank: Milk the Drama, Obama
There must have been 50 ways to celebrate the 100 days. Hop on the plane, Barack Hussein. Let the words flow, Joe. Go out and be glib, Gibbs. Get yourself on TV. Try some oratory, Harry. No need to be fancy, Nancy. Just do MSNBC, Valerie. The airtime is free.

NATIONAL
For the latest national news: www.CNN.com.

CNN: WHO raises pandemic alert to second-highest level
The World Health Organization on Wednesday raised its pandemic alert to 5, its second-highest level, warning of widespread human infection from the swine flu outbreak that originated in Mexico.

CNN: More than 100 U.S. schools closed because of swine flu
At least 74 schools have closed across the country because of confirmed or probable cases of swine flu and 30 more have closed as a precautionary measure, the Department of Education said Wednesday.

CNN: Lawyer in 2007 TB scare sues CDC
An Atlanta, Georgia, lawyer, whose well-publicized bout with tuberculosis caused an international health scare, is suing the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for invasion of privacy.

NYT: Containing Flu Is Not Feasible, Specialists Say
“Containment is no longer a feasible option,” Dr. Keiji Fukuda, deputy director general of the World Health Organization, announced Monday night in Geneva after a meeting of the agency’s emergency committee on the spreading swine flu virus. “The world should focus on mitigation. We recommend not closing borders or restricting travel.”

LA Times: Scientists see this flu strain as relatively mild
As the World Health Organization raised its infectious disease alert level Wednesday and health officials confirmed the first death linked to swine flu inside U.S. borders, scientists studying the virus are coming to the consensus that this hybrid strain of influenza - at least in its current form - isn't shaping up to be as fatal as the strains that caused some previous pandemics.

Boston Globe: Swine flu cases confirmed in N.E.
With global health authorities declaring that the world stands on the precipice of a pandemic, disease trackers in Massachusetts confirmed yesterday that swine flu had arrived in New England.

CS Monitor: Schwarzenegger tweets about swine flu. So does everyone else.
When two cases of swine flu turned up in northern California Tuesday, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger reached for his BlackBerry.

NH Union Leader: 13-11 vote sends gay-marriage bill to Lynch
A bill legalizing same-sex marriage in New Hampshire passed the Senate yesterday on a historic 13-11 vote.

Washington Post: Tracking How Stimulus Dollars Are Tracked
A vocal cross section of technology experts, academics, good-government groups and federal employees weighed in this week on the future of Recovery.gov, the Obama administration's Web site that officials promise will eventually track every single dollar of the federal stimulus.

WSJ: U.S. Gas Fields Go From Bust to Boom
A massive natural-gas discovery here in northern Louisiana heralds a big shift in the nation's energy landscape. After an era of declining production, the U.S. is now swimming in natural gas.

BBC: Cancer pill 'offers MS benefits'
Courses of a common cancer drug can dramatically reduce the risk of a patient with multiple sclerosis having a relapse or deterioration, work shows.

LA Times: Recession hits immigrant workforce harder than native workforce
Immigrants have been hit harder than native-born Americans by the recession, with larger increases in joblessness among both educated and uneducated workers, according to a study released today.

Chicago-Tribune: Victims of economy: 250,000 more forced into poverty in Chicago area, report says
The economic downturn will push another 250,000 Chicago-area residents into poverty, according to a report released Thursday by the Heartland Alliance Mid-America Institute on Poverty.

Telegraph UK: The wheelchair controlled by the mind
It could allow those whose disabilities prevent them from using a conventional joystick to get around merely by thinking about where they want to go.

Denver Post: Paralyzed teen wins $18 million
A former Weld County high school cheerleading captain who was left a quadriplegic after a rollover accident was awarded $18 million in damages by a U.S. District Court jury in Denver.

USA Today: First-time buyers find deals, help perk up house sales
Kelly Butler just got a bargain. Sure, her new three-bedroom home came with fake barn wood nailed to the bathroom walls, carpet that had to be ripped up, broken closet doors and a need for plumbing and tile work.

WSJ: Oakland Council Backs a Tax on Marijuana
Leaders of this economically hard-hit city are proposing to tax medical marijuana as a way to help close a record budget shortfall.

LA Times: LAPD ties 72-year-old man to two waves of serial killings
The first wave of slayings haunted Los Angeles in the mid-1970s. The killer slipped mostly unseen through the night, preying on older women who lived alone. He raped them and squeezed their necks until they passed out or died. On the 17 who were killed, he placed pillows or blankets over their faces.

NYT Op-Ed: Kristof: Is Rape Serious?
When a woman reports a rape, her body is a crime scene. She is typically asked to undress over a large sheet of white paper to collect hairs or fibers, and then her body is examined with an ultraviolet light, photographed and thoroughly swabbed for the rapist’s DNA.

NYT: Many Derby Owners Silent on Drug Issue
The death of the filly Eight Belles at last year’s Kentucky Derby, along with the revelation that Big Brown had been treated with steroids before his dazzling victory, spurred pledges of reform and accountability for the welfare of the American thoroughbred.

INTERNATIONAL
For the latest international news: http://edition.cnn.com/

CNN: Doctors target meningitis outbreak in Africa
Doctors Without Borders has embarked on a massive vaccination campaign in three African countries to combat an outbreak of meningitis that has killed hundreds of people, the organization said Wednesday.

CNN: Baghdad car bombings over 4 hours kill 48
Six car bombings in four hours killed 48 people and wounded 81 in various Baghdad neighborhoods Wednesday, according to Iraq's Interior Ministry

Bloomberg: Mexico Plans Partial Shutdown to Reduce Spread of Swine Flu
Mexican officials said the federal government will suspend all non-essential services and urged businesses to close to reduce the risk of spreading swine flu.

WSJ: Germany Considers Taking Guantanamo Detainees
Germany's Interior Minister agreed to consider accepting former inmates from Guantanamo Bay - a shift that could help the U.S. shut down the detention center for terrorism suspects - as a Spanish judge said he was opening a criminal probe into inmates' allegations they were tortured by U.S. officials.

LA Times: South Korea's wartime sex slaves: Hoping for closure at the end of their lives
Kang Il-chul rides in the back of a van packed with gossiping old women. The 82-year-old girlishly covers her mouth to whisper a secret.

BBC: India voting 'enters key phase'
Voting is taking place in India in the third of five stages of the country's marathon general election.

Jerusalem Post: PM to tell Obama he accepts 'some form' of Arab peace plan
Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu plans to tell US President Barack Obama that Israel will accept "some form" of the Arab Peace Initiative, The Jerusalem Post has learned.

McClatchy: At former British prison, Somali pirates tell their side
Their exploits have turned the inky-blue waters of the Indian Ocean into a perilous gantlet for ships and an unlikely security challenge for world leaders. But behind the bare brick walls of a desolate former British colonial prison here, five jailed Somali pirates didn't seem very fearsome at all.

BUSINESS
For the latest business news: www.CNNMoney.com.

CNN: Chrysler bankruptcy may be near
Chrysler LLC's struggle to avoid bankruptcy appeared to suffer a blow when talks between lenders and the Treasury Department aimed at cutting the automaker's debt broke down, according to published reports early Thursday.

CNN: Ken Lewis out as BofA chairman
Bank of America chief executive officer Ken Lewis was ousted from his role as chairman of the bank after shareholders approved a proposal to require that the company have an independent chairman.

NYT: Name Hurts Main Unit of A.I.G.
Less than two months after changing its name, the biggest and best-known unit of American International Group is preparing to change its name again, in the latest sign of damage to one of the world’s most famous brands.

WSJ: Chrysler Chapter 11 Is Imminent
Talks between the Treasury Department and lenders aimed at keeping Chrysler LLC out of bankruptcy broke down Wednesday, making it all but certain the car maker will file for Chapter 11 protection Thursday, according to people familiar with the discussions.

Forbes: Asian Stocks Surge On Economic Optimism
Exporters led Asian stocks higher Thursday as a rise in U.S. consumer spending and positive comments from the U.S. central bank suggested the global recession may be easing. Sentiment in Japan was helped by a greater than expected rise in factory output in March, and drug and medical equipment makers continued to rally after the World Health Organization raised its threat alert for swine flu to level five.

Bloomberg: Obama Pushes Chrysler-Fiat Deal as Bankruptcy Is Said to Loom
President Barack Obama said he is hopeful that Chrysler LLC will be able to forge an alliance with Italian carmaker Fiat SpA as the U.S. company prepares for bankruptcy.

Financial Times: Fed expects weakness to persist
The Federal Reserve kept policy unchanged at Wednesday’s policy meeting and noted that the ”economic outlook has improved modestly since the March meeting.”

The CNN Washington Bureau’s morning speed read of the top stories making news from around the country and the world.

FIRST 100 DAYS
National Report Card: First 100 Days
Live CNN.com and on CNN TV | Apr 29 | 7 p.m. ET
100 days after his inauguration, Obama is graded by you and the Best Political Team
http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/2009/44.president/first.100.days/

CNN: Amanpour: Obama's 100 days of foreign affairs
Judging by the hysterical reaction in some quarters, to President Obama's handshake with Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, or his bow to Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah, you would think that America's national security rested solely on body language not sound policy.

CNN: Borger: GOP in search of change of its own
Since we are all obsessed with President Obama's first 100 days, let's get this out of the way: He's shown himself to understand the ways to communicate and lead as president. His aerobic first three months have taken the term "activist agenda" to a whole new level. He stands shoulder-to-shoulder with leaders on the world stage. He reaches out to the opposition, but only so far. He's an "all-in" president - checking off items on his to-do list almost daily. And more than 60 percent of the public actually likes him - although they don't agree with all of his ideas.

CNN: Reviewing Obama: How he's done so far
In his first 100 days in office, President Obama has made it very clear that he's not afraid to tackle the financial and economic mess he inherited.

Chicago Tribune: Obama at 100 days
A new president who came into office following a bitterly contested election, replacing a polarizing predecessor, gets credit for his low-key style, success in changing the tone in Washington and greater-than-expected popularity with the American people. Barack Obama on the eve of his 100th day in office? Yes, but also George W. Bush at the same juncture in 2001.

NYT: Obama’s Stand in Auto Crisis Shows Early Resolve
For a new president, the automobile industry crisis has tested the boundaries of his activist approach and the acuity of his political instincts. As with so many issues in his action-packed 100 days in office, Mr. Obama confronted choices few of his predecessors encountered.

Washington Post: Bruised by Stimulus Battle, Obama Changed His Approach to Washington
During his first 100 days, Obama has moved quickly to strengthen the U.S. economy, refine the American strategy in two foreign wars and reverse Bush-era detention and interrogation policies that have drawn condemnation at home and abroad. But his first weeks in office have also showed a president who, rather than changing Washington, as he pledged during his historic campaign, was being changed by it.

US News & World Report: Obama's 12 Most Important Decisions in His First 100 Days
President Obama has been remarkably busy since he took office in January, making a series of important decisions that have, in some cases, moved the nation in a new direction from the past eight years. Whether the impact will be good or bad, here are the 12 decisions that helped shape Obama's first 100 days and could shape history.

WSJ: Making Sense of a Dizzying Ride
Some people have become a bit cynical about marking a new president's first 100 days, calling the milestone a kind of faux, Hallmark-card moment. Perhaps. But if ever there were 100 days worth marking, it would be those drawing to an end Wednesday.

Bloomberg: Obama Leads by Listening to World Used to Bush One-Way Approach
Barack Obama has used the first 100 days of his presidency to repudiate the go-it-alone tone of George W. Bush’s foreign policy, announcing to friends and foes alike that America will lead the world by listening to it.

Business Week: Obama's First Business Report Card
How does the business community think President Barack Obama is doing? As he hits the 100-day mark, there's little doubt the new President is getting high marks overall for his 24/7 moves to revive the economy. And the favorable sentiment on Obama's job performance reflected in many public polls is also mirrored in the views of many business executives.

Denver Post: Potent voice of change
One hundred days into his administration — forced by events and prodded by his own driving leadership style — Barack Obama has brought change to Washington that is bigger, bolder and far more risky than anything he articulated in his historic campaign.

WASHINGTON/POLITICAL
For the latest political news: www.CNNPolitics.com.

CNN: 'Furious' Obama orders review of NY plane flyover
A "furious" President Obama has ordered a review of the decision to fly a Boeing 747 frighteningly close to the lower Manhattan skyline, White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said Tuesday.

CNN: Longtime GOP Sen. Arlen Specter becomes Democrat
Veteran Pennsylvania Sen. Arlen Specter switched from the Republican to the Democratic Party on Tuesday, saying he has found himself increasingly "at odds with the Republican philosophy."

CNN: Sebelius sworn in as Health and Human Services secretary
Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius was sworn in Tuesday night as secretary of Health and Human Services.

CNN: Limbaugh to Specter: Please take McCain with you
Conservative host Rush Limbaugh said Tuesday he isn't sorry to see Arlen Specter leave the GOP — and that many Republicans wish the Pennsylvania senator would take a few others with him when he goes.

CNN: Steele: Specter 'flipped the bird' at GOP
A heated Michael Steele told CNN Tuesday longtime Republican Sen. Arlen Specter essentially "flipped the bird" at the GOP leadership with his decision to bolt from the party he has been a member of for more than four decades.

CNN: Halliburton, KBR sued for alleged ill effects of 'burn pits'
A series of civil lawsuits against defense contractors KBR and its former parent company Halliburton claims the companies endangered the health of U.S. troops and contractors in Iraq and Afghanistan by unsafely burning massive amounts of garbage on U.S. bases.

CNN: Smithsonian exhibit captures history of Obama inauguration
When you think about the Smithsonian, images come to mind of old documents, artifacts and other materials from years gone by. But an exhibit unveiled Tuesday hopes to put forth a snapshot of recent history in the making.

NYT: Official Defends Signing Interrogation Memos
Judge Jay S. Bybee broke his silence on Tuesday and defended the conclusions of legal memorandums he had signed as a Bush administration lawyer that allowed use of several coercive interrogation practices on suspected terrorists.

LA Times: U.S. training of Pakistan army to grow
The Pakistani government has agreed to allow the U.S. a greater role in training its military, part of an accord that will also send counterinsurgency equipment to help Islamabad step up its offensive against militants.

WSJ: Access to List of Clinton Backers Is Sold
Hillary Clinton dropped out of the presidential election last June, but her campaign committee continued to raise millions of dollars this year by selling access to a valuable asset: Mrs. Clinton's vast list of political supporters.

LA Times: Some Democrats skeptical of Specter's party switch
Sen. Arlen Specter's defection from the Republican Party drew cheers Tuesday from President Obama and other top Democrats. But some key players in the party base viewed the move with suspicion - demanding that if Specter wants to call himself a Democrat, he had better start acting like one.

Financial Times: Boost for Obama as Specter defects
President Barack Obama was presented with a timely 99th-day political windfall on Tuesday when Republican lawmaker Arlen Specter switched parties, giving the administration the prospect of a filibuster-proof 60-seat majority in the US Senate.

McClatchy: With Specter's defection, McConnell's job gets that much harder
For Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, Pennsylvania Sen. Arlen Specter's announcement Tuesday that he is switching to the Democratic Party will mean a likely loss of perhaps the greatest tool in the Kentucky leader's arsenal — the filibuster.

Washington Post: 21 Regional Nonprofits Withdraw From United Way
Twenty-one area nonprofit groups have suspended their memberships in the United Way and joined a fledgling competitor, citing years of frustration with a steady decline in workplace giving in the Washington region and lingering distrust of the local United Way since it was nearly destroyed by scandal earlier this decade.

NATIONAL
For the latest national news: www.CNN.com.

CNN: Regular flu has killed thousands since January
There had been no confirmed deaths in the United States related to swine flu as of Tuesday afternoon. But another virus had killed thousands of people since January and is expected to keep killing hundreds of people every week for the rest of the year.

CNN: Dozens of French citizens injured in fatal California crash
Nearly all the passengers in a tour-bus crash that killed four people Tuesday in central California were French, police said.

CNN: Supreme Court rules against networks on indecent speech
The Supreme Court ruled on Tuesday federal regulators have the authority to clamp down on the broadcast TV networks that air isolated cases of profanity, known as "fleeting expletives."

LA Times: Schwarzenegger, Obama boost efforts against swine flu
As isolated outbreaks of swine flu continue to be confirmed around the world, with new cases reported Tuesday in Canada, Israel, France, New Zealand, Costa Rica and South Korea, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger proclaimed a state of emergency and the White House asked Congress for an additional $1.5 billion to fight the outbreak.

Chicago Tribune: Swine flu: Airlines work to stay ahead of outbreak
U.S. airlines are scrambling to calm jittery passengers and investors and to address growing concerns about the safety of air travel as swine flu spreads outside of Mexico.

NYT: Many Teachers in Advanced Placement Voice Concern at Its Rapid Growth
A survey of more than 1,000 teachers of Advanced Placement courses in American high schools has found that more than half are concerned that the program’s effectiveness is being threatened as districts loosen restrictions on who can take such rigorous courses and as students flock to them to polish their résumés.

USA Today: College recruiters are Twittering, too
College admissions officials, keenly aware that their target audience grows more tech-savvy with every passing year, appear to be getting the hang of social media such as Twitter and Facebook.

Washington Post: Official May Be Fired for Authorizing N.Y. Flyover
White House press secretary Robert Gibbs pointedly refused to rule out a firing in the case of the Air Force One backup's flight that terrified some in New York City on Monday.

Bloomberg: Autistic Kids Have Altered Genes Controlling Brain Development
Autistic children have variations on genes that help neurons route themselves in the brain of a developing fetus, according to a new set of studies that provide evidence how the autistic mind’s structure may go awry.

Denver Post: Libraries do balancing act as mentally ill find refuge
They're gathered outside the library before the doors open — the man in the Winnie the Pooh sweatshirt talking loudly to no one, the guy crouched behind the book drop, his torn backpack overflowing with everything he owns.

WSJ: Origin of Au Pairs Becomes Barometer of Labor Market
Mary Poppins is flying across the Atlantic - again.

NYT: Without Cafeteria Trays, Colleges Cut Water Use, and Calories
John Belushi memorialized them in “Animal House” as he stockpiled edible projectiles for an epic food fight. Generations of college students in the Northeast have deployed them as makeshift sleds. But the once-ubiquitous cafeteria tray, with so many glasses of soda, juice and milk lined up across the top, could soon join the typewriter as a campus relic.

CS Monitor: High-schoolers have made little progress since the 1970s, study says
American 17-year-olds aren't performing any better in reading and math than their bell-bottom-clad counterparts in the early 1970s. That's one conclusion from the latest round of a national test tracking long-term educational trends.

Washington Post: Recession Has Changed Lifestyles, Poll Shows
The recession has forced a majority of Americans to alter their lifestyles, and many are upset about it, according to a Washington Post-ABC News poll. Still, many are optimistic about their financial prospects over the next year.

NYT: As More Apply for Welfare, Concern for Those Denied
Even as the welfare rolls in New York State dropped steadily over the last decade, the number of applications in the state increased by 35 percent from 1999 to 2007, according to a report released on Tuesday by the Federation of Protestant Welfare Agencies.

INTERNATIONAL
For the latest international news: http://edition.cnn.com/

CNN: Three cleared of aiding London bombers
A jury Tuesday acquitted three men of charges that they helped the bombers who carried out the July 7, 2005, attacks on the London transportation system.

CNN: World battles swine flu as death toll rises
Governments and health officials around the world continued to take steps Wednesday against the outbreak of swine flu that has killed scores of people in Mexico and spread to the U.S., Europe and possibly Asia.

WSJ: Virus's Arrival Is Reported on Four Continents
More evidence of the global spread of a deadly flu emerged Tuesday, with new cases reported on four continents and a growing number of people in the U.S. requiring hospital treatment.

Al Jazeera: US 'losing control' in Afghanistan
Richard Armitage, a former US deputy secretary of state, has told Al Jazeera that the conflict in Afghanistan may be "spinning out of control".

Jerusalem Post: Obama congratulates Israel on 61 anniversary of independence
The US bond with Israel is "as unshakable as ever" as both nations pursue peace, US President Barack Obama said on Israel's 61st birthday.

Times of London: Taleban advance is halted by Pakistan's combined air and ground onslaught
Pakistani jets pounded Taleban positions and ground troops moved into the northwestern town of Buner yesterday in an escalation of a military offensive against militants seeking to strengthen their grip in a region close to the country's capital.

BBC: Auschwitz note leads to survivor
Auschwitz survivor Albert Veissid does not know who put his name on a list that remained hidden inside a bottle for more than 60 years.

LA Times: Suit by 5 ex-captives of CIA can proceed, appeals panel rules
Five men who claim to have been kidnapped and tortured at the direction of CIA agents are entitled to their day in court to expose alleged U.S. government abuse of terrorism suspects, a federal appeals panel ruled Tuesday.

BUSINESS
For the latest business news: www.CNNMoney.com.

CNN: Citi seeking OK to award bonuses – report
Citigroup is seeking U.S. government approval to award special bonuses to several of its key employees, the Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday.

CNN: Flu shakes travel industry
The swine flu outbreak has set off alarm bells for the $770 billion U.S. travel industry, which one expert warns could become the "ground zero" of the economic impact from this latest health threat.

NYT: Justice Dept. Opens Antitrust Inquiry Into Google Books Deal
The Justice Department has begun an inquiry into the antitrust implications of Google’s settlement with authors and publishers over its Google Book Search service, two people briefed on the matter said Tuesday.

Forbes: High Noon For Ken
Bank of America Chairman Kenneth Lewis might not hold that title for much longer.

WSJ: Citi Seeks Approval to Pay Out Bonuses
Citigroup Inc., soon to be one-third owned by the U.S. government, is asking the Treasury for permission to pay special bonuses to many key employees, according to people familiar with the matter.

LA Times: U.S. home prices continue to drop in February
There was more bleak housing news as U.S. home prices continued to fall in February, according to a widely followed index released Tuesday.

NYT: Feeling More Secure, Some Banks Want to Be Left Alone
As Washington pushes banks to mend their finances, the banks are pushing back.

Business Week: Patching the Foreclosure Plan
The U.S. Treasury Dept. broadened the Obama Administration's foreclosure-prevention program on Apr. 28 in a bid to resolve a persistent obstacle to cleaning up problem mortgages. But some financial officials say the fledgling program's success still hinges on controversial legislation pending in Congress, which is also expected to take up another contentious bill that would allow bankruptcy judges to reduce the principal owed on a home.

In Case You Missed It
To watch the latest interviews and reporting: http://www.cnn.com/video.

CNN: Top ten faux pas
The Top 10 Obama faux pas in the first 100 days. Jeanne Moos counts down, from head bump to teleprompter trip-ups.

CNN: Obama vs. 'Truth-O-Meter'
President Obama has made some false statements, but no "pants on fire," according to PolitiFact. CNN's Josh Levs reports.

CNN: Specter switch 'political survival'
RNC chairman Michael Steele says Sen. Arlen Specter switched to the Democratic party for "political survival."

The CNN Washington Bureau’s morning speed read of the top stories making news from around the country and the world.

WASHINGTON/POLITICAL For the latest political news: www.CNNPolitics.com.

CNN: White House apologizes for low-flying plane
A White House official apologized Monday after a low-flying Boeing 747 spotted above the Manhattan skyline frightened workers and residents into evacuating buildings.

CNN: Bipartisanship didn't last long in Obama's first 100 days
There's little debate that Democrats who run Congress mark President Obama's 100-day milestone with some significant victories.

CNN: Republicans blast 'special rules' in budget proposal
As the final details of a proposed budget deal were worked out Monday, Republican lawmakers slammed Democrats for including special rules to speed up legislation for health-care reform.

CNN: Fox won't air Obama's prime-time press conference
Fox Broadcasting Company announced Monday it will not carry President Barack Obama's prime time press conference marking his first 100 days in office, the first time a broadcast network has refused an Obama administration request for that valuable airtime.

CNN: Obama more popular than his policies, poll shows
A new national poll suggests that President Obama is personally more popular than his policies.

The Washington Times: Top Dem: Forced to strip flu-fighting funds
A top House Democrat on Monday accused fellow lawmakers of forcing him to strip millions of dollars out of the recovery act he said would have helped prepare to fight the new swine flu outbreak.

NYT: U.S. Plans Attack and Defense in Cyberspace Warfare
When American forces in Iraq wanted to lure members of Al Qaeda into a trap, they hacked into one of the group’s computers and altered information that drove them into American gun sights.

WSJ: Obama Seeks to Reverse Mountaintop-Mining Rule
The Obama administration on Monday sought to reverse a last-minute Bush administration rule that made it easier for companies that mine for coal by shearing off mountaintops to dump waste near rivers and streams.

LA Times: FBI monitored members of O.C. mosques at gyms, alleged informant says
As part of their anti-terrorism efforts, FBI agents monitored popular gyms throughout Orange County to gather intelligence on members of several local mosques, according to a man who claims to have been a key informant in the operation.

Washington Post: Plan to Cut Weapons Programs Disputed
Some of the nation's largest defense contractors, labor unions and trade groups are banding together to argue that the Obama administration is putting 100,000 or more jobs at risk by proposing deep cuts in weapons programs.

McClatchy: 100 days: Obama dumps Bush's world view, but now what?
The "Axis of Evil" is gone. The "global war on terrorism" is no more. "You are either with us or against us" is a thing of the past, replaced by reaching out to global foes and friends alike.

WSJ Op-Ed: Stephens: The Politics of Liberal Amnesia
Nancy Pelosi is "pushing back" against charges that she was aware of - and acquiesced in - the CIA's harsh interrogations of terrorist detainees nearly from the moment the practice began, reports the Politico Web site. Maybe she's suffering from amnesia.

Denver Post: Publishers unleash books about Bo
Who let the "first dog" books out? In first place: Michigan's Sleeping Bear Press, which managed to get "First Dog" on bookstore shelves by mid-April, albeit with a slightly generic pup.

NYT: How ’07 ABC Interview Tilted a Torture Debate
In late 2007, there was the first crack of daylight into the government’s use of waterboarding during interrogations of Al Qaeda detainees. On Dec. 10, John Kiriakou, a former C.I.A. officer who had participated in the capture of the suspected terrorist Abu Zubaydah in Pakistan in 2002, appeared on ABC News to say that while he considered waterboarding a form of torture, the technique worked and yielded results very quickly.

Washington Post: Quiet Prayer in D.C. Churches for Obama's Decision
Ursula Holmes was settled into her usual pew toward the rear of Washington's Nineteenth Street Baptist Church when President-elect Barack Obama saw her. Both he and his wife, Michelle, paused, stooped down and took hold of her hand as they left church after a Sunday service in January.

NYT: Obama Is Nudging Views on Race, a Survey Finds
Barack Obama’s presidency seems to be altering the public perception of race relations in the United States. Two-thirds of Americans now say race relations are generally good, and the percentage of blacks who say so has doubled since last July, according to the latest New York Times/ CBS News poll.

NATIONAL
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CNN: WHO raises pandemic alert level; more swine flu cases feared
The World Health Organization raised its pandemic alert level Monday in response to the outbreak of swine flu that originated in Mexico, as the global count of confirmed cases increased and governments initiated various steps to try to stem the spread.

CNN: Pandemic: What would happen next?
The world hasn't seen a pandemic in 41 years, when the "Hong Kong" flu crossed the globe and killed about one million people worldwide. If swine flu reaches pandemic levels, what would happen next?

CNN: Americans not losing their religion, but changing it often
Ingrid Case was a devoted church-goer as a child, not only attending Sunday school, but also serving as an acolyte at her Episcopalian church in Greeley, Colorado.

CNN: Ship's cook seized by pirates blames employers
A crew member on a U.S.-flagged cargo ship captured by pirates off the coast of Somalia is suing his employers, claiming they sent him into pirate-infested waters without adequate protection, his attorney said Monday.

CNN: FBI: Wanted professor bought plane ticket to Netherlands
A former University of Georgia professor, wanted in the fatal shootings of his wife and two other people over the weekend, purchased a plane ticket to the Netherlands for May 2, authorities said Monday.

Business Week: Swine Flu: Lessons from SARS
Narayanan Viswanathan knows firsthand not to underestimate the economic impact of a potential pandemic such as the swine flu outbreak that has been spreading from Mexico. Viswanathan was in Taiwan as manager of a software development project for carmaker China Motor in spring 2003 when word first spread that an outbreak of a deadly, unknown virus dubbed severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) was striking victims in East Asia.

Newsweek: Should We Panic?
Swine flu is nothing to sneeze at: the H1N1 strain of the virus wreaked serious havoc in Mexico, killing nearly 150 people so far. In the United States, however, only 44 people have been diagnosed as having swine influenza, and the majority of them became ill during travels in Mexico. So officials don't believe the disease is currently spreading from person to person in the United States. That's just one indication that the U.S. may emerge from this scare in better shape than it's southern neighbor.

NYT: On Voting Rights, Test of History v. Progress
Ellen D. Katz is a liberal law professor and a big fan of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, which she calls the most effective civil rights legislation in American history. “It’s sacred,” she said. “It’s holy.”

Washington Post: Preservation Group Lists 11 Sites in Need
The National Trust for Historic Preservation, which today releases its annual list of the most endangered historic places in the United States, is urging the federal government to do more to encourage homeowners and businesses to recycle existing structures rather than build new ones.

WSJ: Jobless Tap Power of Merchandising
Stephanie Aucoin got a job offer the same day she was stopped in an elevator by an executive who noticed her new yellow wristband with "Laid Off Need a Job.com" embossed with black letters.

CS Monitor: Is a bad economy good for the environment?
The phrase “It’s not easy being green” may never seem truer than during this economic slide.

LA Times: FAA urged to do more to bolster California air traffic controller ranks
Though hiring is underway to offset a dramatic loss of air traffic controllers to retirement, the Federal Aviation Administration must concentrate on training new workers and retaining veteran controllers at busy Los Angeles International Airport and two key radar facilities in California that guide planes between airports, a new audit shows.

Washington Post: Key Posts Remain Vacant as Untested Pandemic Response Plan Implemented
As they confront the growing swine flu crisis, President Obama's administration is attempting to implement a never-before-tested pandemic response plan while dozens of key public health and emergency response jobs in the administration remain vacant.

NYT: Assessing the Danger of New Flu
Sorting through the “marquee flus” of recent years — SARS, avian flu and now swine flu — is complicated.

Miami Herald: State introduces Web-based reading aid
The Florida Department of Education unveiled a new reading assessment program Monday intended to use Web-based technology to quickly identify a student's strengths and weaknesses in reading.

INTERNATIONAL
For the latest international news: http://edition.cnn.com/

CNN: Top U.S. military official 'alarmed' over Pakistan
Adm. Michael Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, is "very alarmed by the growing extremist threat in Pakistan and remains frustrated particularly by the political leadership's inability to confront that threat," his spokesman said Monday.

CNN: N. Korea seen as using bargaining chips
North Korea's announcement last week that it has begun reprocessing nuclear fuel rods at the Yongbyon nuclear facility about 60 miles (nearly 100 kilometers) north of the capitol, Pyongyang, raises questions about the secretive nation's agenda.

CNN: Brown: Afghanistan is 'crucible of terror'
British Prime Minister Gordon Brown reiterated the UK's commitment to the war in Afghanistan during a surprise visit to the country and warned that a "crucible of terrorism" existed in the Taliban-dominated border region with Pakistan.

Jerusalem Post: US senator to push 'tough dialogue' law
US Senator Joe Lieberman told The Jerusalem Post Monday that any engagement with Iran must come with "not just carrots but sticks" and that he is introducing legislation to deliver just that.

WSJ: U.S. Lawmakers Weigh Plan to Speed Aid to Pakistan
Senior congressional Democrats are weighing a plan to speed emergency aid to Pakistan, and could force a vote as soon as next week on legislation that would help stabilize the troubled U.S. ally.

Al Jazeera: Venezuelan-Palestinian ties opened
Venezuela and the Palestinian Authority have established diplomatic relations.

BBC: Science cash 'to beat food riots'
Food riots are a real threat in some developing and emerging countries unless funds for agricultural research are increased, says a UK scientist.

WSJ: China Faces a Grad Glut After Boom at Colleges
Zhang Weidong has been making the rounds at this city's weekend talent fair for more than a month now and can't understand why he hasn't landed a job.

CS Monitor: Berliners choose ethics over religion in classrooms
God may be “back,” as a bestseller puts it. But Berlin voters have little faith that the Almighty belongs in their schools.

BUSINESS
For the latest business news: www.CNNMoney.com.

CNN: Too little, too late for GM and Chrysler
With bankruptcy looming at General Motors and Chrysler LLC, both troubled automakers have announced new moves to try and avoid that fate.

CNN: GM goes for broke
General Motors announced plans Monday to cut 23,000 U.S. jobs by 2011, drop its storied Pontiac brand and slash 40% of its dealer network in its latest bid to stay out of bankruptcy.

NYT: G.M.’s Latest Plan Envisions a Much Smaller Automaker
For all the uncertainty swirling around General Motors, the troubled automaker said Monday that one thing was clear: it must become drastically smaller if it hopes to remain a viable company, regardless of whether it has to file for bankruptcy.

WSJ: State Law Targets 'Minimum Pricing'
In a move that could lead to lower prices for consumers across the country, Maryland has passed a law that prohibits manufacturers from requiring retailers to charge minimum prices for their goods.

Miami Herald: South Florida housing recovery hindered by wary lenders
President Barack Obama took aim at the housing crisis during his first 100 days with a broad plan to stabilize the market by trying to prevent foreclosures, pushing down mortgage rates and offering a handsome tax credit to new buyers.

The CNN Washington Bureau’s morning speed read of the top stories making news from around the country and the world.

WASHINGTON/POLITICAL For the latest political news: www.CNNPolitics.com.

CNN: King: Second 100 days will be bigger test for Obama

As introductions go, it has been a fast-paced, fascinating first 100 days: an ambitious domestic agenda aimed at reinvigorating the economy and the government's reach into its workings, and several provocative steps on the world stage that, like at home, signal a clear break from the previous administration.

CNN: Official White House photographer gets inside view

It's early April, and President Obama is on his way to France with the nation's top diplomat at his side. As he and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton converse in a private room aboard Air Force One, a photographer peers through the half-open door and snaps a candid picture of the formerly bitter campaign rivals.

CNN: Senators rip WH for releasing interrogation memos

President Barack Obama's decision to release four Bush-era memos regarding the use of so-called "enhanced interrogation techniques" was heavily criticized Sunday as a couple of prominent senators told CNN's John King that the decision was a potentially dangerous mistake.

CNN: Gibbs issues 100-day grades for administration, press

Reporters are outshining the Obama administration in the first hundred days, at least according to the administration's press liaison.

CNN: Leahy wants to probe 'chain of command' on torture

An independent commission is needed to determine who authorized the use of abusive interrogation techniques against suspected terrorists, a leading advocate of such a panel said Sunday.

NYT: Shortage of Doctors Proves Obstacle to Obama Goals

Obama administration officials, alarmed at doctor shortages, are looking for ways to increase the supply of physicians to meet the needs of an aging population and millions of uninsured people who would gain coverage under legislation championed by the president.

LA Times: Obama has no flu symptoms after Mexico visit

White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs told reporters that President Obama had shown no flu symptoms since returning from Mexico, where he stopped April 16-17 on his way to a regional economic summit.

Washington Post: Advisers Pressed On Memo Fallout

White House officials yesterday confronted more questions about President Obama's position on prosecution of former Bush lawyers who drafted memos legalizing harsh interrogation methods used on terrorism suspects.

NYT: U.S. Plans Informal Meetings With Cuba

Seizing the momentum from recent meetings with Latin American leaders, the Obama administration is quietly pushing forward with efforts to reopen channels of communication with Cuba, according to White House and State Department officials.

WSJ: Next Case: State vs. Federal Power

Four years ago, Eliot Spitzer, then the New York attorney general, asked several national banks to explain why they were disproportionately charging blacks and Hispanics high interest rates.

Chicago Tribune: Obama puts gun-control issue on back burner

In July 2007, when the presidency was still a long-shot proposition, Barack Obama stopped at Vernon Park Church of God in Chicago to deliver a fiery sermon challenging the government, the gun lobby and the public to do more to stop gun violence.

CS Monitor: What's behind Obama's big shift

On the basketball court, Barack Obama likes the old "up and under" move. When he has the ball, he'll fake one way, wait for the guy who's covering him to jump, then duck under him.

The Fresno Bee: Commencement commotion at UC Merced

UC Merced's commencement might have been a modest event with plenty of room for mom, dad and everyone else.

Washington Post: At These Dinners, Candor Is The Entree

Last Tuesday evening, Rahm Emanuel quietly slipped into an eighth-floor office at the Watergate.

WSJ: Panama to Signal Obama's Agenda

President Barack Obama has signaled in recent days a more positive stance toward free trade than he did on the campaign trail, pleasing business groups but courting a backlash among trade-skeptical Democrats in Congress.

Business Week: U.S. High-Speed Train Projects Get a Push

It may be old hat in Europe and Asia to rocket through the landscape on a 200-plus-mile-an-hour train. But in America, all that promoters of high-speed passenger rail service have to show for three decades of effort are dusty feasibility studies stretching from Florida to California.

NYT Op-Ed: Carter: What Happened to the Ban on Assault Weapons?

The evolution in public policy concerning the manufacture, sale and possession of semiautomatic assault weapons like AK-47s, AR-15s and Uzis has been very disturbing. Presidents Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton and I all supported a ban on these formidable firearms, and one was finally passed in 1994. When the 10-year ban was set to expire, many police organizations — including 1,100 police chiefs and sheriffs from around the nation — called on Congress and President George W. Bush to renew and strengthen it. But with a wink from the White House, the gun lobby prevailed and the ban expired.

WSJ: GOP Seeks New Mexico Comeback

Republicans in New Mexico are maneuvering for a political comeback in a campaign that previews the themes the national GOP is likely to hit hard in 2010.

McClatchy: Obama's presidential style is a work in progress

As he entered office, President Barack Obama made a symbolic bow to frugality, putting off the costly redecorating of the Oval Office that his predecessors had done.

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CNN: Swine flu sparks global concern; Mexico epicenter of outbreak

Health officials around the world worked to contain what appears to be a spreading swine flu outbreak early Monday, while one out of every five residents of Mexico's most populous city wore masks to protect themselves against the virus.

CNN: Three wounded in Hampton University shooting

The campus of Hampton University in Hampton, Virginia, was locked down for several hours Sunday morning after a former student shot two people in a dormitory and then shot himself, university and police officials said.

CNN: Manhunt for professor continues, college town mourns 3 dead

Police searched without success Sunday for a University of Georgia professor who allegedly shot and killed his wife and two other people at a community theater group's reunion Saturday, then fled.

LA Times: Swine flu 'debacle' of 1976 is recalled

Warren D. Ward, 48, was in high school when the swine flu threat of 1976 swept the U.S. The Whittier man remembers the episode vividly because a relative died in the 1918 flu pandemic, and the 1976 illness was feared to be a direct descendant of the deadly virus.

Forbes: Flu Fog

The new strain of H1N1 swine flu that has spread from Mexico to other parts of the world, including areas of the United States, represents a real threat to public health, experts say. The headlines so far–about the United States government declaring a public health emergency; new cases emerging in New Zealand, Hong Kong and Spain; and the World Health Organization calling it "a public health emergency of international concern"–are certainly scary. The fact is, though, little so far is known about this influenza virus or its potential to harm.

Washington Post: Poor Neighborhoods, Untested Teachers

Students in the region's poorest neighborhoods are nearly twice as likely to have a new or second-year teacher as those in the wealthiest, a Washington Post analysis has found. The pattern means some of the neediest students attend schools that double as teacher training grounds.

NYT: Marriage Bill Poses a Test of Loyalties: Church vs. State

It was just three days after Gov. David A. Paterson introduced a bill that would allow same-sex couples to marry, and the Rev. Floyd H. Flake had some thoughts for any lawmaker who wanted to change New York’s definition of marriage.

LA Times: California counties cut healthcare to illegal immigrants

Forced to slash their budgets, some California counties are eliminating nonemergency health services for illegal immigrants - a move that officials acknowledge could backfire by shifting the financial burden to emergency rooms.

The Boston Globe: The duct-tape economy

Fixing is apparently the new buying. Cash-strapped consumers are postponing purchases and attempting to make do with their possessions, repairing old clunkers, mending clothes that haven't left the closet in years, and reviving troublesome laptops and broken blenders. The new thirst for thriftiness is providing a windfall to those on the front lines of repair – the cobblers, the tailors, the auto mechanics, and even the Geek Squad at Best Buy.

WSJ: There's No Place Like (Someone Else's) Home

The fragrance of sage-scented candles and sounds of jazz fill the air of a 2,600-square-foot house a block from the beach. Tiger-striped chairs flank tables crafted from exotic woods. Photos of a chubby baby hang on the walls. Whoever occupies 211 Windward Way, they seem to live the good life.

Anchorage Daily News: Bad drivers beware: Twitter peeps have your number

Forget about waving fists and wagging middle fingers, a few Alaska motorists are venting road rage with something more high tech: Twitter.

The Boston Globe: Stresses anew for refugees resettled in Vt.

The complexion of this overwhelmingly white city is undergoing a dramatic change from a continuing surge of refugees, many of whom are now encountering severe stress that officials and volunteers are scrambling to assess and address.

CS Monitor: Voters to decide the fate of faith in Berlin schools

In the United States, teaching religion in public schools is political dynamite. In France, forget it. But in Germany they've done it for decades.

US News & World Report: 10 Secrets to Finding Happiness During the Recession

How can we truly feel happy right now, in this moment when our 401(k)'s and house values are tanking? When our jobs are threatened or already lost? U . S . News posed this question to leading happiness researchers to find out what tools we can employ to stay upbeat in gloomy days.

USA Today: In Iowa, a historic day for gay couples

Shelley Wolfe and Melisa Keeton plan to be at the Polk County Recorder's office before it opens this morning.

INTERNATIONAL

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CNN: Sri Lanka orders end to combat operations

Sri Lanka has ordered an end to combat operations against Tamil Tiger rebels in the country's north, the president's office said Monday.

CNN: Iraqi leader: U.S. raid that killed 2 breached accord

Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki is accusing U.S. troops of violating the security agreement between the two countries after a raid in Wasit province Sunday that left two people dead, Iraqi State TV reported.

CNN: Clinton calls for 'open and fair' Lebanon elections

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton arrived in Lebanon on Sunday to pledge U.S. support for the country and its push for free elections.

CNN: Taliban militants suspend talks

Taliban militants have suspended talks with the provincial government in the midst of fighting in the country’s volatile northwestern region.

CNN: Italian cruise ship thwarts pirate attack

The captain of an Italian cruise ship foiled an attack by pirates off the coast of Somalia on Saturday by ordering his security crew to fire back, Italy's ANSA news agency reported.

Jerusalem Post: 'Without benchmarks, US dialogue with Iran will fail'

Without a clear time frame and set benchmarks, the dialogue US President Barack Obama plans to hold with Iran will fail to stop the Islamic republic from obtaining nuclear weapons, Strategic Affairs Minister Moshe Ya'alon has told The Jerusalem Post.

NYT: Mexican Tourism, Already Hurt by Violence, Bears Blow of a Health Scare

Mexico’s tourism industry was in crisis even before the government announced the presence of a deadly influenza virus a few days ago and began handing out surgical masks by the millions and shuttering virtually all public gathering spots in the capital.

Al Jazeera: Iraq: US raid broke security pact

Nuri al-Maliki, Iraq's prime minister, has denounced a US raid on targets near Baghdad as "a crime", saying that it violated the security pact between the two countries.

Washington Post: Hard Lines on Havana Soften in Miami

Edel Hernández arrived at the airport here last week with a giant duffel bag and a ball cap pulled low over his eyes. Two years earlier he had left Cuba, and he hadn't seen his wife since. "It's been hard," he said, his eyes welling as he tugged on the visor. "Really hard."

LA Times: Swat refugees nurse dreams of peace in Pakistan

The ragtag group of men rises out of a small gorge wedged between a gas station, a mosque and a community center, the sort of place you'd easily miss unless you ventured over a small garbage mound and down a dirt path obscured by trees.

BBC: Rwanda bans BBC local broadcasts

Rwanda has suspended BBC broadcasts in the local language Kinyarwanda because of what it says is bias in BBC reports concerning the 1994 genocide.

BUSINESS

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CNN: Chrysler wins union concessions

The United Auto Workers announced Sunday that it has reached a tentative agreement on concessions in its contract with Chrysler LLC - a key step in final efforts to help the automaker avoid bankruptcy.

CNN: Stock rally: Meet more roadblocks

A stock rally that hit some potholes last week is likely to face more substantial roadblocks in the week ahead.

Bloomberg: Europe, U.S. Stock Futures Drop on Swine Flu; Asia Shares Fall

European and U.S. stock-index futures dropped and Asian shares retreated amid concern an outbreak of swine flu will prolong the global recession. Treasuries and the yen rose.

NYT: Geithner, as Member and Overseer, Forged Ties to Finance Club

Last June, with a financial hurricane gathering force, Treasury Secretary Henry M. Paulson Jr. convened the nation’s economic stewards for a brainstorming session. What emergency powers might the government want at its disposal to confront the crisis? he asked.

Washington Post: Small Businesses Brace for Tax Battle

Gail Johnson doesn't think of herself as wealthy. The former pediatric nurse has spent 20 years building a chain of preschools and after-school programs that accommodate sick children so working parents can keep their jobs.

LA Times: U.S. toxic-asset plan stirs fears

The Obama administration's impending effort to buy about $1 trillion in toxic assets in partnership with private investors - aimed at solving the most intractable part of the credit crisis - is now generating widespread fear that it is vulnerable to manipulation and carries sharp risks for taxpayers.

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CNN: Paging Dr. Gupta: Swine flu

CNN's Dr. Sanjay Gupta dispels myths and answers questions about the danger of swine flu.

CNN: Interrogation memos debate

Sens. Feinstein, Graham and Lieberman weigh in on the controversy over the release of CIA interrogation memos.

CNN: Bipartisanship not 'dead'

Top Obama advisor Valerie Jarrett insists to CNN's John King that bipartisanship isn't dead in Washington.

CNN: Bull loose in supermarket

A bull that escaped from a cattle market runs loose through an Irish supermarket.

The CNN Washington Bureau’s morning speed read of the top stories making news from around the country and the world.

WASHINGTON/POLITICAL For the latest political news: www.CNNPolitics.com.

CNN: Obama's approval rating high, but will it last?
Nearly two out of three Americans approve of the job Barack Obama is doing as president, according to an average of the most recent national polls.

CNN: Defense Department to release abuse photos, ACLU says
The Defense Department will release "a substantial number" of photographs showing abuse of prisoners at prisons in Iraq and Afghanistan, according to the American Civil Liberties Union.

CNN: Holder buffeted by demands for memos, prosecutions
Attorney General Eric Holder was decidedly non-committal Thursday as he was buffeted on Capitol Hill by alternating demands to release — or not — more secret torture-related documents, and to prosecute — or not– Bush administration officials who wrote and approved those documents.

CNN: Senior McCain aide: The GOP is a 'shrinking entity'
John McCain’s general election campaign began as “the strategic equivalent of throwing a football through a tire at 50 yards” – and was doomed weeks before Election Day, his former chief strategist said Thursday.

CNN: The politics of 'torture' heating up in Washington
Who knew what, and when?

NYT: Ethics Panel Is Asked to Look Into Kennedy Leaks
The state’s top ethics panel is reviewing a request from three government watchdog groups to investigate the Paterson administration’s leaks of confidential information provided by Caroline Kennedy when she was seeking appointment to the United States Senate.

Washington Post: In Obama's Inner Circle, Debate Over Memos' Release Was Intense
As President Obama met with top advisers on the evening of April 15, he faced one of the sharpest policy divides of his young administration.

LA Times: U.S. plans to accept several Chinese Muslims from Guantanamo
The Obama administration is preparing to admit into the United States as many as seven Chinese Muslims who have been imprisoned at Guantanamo Bay in the first release of any of the detainees into this country, according to current and former U.S. officials.

The Economist: A new start in the Americas
Anti-Americanism was invented in Latin America as the expanding United States first swallowed a chunk of Mexico and then turned the Caribbean into an American lake, arousing nationalist resentment along the way. There have since been other, more co-operative strands in inter-American relations. But George Bush reminded many Latin Americans that what they like least about their northern neighbours is an attitude of overbearing arrogance. He thus offered an easy target for those, such as Venezuela’s Hugo Chávez, who like to blame their countries’ problems on a foreign scapegoat.

Chicago Tribune: Barack Obama's barbershop may make cut on Style Network's 'Split Ends'
It's only a barbershop. But the Hyde Park Hair Salon is also the spot where Barack Obama used to get his hair cut, and because of that, it's been catapulted to fame.

US News & World Report: 10 Most Important Obama Faith Moments
From expanding the White House's faith-based office to opening his rallies with prayer, Barack Obama has embraced faith in a more visible way than any other president in recent memory. At the same time, Obama's actions on a variety of fronts, from abortion policy to accepting a speaking invitation at Notre Dame—a prestigious Roman Catholic university—have outraged religious conservatives. The confluence of these two phenomena have made for an explosion of "faith moments" in the first 100 days of Obama's presidency. Here are the 10 most important.

NYT: Gonzales Intervened on Lawmaker, Ex-Officials Say
The director of the Central Intelligence Agency concluded in late 2005 that a conversation picked up on a government wiretap was serious enough to require notifying Congressional leaders that Representative Jane Harman, Democrat of California, could become enmeshed in an investigation into Israeli influence in Washington, former government officials said Thursday.

Roll Call: April Madness: Can GOP Win Back the House in 2010?
Cheerleading has its place, including on a high school or college basketball court. But not when it comes to political analysis.

The Weekly Standard: Oh, The Changes We'll See
Barack Obama is unhappy with much that preceded his occupation of the White House, and not only his predecessors conduct of foreign policy, for which he is a serial apologizer. Pre-Obama domestic policy also displeases him: any prosperity the nation enjoyed, he says, was built on a foundation of sand. That won't happen again: the trillions of debt he is loading on the nation's books will enable us to erect our post-recession house on solid rock, he says. Our world will never be the same again.

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CNN: South Carolina blaze rages in Myrtle Beach area
South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford declared a state of emergency Thursday for a coastal county where a wildfire has consumed thousands of acres and destroyed dozens of homes.

CNN: FBI investigating finances of man accused of killing family, self
The FBI has begun interviewing clients of deceased Garden City, New York, lawyer William Parente as part of an investigation into his financial dealings, according to FBI spokesman James Margolin.

CNN: Dane Cook: Half brother in jail after 'terrible betrayal'
Comedian Dane Cook took a somber tone and described a sense of "terrible betrayal" in discussing the recent arrest of his half brother, who is accused of embezzling millions from him.

CNN: Quadriplegic child found dead in storage facility
Michigan authorities are investigating whether foul play led to the death of a 9-year-old quadriplegic girl whose body was found inside a public storage facility.

NYT: To Save Money, States Turn to Furloughs
Licenses for same-sex marriages were supposed be issued in Iowa starting this Friday. But because of a crimped state budget, court employees will be on mandatory furlough that day and the courts will be closed. Gay couples cannot start filing for their licenses until Monday.

Washington Post: Auto Retirees Brace for Hardship
As the Obama administration prepares to send Chrysler into bankruptcy court, with General Motors possibly to follow, one of the biggest losers may be the automakers' current and future retirees, a group of nearly 1 million people who could see their pensions and health-care funds slashed by tens of billions of dollars.

WSJ: Rising Costs Kick Price of Trusty Tin Can
The global recession is easing many costs for food and consumer-goods companies. Yet one simple but crucial product is soaring in price: the tin can.

Washington Post Op-Ed: Getting Real on Wind and Solar
Why are we ignoring things we know? We know that the sun doesn't always shine and that the wind doesn't always blow. That means that solar cells and wind energy systems don't always provide electric power. Nevertheless, solar and wind energy seem to have captured the public's support as potentially being the primary or total answer to our electric power needs.

Chicago Tribune: Softball death: Chicago boy, 14, falls on ball and dies an hour later
Maurice Davenport loved sports. He organized pick-up games in his neighborhood and even promised his great-aunt he would take care of her by becoming an NFL player.

WSJ: Cuban-Americans Ponder What U.S. Should Do Next
With the gradual passing of the generation of Cubans who fled their country after former President Fidel Castro seized power, a near consensus is emerging here for the U.S. to ease its harsh policies toward the island, just 90 miles away.

LA Times: Secrecy of civil suit against Sharon Stone raises questions
After "Basic Instinct," what could Sharon Stone possibly have to hide? The details of a lawsuit filed against her by a former attorney, it seems.

Denver Post: Women making strides in 'green' companies
Women are making great strides in green jobs. They are shaping climate-change policies, nurturing fledgling clean-energy companies and putting up wind-power projects to serve communities.

NYT: Plight of Carmakers Could Upset All Pension Plans
Decisions that the government will make soon on the future of General Motors and Chrysler could accelerate the decline of traditional pension plans, which have sheltered generations of workers from an impoverished old age.

USA Today: Digital IDs make clearing customs easier
For the first time, U.S. travelers flying overseas may avoid customs lines at a foreign airport by swiping a digital ID card.

SF Chronicle: Black officers' group to review BART police
The BART Board of Directors selected an organization Thursday to conduct a comprehensive review of the transit agency's police force.

Seattle Times: Veterans hope to rebuild their lives through Conservation Corps
At a subdivision in Southeast King County, nine people wield shovels, picks and machetes to hack down blackberry thickets that have overgrown a tiny wetland.

INTERNATIONAL
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CNN: Report: Reporters to be tried in N. Korea
North Korea has concluded an investigation of two detained American journalists, and they will stand trial, according to the nation's state-run news service, KCNA.

CNN: Thailand lifts state of emergency
The Thai government ended a nearly 2-week-old state of emergency Friday, following last week's widespread and sometimes violent political unrest.

CNN: ANC celebrate ahead of S. Africa vote tally
Votes were still being counted Thursday evening in South Africa's parliamentary elections, but the ruling African National Congress was already celebrating what party officials predicted will be a crushing victory.

CNN: Pakistan sends troops to area grabbed by Taliban
Pakistani authorities on Thursday deployed paramilitary troops to a district, only 96 kilometers (60 miles) from the capital, where Taliban militants appeared to be consolidating control after this week's landgrab.

NYT: Yemen Dispute Slows Closing of Guantánamo
The Obama administration’s effort to return the largest group of Guantánamo Bay detainees to Yemen, their home country, has stalled, creating a major new hurdle for the president’s plan to close the prison camp in Cuba by next January, American and Yemeni officials say.

Boston Globe: US fears Taliban gains in Pakistan
Top US officials are increasingly concerned about Pakistan's ability to confront the Taliban, who appear emboldened by the government's decision to cede a large part of its territory to the armed Islamic militants.

Telegraph UK: Budget 2009: Britain's debt will not be under control until 2032
“Debt freedom day”, when the national debt returns to sustainable levels, will not be reached until 2032 – another 23 years away, the respected Institute for Fiscal Studies said.

BUSINESS
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CNN: Time running out on Chrysler
Chrysler LLC faces the most difficult, and important, week in its 84-year history as the automaker tries to close three difficult deals in order to avoid bankruptcy.

CNN: Stocks stage late advance
Stocks staged a late-session rally at the end of a turbulent day, influenced by a weak housing market report, a mix of corporate results and the latest for the automakers.

WSJ: Morgan Stanley Eyes Big Trading Change
Morgan Stanley is considering changes to its biggest proprietary-trading desk, including spinning it out into a hedge fund or opening up the unit to outside investors, according to people familiar with the discussions.

Bloomberg: Bank of America’s Lewis May Face SEC Probe of Merrill Testimony
Bank of America Corp. Chief Executive Officer Kenneth D. Lewis may face scrutiny by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission for failing to disclose mounting losses at Merrill Lynch & Co. because of pressure from federal regulators to complete the takeover.

Financial Times: Microsoft growth hits buffers after 34 years
Microsoft’s revenues fell for the first time in its 34-year history in the opening months of this year, bringing an end to one of the most dramatic uninterrupted growth stories in modern business, according to figures released on Thursday.

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CNN: Beyonce tells all
Larry talks with Beyonce Knowles about Pres. Obama, her new tour, and her new movie unlike anything she's ever done.

CNN: Entire town banned from hotel
CNN's Kristie Lu Stout talks with hotel owner Steve Donnelly about his decision to ban an entire town from checking in.

CNN: FBI-Muslim relations
The FBI and some Muslim groups are at odds after some agents may have infiltrated mosques. CNN's Jeanne Meserve reports.

CNN: Restaurateur branching out
A Chicago restaurant owner is expanding despite a struggling economy. CNN's Ali Velshi reports.

CNN: 12-year-old star speaks to Larry
Hot on the heels of Susan Boyle, 12-year-old Shaheen Jafargholi took "Britain's Got Talent" by storm.

The CNN Washington Bureau’s morning speed read of the top stories making news from around the country and the world.

WASHINGTON/POLITICAL For the latest political news: www.CNNPolitics.com.

CNN: Pelosi now says she was told Harman was picked up on wiretap
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Wednesday she had been informed that Rep. Jane Harman had been picked up on a wiretap — after Tuesday telling reporters she didn't know.

CNN: Obama misreads Cuban offer, Fidel Castro says
President Obama misinterpreted Cuban President Raúl Castro's offer to start talks with the United States, Castro's brother Fidel said Wednesday, appearing to dismiss the U.S. leader's call for Cuba to release political prisoners.

CNN: FEMA to remain within DHS, nominee says
The man tapped to head the Federal Emergency Management Agency says the agency will remain under the Department of Homeland Security. But it was not immediately clear if nominee Craig Fugate was representing only his personal opinion or administration policy.

CNN: Obama announces plan to lease federal waters for clean energy
President Obama marked Earth Day Wednesday by announcing a new initiative to lease federal waters for the purpose of generating electricity from wind and ocean currents.

NYT: U.S. May Fill Afghan Civilian Posts With Military Personnel
The Obama administration is finding that it must turn to military personnel to fill hundreds of posts in Afghanistan that had been intended for civilian experts, senior officials said Wednesday.

Washington Post: Probe Into Auto Adviser's Firm Expands
Government officials are expanding their investigation of Quadrangle, the private-equity firm founded by the Obama administration's lead auto negotiator, as new details emerge about an alleged kickback scheme involving the New York state pension fund.

WSJ: Banks Get New Offer for Debt in Chrysler
The U.S. Treasury, in an escalating back-and-forth that may determine whether Chrysler LLC avoids liquidation, has quickly responded to Chrysler lenders that rejected an earlier Treasury bid to slash the car maker's debt.

Washington Post: Obama's Cyber Czar Offers Few Details on Govt. Strategy
Those who were hoping to hear details today about how the Obama administration plans to revamp the government's approach to cyber security threats may have to wait a little while longer.

Dallas Morning News Op-Ed: Leubsdorf: What 100-day assessments can't say
Why wait the whole 100 days? Barack Obama had barely taken office when cable channels began touting their coverage of "Obama's first 100 days." It was just 89 days into his term when the Los Angeles Times began its three-part assessment of those 100 days.

Bloomberg: New Mexico Governor Raised $197,300 From Brokers
New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson’s campaigns and political action committees received at least $102,300 from brokers hired by money managers seeking to handle $11.7 billion of state trust funds, campaign finance records show.

Financial Times: Obama pressed to back torture investigation
President Barack Obama on Wednesday came under increased pressure to back an investigation into use of torture by the US, after a Senate report accused the military of systematic abuse of detainees under George W. Bush’s administration.

Chicago Tribune: Campaign finance: Money's influence not easily curbed
Here's one more irony from the downward spiral of Rod Blagojevich: The former governor, brought down by an insatiable hunger for campaign cash, could have played by tight fundraising rules and still had plenty left over to clobber rivals.

WSJ Op-Ed: Rove: The President's Apology Tour
President Barack Obama has finished the second leg of his international confession tour. In less than 100 days, he has apologized on three continents for what he views as the sins of America and his predecessors.

WSJ Op-Ed: Rep. Hoekstra: Congress Knew About the Interrogations
Director of National Intelligence Dennis Blair got it right last week when he noted how easy it is to condemn the enhanced interrogation program "on a bright sunny day in April 2009." Reactions to this former CIA program, which was used against senior al Qaeda suspects in 2002 and 2003, are demonstrating how little President Barack Obama and some Democratic members of Congress understand the dire threats to our nation.

NATIONAL
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CNN: Army: 3 vials of virus samples missing from Maryland facility
Missing vials of a potentially dangerous virus have prompted an Army investigation into the disappearance from a lab in Maryland.

CNN: Scrutiny in horse deaths falls on vitamins
The captain of a polo team at the center of the mysterious deaths of 21 horses told an Argentine newspaper that he has "no doubts" vitamins administered to the animals by a laboratory are at fault.

CNN: Transgender murder, hate crime conviction a first
A Colorado man was convicted of first-degree murder and a bias-motivated crime and sentenced to life in prison for killing a transgender teen he met on an online social networking site.

NYT: Justices Explore Role Race May Play in Employment
The Supreme Court tried on Wednesday to identify the lines employers may not cross in taking account of race in hiring and promotion.

LA Times: Tennessee financial advisor is indicted in TARP-related Ponzi scheme
In the first criminal case related to the banking bailout, a Tennessee financial advisor was accused Wednesday of operating a multimillion-dollar Ponzi scheme that lured investors, in part, by promising that their investments would go into debt backed by the federal government's $750-billion rescue program.

WSJ: Demand for Charter Schools Is High, Seats Are Few
The waiting lists for charter schools, already notoriously long, look like they are about to get longer.

USA Today: Fewer people relocate for better opportunities
The housing crisis has dramatically eroded Americans' ability to move, driving the custom of relocating for better opportunities to its lowest level since the Census Bureau began tracking it in 1948, data released Wednesday show.

NYT: Study Cites Dire Economic Impact of Poor Schools
The lagging performance of American schoolchildren, particularly among poor and minority students, has had a negative economic impact on the country that exceeds that of the current recession, according to a report released on Wednesday.

The Guardian UK: Human cloning claims condemned by leading scientists
A maverick fertility expert who claims to be able to clone human beings has been condemned by other scientists for unethical practices that would be likely to lead to a damaged baby if they succeeded at all.

WSJ: Bidding Wars Are Emerging on Foreclosures
Falling home prices are starting to ignite bidding wars in a few parts of the U.S. as first-time buyers compete with investors for the same foreclosed properties.

Boston Globe: Heyday gone, granite artisans in N.H. carve a out new niche
They call it "The Granite Town," and it is, in some ways, the figurative capital of the Granite State. Once it boasted 15 quarries, which produced blocks that adorned buildings in Boston and across New England.

WSJ: Texas Moves to Foster Solar Power
The Texas state legislature is expected to soon approve one of the largest subsidy programs for solar-power in the U.S.

CS Monitor: New York considers landmark environmental code
The Big Apple wants its skyscrapers to turn greener. That’s greener in terms of the environment, not in terms of money.

INTERNATIONAL
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CNN: Abu Ghraib head finds vindication in newly released memos
She said she was a scapegoat. She said she was just following orders. She said she was demoted unfairly.

CNN: IMF: World economy won't recover until 2010
World economy - better luck next year.

CNN: Clinton: Pakistan in danger
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton warned that Pakistan is in danger of falling into terrorist hands because of failed government policies and called on Pakistani citizens and expatriates to voice more concern.

Jerusalem Post: Israel to urge China to pressure Iran
China's oil and natural gas imports from Iran could be jeopardized in the future if pressure does not increase on the Islamic republic to cease its nuclear program and a military confrontation ensues, Israeli officials will tell China's foreign minister, The Jerusalem Post has learned.

LA Times: In Iraq, a story of rape, shame and 'honor killing'
Sometimes, it's the forbidden stories, the ones people are afraid to tell in full, the ones that emerge only in fragments, that reveal the truth about a place.

Times of London: Red all over: Chancellor reads last rites over New Labour
Alistair Darling read the last rites over new Labour yesterday by saddling Britain’s highest earners with a new 50 per cent tax rate as he struggled to dent a £1.4 trillion mountain of debt.

BBC: Bolivia leader backs plot probe
Bolivian President Evo Morales has told the BBC he would be happy for there to be an international investigation into an alleged plot to assassinate him.

Business Week: Why Iran Is Hungry for More U.S. Business
Nestled in rocky hills about 40 minutes from Tehran, Pardis Technology Park is supposed to be Iran's answer to Silicon Valley. But these days, Pardis is deserted and forlorn, with many buildings standing unfinished, their exposed girders rusting. Foreign companies are reluctant to invest in the Islamic Republic, and domestic outfits are cash-strapped.

BUSINESS
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CNN: Obama in credit card face-off
Ramping up his campaign to crack down on credit cards, President Obama will meet Thursday with executives of 14 leading companies to press his case for new consumer protections.

CNN: What's next for banks? Nobody knows
Are banks in better shape now than they were before the government started injecting gobs of capital into them?

Newsweek: Main Street Money
The funny thing is, Chuck Welter never wanted to be a banker in the first place. He had been there, done that, and boy, was it dull. When Welter started as a trainee at the Indiana National Bank, banking was so heavily regulated it became known as the 3-6-3 club, he recalls: "You paid 3 percent on savings, you charged 6 percent for loans and you were on the tee at 3 o'clock." This was the early '70s. After a year drowsing over his work, Chuck found an "honorable" escape, heading to Notre Dame for an M.B.A. He soon landed himself a prized job in sales at the giant Eli Lilly pharmaceutical plant—which in Indiana back then was the equivalent of going to work for Microsoft two decades later if you grew up in Silicon Valley. Chuck was quite happy—until his father, Bill, called up one day in 1973 and told him he wanted to buy up the old community bank, First National, in the little town of Valparaiso. Would Chuck come in with him?

SF Chronicle: Mortgage defaults hit record in state, Bay Area
In an ominous sign that foreclosures may soon surge, the number of mortgage default notices in California and the Bay Area rose to record levels in the first quarter of 2009, according to a report from a real estate information service.

The CNN Washington Bureau’s morning speed read of the top stories making news from around the country and the world.

WASHINGTON/POLITICAL For the latest political news: www.CNNPolitics.com.

CNN: Memo: Obama's Intel Director said interrogations yielded "high value" Info
In a previously undisclosed private memo, President Obama's intelligence director told colleagues that enhanced interrogation techniques used by the Bush administration yielded important information that helped America deal with the threat of terrorism.

CNN: Back to where it began: Obama revisits Iowa
Barack Obama heads to Iowa Wednesday, his first visit as president to the state that gave him his first victory in a long battle for the White House.

CNN: Harman: Alleged wiretap an 'abuse of power'
A key Democrat who reportedly was overheard on a National Security Agency wiretap discussing a deal with a suspected Israeli agent has called the wiretap an "abuse of power."

CNN: Borger: A little outrage, please, Mr. President
Inside the White House, the expectation was that the president's Latin American excursion would not be as much of a home run as his European economic summit. After all, he's less popular in that part of the world.

CNN: U.S. Senate confirms Hill as top envoy to Iraq
The U.S. Senate confirmed veteran diplomat Christopher Hill as U.S. ambassador to Iraq on Tuesday, voting 73-23 to put Hill in charge of the largest U.S. embassy in the world.

CNN: Shirtless Obama to appear on magazine cover
It's not every day a President of the United States lands shirtless on a magazine cover.

WSJ: New Military Command to Focus on Cybersecurity
The Obama administration plans to create a new military command to coordinate the defense of Pentagon computer networks and improve U.S. offensive capabilities in cyberwarfare, according to current and former officials familiar with the plans.

NYT: In Adopting Harsh Tactics, No Inquiry Into Their Past Use
The program began with Central Intelligence Agency leaders in the grip of an alluring idea: They could get tough in terrorist interrogations without risking legal trouble by adopting a set of methods used on Americans during military training. How could that be torture?

Washington Post: Geithner Hints at High Bar In Letting Banks Repay Aid
Treasury Secretary Timothy F. Geithner said yesterday that the "ultimate test" for determining which banks can repay government bailout money is whether the entire financial system is capable of offering enough credit to revive the economy.

CNN: Senior White House aide leaving for new post
The first 100 days are not even up yet, but President Obama is already losing a top White House aide.

Bloomberg: Pelosi Wall Street Probe Follows Pecora After Crash
Wall Street may be heading for the deepest investigation of its practices since a congressional panel’s probe of abuses following the 1929 stock market crash.

Chicago Tribune: U.S. to clear way for offshore wind farms
The Interior Department has finalized sweeping rules that clear the way for the first offshore wind turbines to be erected along the Atlantic Coast, the most aggressive move yet from an administration that hopes to shift the nation's offshore energy goals from oil to wind power.

WSJ Op-Ed: Rabinowitz: Obama Blames America
The president of the United States has completed another outing abroad in his now standard form: as the un-Bush. At one stop after another - the latest in Latin America, where Hugo Chávez expressed wishes to be his friend - Barack Obama fulfilled his campaign vows to show the nations of the world that a new American leadership stood ready to atone for the transgressions of the old.

Washington Post Op-Ed: Kissinger: Obama's Foreign Policy Challenge
The vast diplomatic agenda that the Obama administration has adopted will test its ability to harmonize national priorities such as relations with Iran and North Korea with global and multilateral concerns. President Obama has come into office at a moment of unique opportunity. The economic crisis absorbs the energies of all the major powers; whatever their differences, all need a respite from international confrontation. Overriding challenges such as energy, the environment and proliferation concern them to a considerable degree and in an increasingly parallel way. The possibility of comprehensive solutions is unprecedented.

CNN: Hackers stole data on Pentagon's newest fighter jet
Thousands of confidential files on the U.S. military's most technologically advanced fighter aircraft have been compromised by unknown computer hackers over the past two years, according to senior defense officials.

NATIONAL
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CNN: Bush-era interrogation may have worked, Obama official says
The Bush-era interrogation techniques that many view as torture may have yielded important information about terrorists, President Obama's national intelligence director said in an internal memo.

CNN: Med student held without bail in possible Craigslist killing
A 22-year-old medical student suspected of killing a woman he may have met through a Craigslist online ad was arraigned Tuesday and will be held without bail.

CNN: New EPA chief says agency 'back on the job'
In a hallway lined with portraits of her predecessors, Lisa Jackson is reminded daily of her unique status - as the first African-American to head up the Environmental Protection Agency.

CNN: Suspect in ship hijacking charged with piracy
A Somali suspect in the hijacking of the U.S.-flagged Maersk Alabama has been charged with piracy, a count that carries a minimum life sentence.

CNN: Dad who killed family, self was $460K in debt, sheriff says
A man who shot his wife and three children to death before committing suicide in Middletown, Maryland, last weekend had about $460,000 in mortgage and credit card debt, the local sheriff said Tuesday.

LA Times: College Board steps into the immigration debate
The College Board is supporting legislation that would offer some undocumented youths a path to citizenship through college or the military.

USA Today: Former U.S. officers to train Mexican police in cartel fight
The U.S. and Mexico are drawing up plans to dispatch up to 300 former U.S. law enforcement officials to Mexico later this year to train thousands of Mexican police investigators in their escalating fight against drug cartels, federal officials said.

NYT: Large Urban-Suburban Gap Seen in Graduation Rates
It is no surprise that more students drop out of high school in big cities than elsewhere. Now, however, a nationwide study shows the magnitude of the gap: the average high school graduation rate in the nation’s 50 largest cities was 53 percent, compared with 71 percent in the suburbs.

Providence Journal: A call to end human trafficking
A diverse crowd of 275 to 300 protesters crammed the State House rotunda Tuesday evening to demand that lawmakers enact legislation to combat sex-trafficking in Rhode Island.

Washington Post: Washington Hotels Hold Their Own as Industry Lags
The hotel industry expects another difficult year as loans come due and occupancy rates drop, but the Washington area is expected to bear up somewhat better than other parts of the country.

Times of London: 'Cancer risk of nicotine gum and lozenges higher than thought'
Nicotine chewing gum, lozenges and inhalers designed to help people to give up smoking may have the potential to cause cancer, research has suggested.

NYT: Rare F.D.A. Meeting to Discuss Complaints on Device Approval
An unusual internal meeting scheduled for Wednesday at the Food and Drug Administration may signal how agency officials intend to handle the many controversies swirling around its embattled device division.

Denver Post: More families abandoning their pets in hard times
Behind boarded doors of foreclosed homes, in Dumpsters and in parking lots are an unprecedented number of abandoned dogs and cats. Their owners, desperate and broke, have left the animals to die without food or water. Real estate agents and landlords are finding the once-beloved family pets in vacated houses all over Metro Detroit.

LA Times: A $100-million bet on making fuel from trash
Arnold Klann has a green dream. It began 16 years ago in a sprawling laboratory in Anaheim. This year, he hopes, it will culminate at a Lancaster garbage dump.

Boston Globe: Accepting rejection
They have managed to get into one of the world's most selective colleges. Opportunity is knocking at their door.

Chicago Tribune: Sex ed: Abstinence-only programs under review
The birds and the bees may be universal, but what Illinois schoolchildren learn about their sexuality is not. And it's again up for debate.

CS Monitor: Top court clips police authority to search cars
Ending a decades-long trend favoring law enforcement, the US Supreme Court has moved to restrict the ability of police to conduct open-ended searches of automobiles during traffic stops.

Denver Post: Digging at mystery of methane in wells
Jesse Ellsworth thought something was wrong with his water when it began to smell funny and popped out of his faucet in bursts. Then, in February, the Fort Lupton resident launched an experiment: He flipped on the kitchen tap and touched a cigarette lighter to the stream. As flint sparked steel, the water lit on fire like a torch.

INTERNATIONAL
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CNN: Hijacked train released in India
Suspected Maoist rebels who hijacked a train with 300 passengers onboard in eastern India ended their siege after a four-hour standoff Wednesday.

CNN: Voting begins in South African elections
South Africans headed to the polls Wednesday, in elections that the ruling African National Congress is expected to win in a landslide.

CNN: Fears grow for Sri Lankans' safety
Tens of thousands of Sri Lankan civilians fill a tiny strip of coastal land controlled by Tamil Tiger rebels, according to satellite imagery released Tuesday by the U.S. State Department.

CNN: Obama invites Mideast leaders for talks on 'comprehensive peace'
President Obama is launching an effort "to achieve a comprehensive peace in the Middle East," his spokesman said Tuesday.

Washington Post: Israel Puts Iran Issue Ahead of Palestinians
The new Israeli government will not move ahead on the core issues of peace talks with the Palestinians until it sees progress in U.S. efforts to stop Iran's suspected pursuit of a nuclear weapon and limit Tehran's rising influence in the region, according to top government officials familiar with Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu's developing policy on the issue.

LA Times: South Korea's 'seal men' suffer in downturn
Kim Young-bae spends his days with his nose inches from the pavement. The only things lower are the cigarette butts and the sewer grates.

BBC: Chavez rival seeks asylum in Peru
One of Venezuela's main opposition leaders, facing a corruption trial in his country, has asked for political asylum in Peru.

NYT: I.M.F. Puts Bank Losses From Global Financial Crisis at $4.1 Trillion
As finance ministers gather here this weekend for meetings of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank, they will focus on two eye-popping numbers: $4.1 trillion, the fund’s latest projected losses from the global economic crisis, and $1.1 trillion to help fix it.

BUSINESS
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CNN: Citi shareholders fume at annual meeting
Investor outrage boiled over during Citigroup's annual shareholder meeting Tuesday, as shareholders picked apart company management for what they viewed as a litany of failures over the past year.

CNN: Las Vegas tops foreclosure list
The 26 cities with the highest foreclosure rate in the nation are all located in 4 hard-hit states, with Las Vegas topping the list, according to a report released Wednesday.

CNN: Stocks recharge the advance
Stocks gained Tuesday, rebounding after the previous session's rally as worries about corporate results were countered by renewed hopes that the financial sector is closer to stabilizing.

WSJ: Roots of $3 Billion Fraud Case Lie in DVD Players, Not CDOs
Bernard Madoff bilked the public with fictitious securities transactions. Tom Petters, prosecutors allege, gulled his victims with nonexistent DVD players and flat-screen TVs.

Forbes: Yahoo! Silent On Microsoft
Beleaguered Internet portal Yahoo! reported first-quarter earnings of $118 million, or 8 cents per share, a decrease of 78% from the year-ago period.

WSJ: Crib Worries Spur Retailer, Agency to Act
Toys "R" Us Inc., the big toy retailer, has stopped ordering drop-side cribs because of safety concerns, the company's Chairman and Chief Executive Jerry Storch said Tuesday. The move comes as federal regulators are planning to launch Wednesday a push to set stronger standards for cribs following a series of recalls.

Business Week: Where Rental Properties Pay Off the Most
Few people these days have confidence in the real estate market. Sellers are anxious, buyers are cautious, and prices across the nation are tumbling, month after month. But for a careful investor, fear and uncertainty can set the stage for opportunity.

In Case You Missed It
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CNN: 'An abuse of power'
Rep. Jane Harman speaks with CNN's Wolf Blitzer about possibly being wiretapped by the federal government.

CNN: Middle East view of Obama
Wolf Blitzer talks with Queen Rania of Jordan about the Middle East and how President Obama is viewed in the region.

CNN: Romney: Obama 'timid'
Mitt Romney opens up about his latest critique of President Obama's early foreign policy tests.

CNN: How workers can help the planet
Van Jones, White House adviser on Green jobs, talks to CNN's Kristie Lu Stout about restarting the economy with eco ideas.

The CNN Washington Bureau’s morning speed read of the top stories making news from around the country and the world.

WASHINGTON/POLITICAL
For the latest political news: www.CNNPolitics.com.

CNN: In CIA visit, Obama defends interrogation memo release
President Obama, visiting CIA headquarters Monday, defended his decision to release Bush-era memos on interrogation tactics, saying the country will ultimately be stronger as a result.

CNN: Preference for Hill over Zinni remains a mystery
Chris Hill is slowly overcoming GOP opposition that has delayed his nomination as U.S. ambassador to Iraq, but it's still unclear why the Obama administration revoked the offer they gave to someone else first — General Anthony Zinni.

CNN Poll: Americans still back Democrats, but not as much
As Congress comes back after a two-week recess, a national poll indicates the honeymoon may be over for congressional Democrats, although they maintain a decided advantage over the GOP.

CNN: Cheney: 'I don't think we've got much to apologize for'
The former vice president Dick Cheney is slamming President Obama’s efforts to set a new tone for relations with the U.S. on the world stage.

WSJ: Computer Spies Breach Fighter-Jet Project
Computer spies have broken into the Pentagon's $300 billion Joint Strike Fighter project - the Defense Department's costliest weapons program ever - according to current and former government officials familiar with the attacks.

NYT: Lawmaker Is Said to Have Agreed to Aid Lobbyists
One of the leading House Democrats on intelligence matters was overheard on telephone calls intercepted by the National Security Agency agreeing to seek lenient treatment from the Bush administration for two pro-Israel lobbyists who were under investigation for espionage, current and former government officials say.

Washington Post Op-Ed: Thiessen: The CIA's Questioning Worked
In releasing highly classified documents on the CIA interrogation program last week, President Obama declared that the techniques used to question captured terrorists "did not make us safer." This is patently false. The proof is in the memos Obama made public - in sections that have gone virtually unreported in the media.

Chicago Tribune: Obama, as with Roosevelt, off to a quick start
If it seems arbitrary — even unfair — to take the measure of a new president after just 100 days in office, you can blame Franklin D. Roosevelt.

NYT: Programs to Help Banks Are Seen as Open to Fraud
The Treasury Department’s most ambitious plans to rescue troubled banks — partnerships between the government and private investors, backed by the Federal Reserve — are inherently vulnerable to fraud and should not be started without stronger safeguards, a top government investigator warned in a report to be released Tuesday.

Washington Post: U.N. Launches Library Of World's Knowledge
A globe-spanning U.N. digital library seeking to display and explain the wealth of all human cultures has gone into operation on the Internet, serving up mankind's accumulated knowledge in seven languages for students around the world.

LA Times: 20 bank-bailout investigations already open
In the first major disclosure of corruption in the $750-billion financial bailout program, federal investigators said Monday they have opened 20 criminal probes into possible securities fraud, tax violations, insider trading and other crimes.

Washington Post: Border Agency to Hire More Army Reservists
The Army Reserve and U.S. Customs and Border Protection will sign an agreement today to create a partnership aimed at filling some of the growing federal agency's 11,000 job openings with Army reservists.

CNN: Obama to headline DSCC/DCCC fundraiser
President Obama will host a fundraiser for the Senate and congressional campaign committees in June, a Democratic Party source tells CNN.

NATIONAL
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CNN: Alleged Maersk pirate arrives in New York
The pirate suspect arrested in the hijacking of the Maersk Alabama was all smiles on arriving in New York City late Monday, escorted by a phalanx of law enforcement officers.

CNN: College student charged in slaying possibly linked to Craigslist
A 22-year-old college student in Boston, Massachusetts, has been charged with murder in connection with the death of a woman who may have been contacted through a Craigslist ad, police said.

CNN: High-end coffee business slows during recession
The high-end specialty coffee industry isn't immune to the effects of a recession, but many companies are still doing well.

CNN: Officials suspect drug reaction or toxins in Florida horse deaths
State officials said Monday that they suspect a drug reaction or toxins killed 21 horses as they were prepared to compete in a Sunday polo match in Wellington, Florida.

WSJ: Cash-Strapped Cities Try Private Guards Over Police
Facing pressure to crack down on crime amid a record budget deficit, Oakland is joining other U.S. cities that are turning over more law-enforcement duties to private armed guards.

USA Today: On road, it's 'do as I say, not as I do'
Most motorists in the USA — 78% — call aggressive driving a serious concern yet nearly half admit speeding on major highways in the past 30 days, according to a survey and analysis of research made public today by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety.

LA Times: Drug cartels keep Catholic officials in fear
In the tense state of Durango, Roman Catholic Archbishop Hector Gonzalez announced over the weekend that the fugitive drug trafficker who tops Mexico's most wanted list was living nearby.

BBC: Fears over web health revolution
Concerns have been raised about the use of the internet and new technologies to revolutionise health care.

Telegraph UK: Obesity threat to individuals and planet
Researchers concluded that because food production is a major contributor to global warming, the more you eat, the greater the impact on climate change.

USA Today: Phone application helps traveler make the right diet calls
Last fall, Chris Burns, 34, of Chicago made a small investment and got a big return in weight loss.

INTERNATIONAL
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CNN: Envoys walk out of U.N. anti-racism conference
Dozens of international envoys walked out during a speech by Iran's president Monday as he accused Israel of having a "racist government" and committing genocide.

CNN: Koreas hold first talks in more than a year
Government officials from South Korea arrived in the North on Tuesday for the first inter-Korean talks in more than a year.

CNN: U.S. generals gauge where fight in Afghanistan is headed
Sending 21,000 more troops to Afghanistan is the centerpiece of the Obama administration's strategy for winning there . Commanders say victory is achievable, but those in the field expect a long road ahead.

Jerusalem Post: PM: We won't allow another Holocaust
The State of Israel paused on Monday night at 8 p.m. to remember the six million Jews who perished from 1933-1945, as the nation marked the start of Holocaust Remembrance Day.

Times of India: PowerGrid plans to raise Rs 3k cr via fresh issue
India’s largest power distributor Power Grid Corporation of India plans to raise up to Rs 3,000 crore by issuing fresh shares by year end at a time when most companies dread the stock market.

Times of London: Iraqi children trained by al-Qaeda to be suicide bombers
Iraqi security forces have arrested four children who were allegedly part of a group of youngsters being groomed by al-Qaeda to become suicide bombers, an Iraqi army general said.

LA Times: Visa rules widen the rift between Vietnam and U.S. families
Luong Vu asks his daughter the same question each time she visits his Westminster hospital room: "When are my sons coming?"

BBC: EU commission urges fishing cuts
The EU has far too many fishing boats, and major cuts are needed to make fishing sustainable, according to the European Commission.

BUSINESS
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CNN: Banks: Let us return the money
One might think the government would automatically embrace requests from several of the nation's largest banks to return the bailout money they received last fall. Not so fast. JPMorgan Chase, Morgan Stanley and at least four other others have indicated they would like to return the almost $95 billion they jointly get in TARP (Troubled Assets Relief Program) funds.

CNN: TARP cop: 20 criminal probes
The top cop tracking the government's $700 billion bailout program said Tuesday that he has opened 20 criminal investigations and six audits into whether tax dollars are being pilfered or wasted.

CNN: Chrysler financing arm rejects U.S. aid
Chrysler Financial turned down additional government funding this month because executives at the financing arm of the troubled auto manufacturer could not agree to new government-mandated limits on executive pay, according to a source familiar with the matter.

NYT: China Influence Grows With Car Sales
After a century in which American tastes largely set the course of the global automotive market, China is poised to increasingly take on the role of global trendsetter.

Bloomberg: Audit Says U.S. Estimated $900 Million Loss on Citigroup Assets
The U.S. Treasury estimated $900 million in losses as of the end of last year on $301 billion in Citigroup Inc. assets that the government is guaranteeing, according to a new audit report released today.

Business Week: United Airlines Weighs In on 'Seat Infringement'
The cattle-car quality of air travel is getting even less comfortable for some plus-size passengers. United Airlines (UAUA) on Apr. 15 announced it will require passengers who do not fit within one seat to buy another when no alternative can be arranged. And Euro-discounter Ryanair (RYAAY) is advancing the idea of a fat tax, which suggests to many observers the company may price its tickets based on body mass.

The CNN Washington Bureau’s morning speed read of the top stories making news from around the country and the world.

WASHINGTON/POLITICAL
For the latest political news: www.CNNPolitics.com.

CNN: Obama to gather Cabinet, seeking $100 million in cuts
President Obama returned to Washington on Sunday night with his eye back on his domestic agenda and a plan to save government money.

CNN: Senator says Obama's appearance with Chavez 'irresponsible'
Sen. John Ensign, R-Nevada, told CNN Sunday it was "irresponsible" for President Obama to have been seen "laughing and joking" with Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez at the Summit of the Americas on Friday.

CNN: Napolitano defends 'right wing extremism' report, regrets offense
Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano continued to defend her agency's recent report warning of right-wing extremist groups, saying the U.S. has active intelligence suggesting such groups are actively targeting disgruntled veterans.

CNN: Obama 'gravely concerned' about U.S. journalist in Iranian prison
President Obama called Sunday for the release of a U.S. journalist convicted of espionage in Iran.

CNN: Ex-CIA chief: Obama risks national security
A former head of the CIA slammed President Obama on Sunday for releasing four Bush-era memos, saying the new president has compromised national security.

NYT: U.S. May Convert Banks’ Bailouts to Equity Share
President Obama’s top economic advisers have determined that they can shore up the nation’s banking system without having to ask Congress for more money any time soon, according to administration officials.

Washington Post: A Bigger, Bolder Role Is Imagined For the IMF
Inside a cavernous assembly hall in downtown Washington, dignitaries gather twice a year for routine meetings of the International Monetary Fund. Before long, though, the room could take center stage in the IMF's transformation into a veritable United Nations for the global economy.

Business Week: Barack Obama, Activist Investor
With more than $200 billion invested in U.S. banks, another $70 billion earmarked for American International Group (AIG), and $30 billion in credit for automakers and lenders, President Barack Obama may well qualify as the nation's Investor-in-Chief. And he's proving himself about as activist as an investor can get.

NYT: Waterboarding Used 266 Times on 2 Suspects
C.I.A. interrogators used waterboarding, the near-drowning technique that top Obama administration officials have described as illegal torture, 266 times on two key prisoners from Al Qaeda, far more than had been previously reported.

LA Times: Mental damage from CIA tactics is disputed
The conclusion in recently released Justice Department memos that CIA interrogation techniques would not cause prolonged mental harm is disputed by some doctors and psychologists, who say that the mental damage incurred from the practices is significant and undeniable.

Washington Times: NRA: WH pushing to reinstate gun ban
A top National Rifle Association official said the Obama administration is using the increased publicity surrounding drug cartels in Mexico as an opportunity to push for reinstating the ban on semi-assault weapons.

CNN: Paterson defends same-sex marriage bill
New York Gov. David Paterson Sunday strongly defended a proposed bill that aims to legalize same-sex marriage in his state.

WSJ: White House to Put Credit-Card Rates in Cross Hairs
President Barack Obama will soon turn his attention to high credit-card rates, giving a potential boost to congressional efforts to put limits on the industry.

LA Times: Getting to know the Obamas, on their terms
In the short time Americans have come to know their new first family, they've learned that the president doesn't want a puppy sleeping on his bed, the girls hate green veggies but at least one loves peanut butter, and the first lady believes her husband should stay out of her closet.

NATIONAL
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CNN: 13-year-old's school strip-search case heads to Supreme Court
The case of a 13-year-old Arizona girl strip-searched by school officials looking for ibuprofen pain-reliever will be heard by the U.S. Supreme Court this week.

CNN: horses die just before polo match
Fourteen thoroughbred horses dropped dead in a mysterious scene Sunday before a polo match near West Palm Beach, Florida, officials said.

Washington Post: Study Finds Some Youths 'Addicted' to Video Games
A new study concludes that children can become addicted to playing video games, with some skimping on homework, lying about how much they play and struggling, without success, when they try to cut back.

USA Today: New Orleans housing project is model for recovery
Wendell Pierce, an actor best known for his role at Detective William "Bunk" Moreland on HBO's The Wire, splits a lot of his time lately between Los Angeles and his hometown of New Orleans.

LA Times: Layoffs are driving change among the Amish
The Amish are defined by their religious beliefs, shunning automobiles, insurance and electricity in their homes.

NYT Op-Ed: Brokaw: Small-Town Big Spending
During these uncertain times we’ve yet to hear a phrase with the resonance of Franklin Roosevelt’s “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself,” but there are a couple of minor-chord expressions that should have staying power.

WSJ: Crazy-Quilt Jobless Programs Help Some More Than Others
The U.S. unemployment system is an uneven field of haves, have-nots and borderline cases, all found among the laid-off workers of a Maine company that makes wood products such as rolling pins and levers for reclining chairs.

LA Times: Some influential Muslim groups question FBI's actions
As they sipped tea and nibbled on dates, more than 100 men and women listened to a litany of speakers sounding the same message: The FBI is not your friend.

Forbes: EPA Ruling Great News For Cleantech
Greentech investors and entrepreneurs are guardedly optimistic that the Environmental Protection Agency's ruling that greenhouse gases are harmful to human health will provide a boost to their industry.

Chicago Tribune: Pesticides linked to Parkinson's, UCLA researchers find
Researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles, have provided strong new evidence linking at least some cases of Parkinson's disease to exposure to pesticides. Researchers have suspected for some time that pesticides may cause the neurodegenerative disorder, and experiments in animals have shown that the chemicals, particularly the fungicide maneb and the herbicide paraquat, can cause Parkinson's-like symptoms in animals. But proving it in humans has been difficult because of problems in assessing exposure to the agents.

USA Today: Scams about foreclosures, jobs, IRS feed on desperation
Last September, Esmeralda Carmona only had enough money to pay a fraction of her mortgage. Her husband, laid off nearly a year earlier, had not worked in nine months. Debt was mounting, and the mother of four was prepared to give up.

WSJ: Medical-Helicopter Study on Safety Splits Industry
As industry groups continue to squabble over how to reduce the risks of emergency medical helicopter flights, a safety study commissioned by Textron Inc.'s Bell Helicopter is pitting industry factions against one another, forcing Bell to distance itself from the conclusions to avoid antagonizing some corporate customers.

Kansas City Star: More people flock to Twitter as a conduit for information
Maybe you know about Ashton Kutcher’s obsession with Twitter. Last week the actor became the first tweeter to reach 1 million followers, and on Friday he got Oprah to join in.

INTERNATIONAL
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CNN: Jamaican PM negotiates with hostage-taker
An armed man released all passengers but continued to hold five crew members hostage early Monday inside a charter plane at a Jamaican airport, officials said.

CNN: Boycotts hit U.N. racism conference
A major United Nations anti-racism conference was thrown into further disarray Sunday when more countries joined a U.S. boycott amid concerns it was developing into a platform for attacking Israel.

CNN: New pirate attack thwarted in Gulf of Aden
NATO forces patrolling the Gulf of Aden foiled a pirate attack on a Norwegian tanker this weekend, a NATO spokesman said.

BBC: Chavez effect creates bestseller
A book which the Venezuelan leader Hugo Chavez presented to US President Barack Obama at the Americas summit has become a bestseller in just two days.

Al Jazeera: Mandela magic at final ANC rally
Nelson Mandela, the former South African president, has made a surprise appearance at the final election rally of the African National Congress,(ANC), urging his countrymen to return the ruling party to power in upcoming polls.

Times of London: Union tells Gordon Brown to end 'childish venom' of smears
Gordon Brown will be told by one of Britain’s biggest unions today that Labour must stop wasting time in “childish venom”.

Chicago Tribune: Free music lessons abound on the Web
On the ladder of starving artists, where musicians already perch on a splintered rung, this nasty blues we call the recession only adds insult to melody. How's a guy or gal supposed to take lessons to hone their craft when, to borrow from a certain soul smash, money's too tight to mention?

BUSINESS
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CNN: UBS Sells Brazilian Pactual At Loss; Small Cap Lift
UBS AG (UBS) said Monday it will sell Banco Pactual back to one of the Brazilian investment bank's original owners at a loss, a move that will lift the Swiss bank's capital.

WSJ: Pepsi Bids $6 Billion for Largest Bottlers
PepsiCo Inc. launched a $6 billion takeover bid for its two largest independent bottlers late Sunday, a major strategy shift that signals the company's intention to overhaul how it makes and distributes its products to consumers.

Financial Times: US to put conditions on Tarp repayment
Strong banks will be allowed to repay bail-out funds they received from the US government but only if such a move passes a test to determine whether it is in the national economic interest, a senior administration official has told the Financial Times.

NYT: Debt Settlers Offer Promises but Little Help
Tyna Carter, burdened with $25,000 in credit card debt, did not want to be a deadbeat. After looking for help on the Internet, Mrs. Carter, a West Virginia homemaker, wound up in the hands of a sweet-talking “credit specialist” from Texas.

Bloomberg: London Finance Firms May Cut 29,000 Jobs This Year, CEBR Says
U.K. financial services companies may cut fewer jobs than forecast as the government’s bailout of the banking system and interest-rate cuts restore confidence, the Centre for Economics & Business Research Ltd. said.

In Case You Missed It
To watch the latest interviews and reporting: http://www.cnn.com/video.

CNN: Napolitano defends report
Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano defended her agency's recent report warning of "right wing extremism."

CNN: Holbrooke takes aim at Taliban
CNN's Fareed Zakaria talks to Richard Holbrooke on the crises in Afghanistan and Pakistan, & how to deal with the Taliban

CNN: Race of the Eco-cars
Japan's top two automakers in a worldwide battle for the eco-minded consumer. CNN's Kyung Lah reports.

CNN: NY gay marriage bill
New York Gov. David Paterson talks to CNN's John King about his controversial bill to legalize gay marriage in his state.

The CNN Washington Bureau’s morning speed read of the top stories making news from around the country and the world.

WASHINGTON/POLITICAL
For the latest political news: www.CNNPolitics.com.

CNN: Bush-era interrogation memo: No torture without 'severe pain' intent
Interrogation tactics such as waterboarding, sleep deprivation and slapping did not violate laws against torture when there was no intent to cause severe pain, according to a Bush-era memo on the tactics released Thursday.

CNN: Ex-McCain aide to call for gay marriage support
Steve Schmidt, a key architect of John McCain's presidential campaign, is making his first public return to Washington a bold one.

CNN: Obama unveils high-speed passenger rail plan
President Obama unveiled his administration's blueprint for a new national network of high-speed passenger rail lines Thursday, saying such an investment is necessary to reduce traffic congestion, cut dependence on foreign oil and improve the environment.

CNN: Analysis: Don't expect deal with Mexico on assault weapons ban
President Obama visits Mexico with many issues on the table, but reinstating the ban on assault weapons in the U.S. isn't likely to be one on which the two countries can reach agreement.

CNN: Obama likely to get earful on Cuba at Americas summit
When President Obama arrives in Trinidad and Tobago this week for the Summit of the Americas, the one country in the region not present may be the one he hears the most about: Cuba.

Washington Post: Role of Bush NSA Plan Under Review
The Bush administration planned last year to direct the National Security Agency, which specializes in spying electronically on foreign adversaries, to take the techniques it has employed to defend military computer networks and use them to protect U.S. government civilian networks, according to current and former officials.

NYT: Obama Adviser Said to Be Tied to Pension Deal
The man leading the Obama administration’s efforts to restructure the auto industry has been described in Securities and Exchange Commission documents as having arranged for his investment firm to pay more than $1 million to obtain New York State pension business.

USA Today: Budget crunches sharpen political differences in state tax fights
Democrats in state legislatures are seeking to raise taxes on the rich, and Republicans are trying to cut taxes for business — a replay of the fierce budget battles that have divided Congress.

Washington Post: Banks Rush to Repay U.S. Funds, but Cling To Other Lifelines
Six months after Washington rescued Wall Street, exasperated banks insist they want to leave the lifeboat.

LA Times: Injured war zone contractors fight to get care
Civilian workers who suffered devastating injuries while supporting the U.S. war effort in Iraq and Afghanistan have come home to a grinding battle for basic medical care, artificial limbs, psychological counseling and other services.

Boston Globe: Dodd faces steep road to reelection
The election is still more than 18 months away, but US Senator Chris Dodd is barnstorming Connecticut this week like an incumbent in trouble. Voters who have supported him for 29 years are showing anger over his personal finances and for legislation that allowed federal bailout money to be used for executive bonuses.

WSJ: Lawmakers Pressure NASA to Delay Shuttle's Retirement
The faltering economy threatens to disrupt plans to retire the U.S. space-shuttle fleet next year and free up funds to develop a new generation of manned spacecraft.

McClatchy: As crisis loomed last fall, NC Senator Burr told wife: Empty ATM
When the banking crisis hit last fall, U.S. Sen. Richard Burr told his wife to take as much money from the ATM as she could.

Washington Post: 3 Linked to Lobby Firm See Donations Drop
Three senior House Democrats revealed sharp declines in donations for the first quarter of 2009 after the shuttering of a lobbying firm that in previous election cycles helped steer millions of dollars in donations to their political committees from its lobbyists and earmark-seeking clients.

Dallas Morning News: Texas Senate defies Perry by voting to take stimulus money for jobless fund
In a sharp rebuff of Gov. Rick Perry, the Senate on Thursday tentatively voted to accept $555 million in unemployment aid from the federal economic stimulus plan.

NATIONAL
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CNN: Crewman's e-mail gives harrowing details of hijacking
An e-mail from one of the crewmen aboard the Maersk Alabama tells a gripping tale of sailors fighting back against pirates who had taken over their ship.

CNN: Ashton Kutcher first to reach 1 million in Twitter battle with CNN
Celebrity Ashton Kutcher narrowly beat out CNN early Friday in an online popularity contest to see who could more quickly attract 1 million followers on the micro-blogging site Twitter.

CNN: Experts: Some foreclosed homes too damaged to sell
The economy in southern New Hampshire is not by any means among the worst in the nation. Still, according to city records, there are 29 foreclosed homes on the books in Nashua - many of which are in deplorable condition.

CNN: South Dakota finds clinic reused single-use supplies on patients
More than 5,000 patients at a South Dakota urology clinic may have been exposed to hepatitis and HIV after the facility reused single-use medical products on them, state health officials said.

NYT: To Fill Food Safety Gap, Processors Pay Inspectors
Clipboard in hand, Debra Anderson spent three hours one recent sunny morning trooping through a field of romaine lettuce looking for trouble.

The Economist: All together now
America receives more immigrants than any other country. But its system for dealing with them is a model of dysfunctionality, with 11.9m illegally present in 2008, up 42% since 2000. Past efforts at reform have failed dismally. In 2006 protesters filled city streets after the House of Representatives passed a bill making illegal immigration a felony; but the proposal failed to pass muster in the Senate. The Senate’s own effort in 2007 fared even worse. Police clashed with a crowd in Los Angeles. Opponents of reform barraged senators with so many calls that their phone system crashed. The Senate’s bill, designed to please all sides, ended up pleasing no one.

Washington Post: Hate Crime Bill Might Make Md. A Pioneer
Maryland would become the first state to list the homeless as a class protected from hate crimes under legislation that is headed to Gov. Martin O'Malley's desk.

LA Times: California faces shortage of college graduates for workforce, study finds
With college enrollment rates among the lowest in the nation, California will face a shortage of 1 million college graduates needed for the state's workforce in 2025, a report released Thursday warned.

Boston Globe: Mumps suspected in 4 NU students
Four Northeastern University students have suspected cases of the mumps, Boston public health officials said yesterday, urging any unvaccinated students and staff to get immunized against this once-common childhood illness

NYT: Task to Aid Self-Esteem Lifts Grades for Some
Some seventh graders who were struggling in class did significantly better after performing a series of brief confidence-building writing exercises, and the improvements continued through eighth grade, researchers reported Thursday.

LA Times: Gates hints at changes to ban on gays in military
Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said Thursday that the Obama administration would move cautiously in shifting policies on gays serving openly in the military, but he signaled that service members should prepare for possible changes.

The Economist: It's all relative
Rising above the fields of Nevada, Iowa, advertised proudly as America’s 26th-best small town, is an ethanol refinery. The air around is thick with the smell of yeast. Each day lorries drive up and park above a large grate, corn pouring from their bellies like milk from a cow, the kernels falling below to begin their transformation into ethanol. To see Lincolnway Energy is to recall Iowa’s better days. Last year two ethanol companies filed for bankruptcy. Others have slowed production.

INTERNATIONAL
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CNN: Thai 'yellow shirt' political leader shot
A Thai political leader who helped topple that country's former prime minister was shot early Friday on the way to host his radio talk show, according to a spokesman for his political party.

CNN: U.S. issues warning to North Korea for expelling inspectors
As U.S. nuclear experts prepared to leave North Korea, the United States vowed consequences on Pyongyang for kicking them out, along with U.N. nuclear inspectors. This is after the United Nations condemned North Korea's recent missile launch.

Financial Times: French president criticises world leaders
Barack Obama is “not always up to standard on decision-making or efficiency”, José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero is “perhaps not very intelligent” while Angela Merkel “had no choice but to come round to my position” when she saw the state of German banks.

NYT: Study Finds Pattern of Severe Droughts in Africa
For at least 3,000 years, a drumbeat of potent droughts, far longer and more severe than any experienced recently, have seared a belt of sub-Saharan Africa that is now home to tens of millions of the world’s poorest people, climate researchers report in a new study.

McClatchy: U.S. experts: Pakistan on course to become Islamist state
A growing number of U.S. intelligence, defense and diplomatic officials have concluded that there's little hope of preventing nuclear-armed Pakistan from disintegrating into fiefdoms controlled by Islamist warlords and terrorists, posing the a greater threat to the U.S. than Afghanistan's terrorist haven did before 9/11.

WSJ: U.S. Pushes for U.N. Censure of Iran, Syria on Arms
The Obama administration is pushing for a formal censure of Iran and Syria at the United Nations over an arms-smuggling case that U.S. officials see as highlighting the risks that Iranian weapons shipments pose to regional stability.

Al Jazeera: Sudan to allow return of Darfur aid
The Sudanese government has agreed to allow some aid groups back into the war-torn western Darfur region, more than a month after over a dozen aid groups were expelled from the area, a visiting US senator says.

London Times: Council powers to spy on the public are cut
Councils are to have their powers to snoop on the public severely curtailed. Jacqui Smith, the Home Secretary, will signal government plans today to reverse the expansion of the surveillance society amid growing alarm at the extent of official spying.

BBC: China 'to increase naval power'
China is planning to boost the size and sophistication of its naval power, the head of the Chinese navy told state news agency Xinhua.

Sidney Morning Herald: Export prices fall 4.6%
The price of exports fell in the first quarter, dragged down by lower metals prices, undercutting a key source of revenue of the Australian economy.

BUSINESS
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CNN: US Government, Fiat To Decide Chrysler Future Leadership
Chrysler LLC's future leadership will be determined by the U.S. government and Fiat SpA (FIATY) if Chrysler succeeds at merging with the Italian auto maker.

CNN: Google profit beats estimates
Shares of Google Inc. rose in after-hours trading Thursday after the Internet search company said its first-quarter profit climbed 8.9% and topped Wall Street's forecast, amid a tough advertising environment.

Financial Times: GM seeks provision for parts suppliers
General Motorsis prepared to argue, if it seeks bankruptcy protection, that hundreds of its suppliers are "critical vendors" who require timely payments, setting the stage for what would be the most sweeping attempt ever to win special treatment for such contractors, people close to the matter say.

Business Week: Time Warner Cable Backs Away from Pricing Change
Time Warner Cable caved—for now. In the face of widespread consumer outrage over its plan to change its pricing for Internet access, the company said it will shelve plans to implement the new price formula in several new markets.

NYT: Google’s Profit Is Up 8%, Beating Analysts’ Estimates
The slumping economy has broken Google’s streak: The Internet search giant said Thursday that it had its first decline in revenue compared with the previous quarter since it went public in 2004, as marketers reined in their online advertising budgets.

WSJ: Hilton Is Sued Over Luxury Chain
Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide Inc. sued Hilton Hotels Corp. late Thursday, accusing its rival of using stolen confidential Starwood documents to develop a new luxury hotel chain.

Sidney Morning Herald: Personal bankruptcies near record high
Amid rising debt and unemployment, the number of filings for personal bankruptcy is just shy of a record, says a government agency.

In Case You Missed It
To watch the latest interviews and reporting: http://www.cnn.com/video.

CNN: Obama sees leaner, cleaner U.S.
President Obama lays out his vision of transportation change in the United States.

CNN: Hijacked by pirates!
Larry talks with John Cronan who was on board the Maersk Alabama when the ship was attacked by pirates.

CNN: Dad, daughter reunited
For 27 years, Dirk Pratt thought his daughter died while on a trip to Ecuador as a toddler. Now, KOMO is at their reunion.

CNN: YouTube Symphony Orchestra
Musicians from around the world met at Carnegie Hall to give the first performance as the YouTube Symphony Orchestra.

The CNN Washington Bureau’s morning speed read of the top stories making news from around the country and the world.

WASHINGTON/POLITICAL

For the latest political news: www.CNNPolitics.com.

CNN: Obama: Latin America on equal footing with U.S.
President Barack Obama on Thursday embarks on a trip to Latin America, where the leader of the world's lone superpower said he seeks to engage in talks with the region's leaders as equals.

CNN: Nationwide 'tea party' protests blast spending
Armed with signs reading "no taxation without deliberation" and "stop bankrupting America," tens of thousands of people spent national tax day at organized "tea party" demonstrations across the country, protesting what some view as excessive government spending and bailouts.

CNN: Obama heads to Mexico amid escalating drug violence
President Obama travels to Mexico on Thursday as the United States' neighbor to the south continues to wrestle with increasingly deadly drug wars.

CNN: Napolitano defends report on right-wing extremist groups
The Department of Homeland Security will never monitor ideology or political beliefs, the head of the agency said Wednesday, responding to criticism of a recent report on right-wing extremist groups.

CNN: Clinton hits milestone in trying to clear campaign debt
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton reached an important milestone Wednesday in her quest to pay the debt from her failed 2008 presidential bid: For the first time in eight months, her campaign committee reported having more money in the bank than it owes.

CNN: Clinton unveils initiative to combat 'scourge of piracy'
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Wednesday unveiled a diplomatic initiative to thwart attacks on ships off Somalia's coast and combat what she called the "scourge of piracy."

NYT: N.S.A.’s Intercepts Exceed Limits Set by Congress
The National Security Agency intercepted private e-mail messages and phone calls of Americans in recent months on a scale that went beyond the broad legal limits established by Congress last year, government officials said in recent interviews.

CS Monitor: Military services largely on board with Gates's defense budget
Defense Secretary Robert Gates's controversial new budget is not yet meeting the stiff resistance that even he expected from members of Congress, industry officials, and senior officers inside his own Pentagon. It's a sign that many of the wide-ranging reforms contained in his half-trillion-dollar spending plan could succeed.

LA Times: Schwarzenegger says illegal immigrants aren't to blame for fiscal crisis
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger said Wednesday that the claim by some conservative activists that illegal immigration is to blame for all of the state's fiscal problems is ignorant and bigoted.

Washington Post: Report Says IRS Let Foreigners Take Improper Tax Credit
The Internal Revenue Service has allowed some foreigners to improperly claim tax credits that will cost the government nearly $9 billion, according to a federal report scheduled to be released today.

WSJ: U.S. to Signal Strategy for Rail Funds
The Obama administration on Thursday will outline how it plans to spend $8 billion in stimulus funds on high-speed passenger-rail service, a new federal commitment that has rail advocates and states jockeying for a piece of the pie.

DC Examiner: On Climate & Health, Beware of Easy Formulas
Beware of geeks bearing formulas. That's the lesson most of us have learned from the financial crisis. The "quants" who devised the risk models that induced so many financial institutions to buy mortgage-backed securities thought they had reduced risk down to zero.

WSJ: It's Rare for Prosecutors to Get the Book Thrown Back at Them
The Justice Department recently got a black eye when its corruption case against Sen. Ted Stevens of Alaska collapsed amid allegations of misconduct by federal prosecutors.

WSJ Op-Ed: Rove: Republicans and the Tea Parties
Yesterday was Tax Day, and it was marked by large numbers of Americans turning out for an estimated 2,000 tea parties across the country. This movement is significant.

NATIONAL
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CNN: Maersk crew returns to U.S. to warm welcome
The crew of the Maersk Alabama, the U.S.-flagged cargo ship hijacked by Somali pirates last week, arrived in the United States early Thursday.

CNN: New fingerprinting technique could crack cold cases
It was early one Sunday morning when the killer rang at a front door that was decorated with a wreath for Christmas. When his victim answered, he fired four fatal shots, ran off and disappeared.

CNN: Memorial service set for slain 8-year-old girl
Eight-year-old Sandra Cantu will be remembered at a memorial service Thursday in the central California community where she lived and was later found dead.

CNN: Five places to escape seasonal allergies
It's about the time of year when many of those with seasonal allergies are starting to grumble.

USA Today: Thrift stores' business booms across U.S.
Rummaging around for some good news in this recession? Try your local thrift store.

Washington Post: Renewable Energy's Environmental Paradox
The SunZia transmission line that would link sun and wind power from central New Mexico with cities in Arizona is just the sort of energy project an environmentalist could love - or hate. And it is just the sort of line the Interior Department has been tasked with promoting - or guarding against.

NYT: Getaways That Are ‘Guilt Free’
Sure, you’d like to take a vacation. But with layoffs hitting your best friends and your own company hinting at pay cuts, how can you justify it? Consider the guilt-free vacation.

LA Times: United Airlines could require obese passengers to buy a second ticket
As the nation copes with increasing numbers of obese Americans, United Airlines has joined the list of air carriers making overweight passengers pay more to fly.

The Economist: Have you been taking your medicine?
Taking your medicine even for a week is a drag. Taking it every day for six months is a real nuisance. Yet that is what is asked of those being treated for tuberculosis. They need to pop their pills for half a year if they are to eliminate the bacteria that cause the infection and combat the emergence of antibiotic-resistant strains. Worse, from the point of view of compliance, the actual symptoms of infection tend to go away after just two months of taking the medicine, so the incentive to carry on is negligible. But worse than that, the drugs themselves produce unpleasant symptoms, including nausea, diarrhoea, headaches and insomnia. Indeed, one common anti-TB drug, rifampicin, also has the unnerving side effect of turning people’s tears, sweat and urine a shade of reddish orange.

WSJ: Fear and Greed Have Sales of Guns and Ammo Shooting Up
The way Jay Chambers sees it, the semiautomatic weapons in his firearm collection might be the most promising investment in his financial portfolio.

Bloomberg: U.S. TV Stations Attract More Viewers With News Than ‘Seinfeld’
Instead of paying for reruns of “Seinfeld” at 11 p.m. and “Access Hollywood” at 4:30 a.m., News Corp.’s WJBK-TV in Detroit decided to air more local news.

NYT: Colleges Ask Donors to Help Meet Demand for Aid
Faced with one of the most challenging fund-raising environments anyone can remember, colleges and universities are appealing to donors to help meet the swelling demand for financial aid.

WSJ: Lean Times Bring Workouts Home
Perre DiCarlo and his girlfriend, Frida Stein, used to shell out hundreds of dollars a year for everything from gym memberships to yoga classes at a local studio. About a month ago they stumbled upon a cheaper way to get toned: streaming workout videos from Netflix, a DVD rental site that offers them on demand to subscribers for no extra charge.

LA Times: Alcohol a growing problem in the L.A. County Sheriff's Department, report says
There has been a dramatic upswing in the number of Los Angeles County sheriff's deputies arrested for alcohol-related offenses in recent years, suggesting a growing drinking problem within the department, a county watchdog agency reported Wednesday.

NYT: I.Q. Harmed by Epilepsy Drug in Utero
Pregnant women who took a popular epilepsy drug, also widely used to treat migraines, pain and psychiatric disorders, had children whose I.Q. scores were significantly lower than those whose mothers took a different antiseizure medication, a new study has found.

INTERNATIONAL
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CNN: Hitmen's bloody reign all about logic, trafficker says
There are no welcome signs on the approach to Camargo.

CNN: Obama administration opens door for Iran
One of the main stumbling blocks to talk with Iran has been the condition that Iran suspends its uranium enrichment. Now, the Obama administration may take that option off the table, at least for now.

CNN: Maoists strike as India votes in epic elections
Indians turned out in steady numbers Thursday to pick a new federal government in a mammoth month-long general election. But suspected Maoist insurgents marred the balloting in several areas with deadly attacks.

CNN: U.N. official: Sri Lanka ceasefire 'inadequate'
The United Nations humanitarian chief Wednesday criticized a two-day pause in the fighting between the Sri Lankan army and Tamil Tiger rebels as "inadequate."

Al Jazeera: Indian election gets under way
People in several states of India have begun voting in the first of five stages in an electoral process that will last a month.

BBC: Pet trade puts orangutans at risk
The trade in Sumatran orangutans for pets shows little sign of decline and is taking the species to the brink of extinction, a report concludes.

NYT: Third-World Stove Soot Is Target in Climate Fight
“It’s hard to believe that this is what’s melting the glaciers,” said Dr. Veerabhadran Ramanathan, one of the world’s leading climate scientists, as he weaved through a warren of mud brick huts, each containing a mud cookstove pouring soot into the atmosphere.

BUSINESS
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CNN: Citigroup tries to stop the bleeding
The latest crop of quarterly numbers from the banking industry has proven promising so far. But with every harvest, there's always bound to be a few rotten apples in the bunch.

CNN: Obama launches mortgage rescue plan
The Obama administration's loan modification program is finally underway.

WSJ: Lawyers Set to Profit on Lehman
Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc., which set a record as the largest company to file for bankruptcy protection, is on course to yield one of the biggest bonanzas for lawyers.

LA Times: Empty Florida homes may return to nature
The Georgetown apartment complex was one of this city's most coveted properties back in 2005. Now Greg Chelius and Alex Size were touring it as if examining an exotic ruin.

Business Week: Unemployment: Deals for the Discharged
There's nothing like the fear of losing your job to get you to start hoarding cash and putting off purchases, even of necessities. Automakers, airlines, and clothing retailers, among others, are battling back with a slew of guarantees, rebates, and freebies geared specifically to those who might get laid off or already have been.

WSJ: AIG Nearing a Deal to Sell Car-Insurance Unit to Zurich
American International Group Inc. is negotiating to sell a car-insurance unit to a major rival, Zurich Financial Services AG, and a deal could be announced as soon as Thursday.

Financial Times: Yahoo ready to sell Hot Jobs
Three months into her stint at the head of Yahoo, Carol Bartz is hastening her drive to streamline operations by disposing of ancillary businesses.

The CNN Washington Bureau’s morning speed read of the top stories making news from around the country and the world.

WASHINGTON/POLITICAL
For the latest political news: www.CNNPolitics.com.

CNN: Pirates attack U.S. cargo ship but fail to get aboard
The Liberty Sun, a U.S.-flagged cargo ship bound for Mombasa, Kenya, was attacked Tuesday night by Somali pirates, according to the company and senior U.S. military officials.

CNN: Obama administration opens door for Iran
One of the main stumbling blocks to talk with Iran has been the condition that Iran suspends its uranium enrichment. Now, the Obama administration may take that option off the table, at least for now.

CNN: Pentagon looks to move battle against pirates ashore
As the Defense Department weighs options to prevent a repeat of the drama that unfolded on the seas this weekend, those who patrol the waters say pirates must be rooted out before they leave land.

CNN: First dog Bo meets White House press corps
Bo the Portuguese water dog made his White House debut under cloudy skies Tuesday afternoon, spending several minutes taking his new family on a lively romp over the South Lawn with frequent stops for hearty sniffs at his new surroundings.

CNN: New York governor to propose legalizing same-sex marriage
Gov. David Paterson will announce plans Thursday to introduce same-sex marriage legislation in the state Assembly, according to an assemblyman who was asked to be present for the announcement.

Washington Post: At Summit of Americas, U.S. May Face World of Blame for Economy
President Obama plans to take his message of partnership to Latin America and the Caribbean this week, but he will face a group of leaders far less forgiving than their European counterparts were about the United States' central role in the global financial crisis.

Al Jazeera: Guantanamo detainee claims abuse
An inmate in the US prison facility at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, has told Al Jazeera that he has been beaten while in custody and had tear gas used on him after refusing to leave his cell.

WSJ: Obama Tilts to CIA on Memos
The Obama administration is leaning toward keeping secret some graphic details of tactics allowed in Central Intelligence Agency interrogations, despite a push by some top officials to make the information public, according to people familiar with the discussions.

WSJ: Banks Await Stress-Test Results
The Obama administration is considering making public some results of the stress tests being conducted on the country's 19 largest banks, said people familiar with the matter, a move that could help more clearly separate healthy banks from the weaklings.

NYT: Education Standards Likely to See Toughening
President Obama and his team have alternated praise for the goals of President George W. Bush’s No Child Left Behind law with criticism of its weaknesses, all the while keeping their own plans for the law a bit of a mystery.

The Weekly Standard: The Pauper Option
Democrats frequently claim that government-run health care is more affordable than privately run health care. Too often, Republicans don't challenge this wild assertion. If they don't start doing so, the costs will likely be extraordinary–both to Americans' finances and to their freedom.

McClatchy: After lapses, Justice orders retraining for its prosecutors
Attorney General Eric Holder launched a wide-ranging review Tuesday of his lawyers' compliance with evidence-sharing rules in response to a federal judge's scathing criticism of prosecutors' conduct in the corruption trial of former Alaska Sen. Ted Stevens.

Washington Post: Obama: Economy Gaining Traction
The president and the Federal Reserve chairman voiced cautious optimism yesterday that the economy could be beginning to stabilize. But the economy wasn't cooperating.

LA Times: Palin sees gas drilling as step to curb global warming
Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin acknowledged Tuesday that global warming was harming her state but said stepped-up natural-gas production could mitigate its effects.

US News & World Report: Is the GOP Waving Bye-Bye to Sarah Palin?
Worse than Dan Quayle before her, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin's bright star has fast faded in the eyes of Washington Republican officials and analysts, calling into question her efforts to become a national party figure ready to run for the White House. "She's just not ready for prime time," said a party strategist who has worked for former President Bush. "I mean, she's starting to look like she's having trouble being governor of Alaska." At issue is her weak debut, hampered by the mishandling of her by Sen. John McCain's campaign, and subsequent family issues such as the most recent tiff with Levi Johnston, the father of her first grandchild and ex-fiancé of her daughter Bristol.

Seattle Times: 9.2% unemployment "troubling" for state
Washington's economy is deteriorating at a pace not seen since modern record-keeping began more than three decades ago, according to the latest state jobs report.

Providence Journal: Gun sales spike in R.I. — on pace to hit 50% increase over 2008
Gun sales in Rhode Island spiked during 2008 to their highest level in at least a decade as firearms purchases in the state mimicked a national trend.

NATIONAL
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CNN: Right-wing extremism may be on rise, report says
Right-wing extremist groups may be using the recession and the election of the nation's first African-American president to recruit members, a Department of Homeland Security report contends.

CNN: NASA names cosmic treadmill after Colbert
What do you do when you're NASA and comedian Stephen Colbert wins your contest to name the new wing for the International Space Station? You name an orbital exercise machine after him.

CNN: Auction of Michael Jackson items called off
The controversial auction of Michael Jackson's property from his Neverland ranch has been canceled, and all of the items will be returned to Jackson, the auction organizer said.

Washington Post: A Racial Shift in Drug-Crime Prisoners
For the first time since crack cocaine sparked a war on drugs 20 years ago, the number of black Americans in state prisons for drug offenses has fallen sharply, while the number of white prisoners convicted for drug crimes has increased, according to a report released yesterday.

Financial Times: Hackers escalate thefts of financial data
Computer hackers stole more sensitive records last year than in the previous four combined, with ATM cards and PIN information growing in popularity as targets, according to a study released on Tuesday.

NYT: Governor to Offer Bill to Allow Gay Marriage
Gov. David A. Paterson plans to introduce legislation on Thursday to make marriage between same-sex couples legal in New York, advancing his push for greater rights for gay men and lesbians, at a time when other states have done so.

LA Times: Illegal immigration slowdown in California
In five years of social outreach at Our Lady Queen of Angels church in Los Angeles, Guillermo Armenta has always seen more parishioners stream into this historic haven for illegal immigrants than leave. Until now.

USA Today: Report: Most illegal immigrants' kids are U.S. citizens
Nearly three-quarters of illegal immigrants' children were born in the USA and are citizens, according to a report released Tuesday.

NYT: Insurance Lags as Cancer Care Comes in a Pill
Chuck Stauffer’s insurance covered the surgery to remove his brain tumor. It covered his brain scans. And it would have paid fully for tens of thousands of dollars of intravenous chemotherapy at a doctor’s office or hospital.

LA Times: L.A. Unified moves to cut 5,000 teachers and others
Los Angeles school district officials moved forward Tuesday with plans to lay off more than 5,000 teachers, counselors, custodians, clerks and other employees, but the battle over funding will rage on for weeks - affecting who goes, who stays and what schools and classrooms will look like for students next year.

NYT: Study Says a Rule Is Misused on Latinos
Many police officers in New Jersey are misusing a 2007 directive by the state’s attorney general by questioning the immigration status of Latino drivers, passengers, pedestrians and even crime victims, reporting them to federal immigration authorities and jailing some for days without criminal charges, according to a Seton Hall Law School study.

INTERNATIONAL
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CNN: U.S. decries N. Korea's 'provocative threats'
The White House on Tuesday upbraided North Korea, calling on the communist nation "to cease its provocative threats, to respect the will of the international community and to honor its international commitments and obligations."

CNN: Rights report cites abuses in Kurdish Iraq
The Kurdish region of Iraq has seen gains in human rights, but security forces "regularly abuse their authority" and women continue to be targets of violence, Amnesty International said Tuesday.

Bloomberg: North Korea Expels UN Inspectors After Ending Talks
North Korea ordered United Nations nuclear inspectors to leave the country “at the earliest possible time,” and said it will end disarmament talks as well as resume the reprocessing of spent atomic fuel.

London Times: Bogus foreign students free to flout new laws
Thousands of bogus students remain free to enter Britain despite new laws aimed at tightening controls on immigration. The Times has learnt that hundreds of colleges recently approved by the Home Office to accept non-EU students have not been inspected by its officers.

NYT: As Elections Near, Tightrope Awaits in India
Skinny, weathered peasants gathered berries falling from a butter tree as Rahul Gandhi, heir apparent to the governing Indian National Congress, drove across these baked plains, part of a hectic campaign tour to pitch his party as champions of the poor.

WSJ: Solution to Japan's Jobless Problem: Send City Workers Back to the Land
Kenji Oshima lost his job in February at a seat-belt factory. So he applied for a highly competitive job-training program in an area he felt had more potential: farming.

Al Jazeera: Haiti asks for recovery aid
Michele Duvivier Pierre-Louis, the prime minister of Haiti, has urged the global community to do more for the impoverished Caribbean island at a donor conference in Washington DC.

Telegraph UK: Parents to be hit with penalties if children misbehave at school
A three-year Government study into classroom behaviour will call for greater use of parenting contracts for mothers and fathers failing to keep children in line and £50 penalties for those condoning truancy.

CS Monitor: What terrorist threat? In Indian elections, local issues dominate.
All politics may be local, but India is taking the notion to an extreme: Voters this week head into national elections with no national issues dominating campaigns. In the world's largest democracy, many will choose members of parliament more for their attention to potholes down the street than to Pakistan.

BUSINESS
For the latest business news: www.CNNMoney.com.

CNN: UBS to cut 9,000 more jobs
Switzerland’s largest bank will shed nearly 9,000 more employees as it tries to recover from the global financial crisis, its CEO said Wednesday.

CNN: GM bonds: Big trouble for small investors
Harley VanDeloo, a 69-year old retiree in Thousand Oaks, Calif., has resigned himself to losing an important piece of his retirement income: interest payments from $25,000 worth of General Motors bonds.

NYT: Yahoo Is Said to Plan More Layoffs
Yahoo is planning a new round of layoffs, the first since Carol Bartz became chief executive in January, according to several people with knowledge of the situation.

Forbes: Ben Bernanke Wants Out
Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke is seeing "tentative signs" of economic improvement, which makes it time for the central bank to begin talking about its exit strategy.

Newsweek: Bankers vs. Economists
Which profession bears more blame for the global credit meltdown and its ensuing gazillion-dollar bailouts: bankers or economists? This isn't a trick question.

Boston Globe: Black-owned bank has few urban loans
Calling itself and other minority-owned banks a "rare beacon of hope" in their neighborhoods, OneUnited Bank of Boston last fall made an emotional plea to the US Treasury for help with millions of dollars in soured investments.

Business Week: Intel Says PC Demand 'Bottomed'
The worst of the damage that has beset the PC industry is over, says Paul Otellini, chief executive of the world's biggest chipmaker, Intel (INTC).

In Case You Missed It
To watch the latest interviews and reporting: http://www.cnn.com/video.

CNN: Meet Bo the dog
The first family parades their new pet before the cameras. CNN's Joe Johns is watching the media rush.

CNN: Kutcher challenges CNN
Actor Ashton Kutcher says if he beats CNN to 1,000,000 Twitter viewers he will 'ding dong ditch' Ted Turner.

CNN: Cuban illegal migration down
As the U.S. makes it easier for Cuban-Americans to visit the island, many Cubans are heading the other way. Morgan Neill reports.

The CNN Washington Bureau’s morning speed read of the top stories making news from around the country and the world.

WASHINGTON/POLITICAL
For the latest political news: www.CNNPolitics.com.

CNN: Obama eases Cuba travel restrictions

President Obama lifted all restrictions Monday on the ability of individuals to visit relatives in Cuba, as well as to send them remittances.

CNN: Obama didn't raise U.S. terrorist attack risk, most say in poll

A new poll indicates Americans don't agree with former Vice President Dick Cheney's recent assertion that President Obama's actions have increased the chances of a terrorist attack against the United States.

CNN: Activists gear up for national 'Tax Day Tea Party'

Legions of small-government, anti-tax activists around the country are mobilizing for a second wave of nationwide "Tea Party" demonstrations on Wednesday to protest the fiscal policies of the Obama administration.

CNN: Clinton to visit Haiti, announce $50 million in aid

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton this week turns the spotlight on the poorest country in the Americas: Haiti.

NYT: U.S. May Drop Key Condition for Talks With Iran

The Obama administration and its European allies are preparing proposals that would shift strategy toward Iran by dropping a longstanding American insistence that Tehran rapidly shut down nuclear facilities during the early phases of negotiations over its atomic program, according to officials involved in the discussions.

Jerusalem Post Exclusive: Israel, US to hold largest-ever joint missile defense drill

In the face of Iran's continued pursuit of nuclear capability, Israel and the United States will hold an unprecedented and massive exercise later this year to jointly test three different ballistic missile defense systems, The Jerusalem Post has learned.

Washington Post: Leaning on Fiat's Sense of Direction To Guide Chrysler

When corporate executives brief Wall Street analysts, they can usually be counted on to put their companies' performances in the best light. But Fiat's engaging chief executive Sergio Marchionne rarely minces words. After taking the wheel at the Italian automaker in 2004, he promised analysts he would do "radical surgery" because "we've got an organizational structure that needs to be snapped out of its stupor."

Washington Times: Steele takes gloves off in Obama attack

Republican National Chairman Michael S. Steele has launched a direct attack on President Obama in a new mass mailing, accusing the president of being part of the "blame America first" crowd, The Washington Times has learned.

NYT: Labor Groups Reach an Accord on Immigration

The nation’s two major labor federations have agreed for the first time to join forces to support an overhaul of the immigration system, leaders of both organizations said on Monday. The accord could give President Obama significant support among unions as he revisits the stormy issue in the midst of the recession.

Washington Post: U.S. Appears Set To Boycott U.N. Session on Racism

The Obama administration appears to be standing by its decision to boycott the World Conference Against Racism next week in Geneva, despite efforts to focus and tone down language in a draft conference document viewed as hostile toward Israel.

Bloomberg: Latin America to Push Obama on Cuba Embargo at Summit

When Barack Obama arrives at the fifth Summit of the Americas this week, Cuba will be at the heart of the U.S. relationship with the rest of the hemisphere, exactly as it has been for half a century.

Business Week: A Telecom Opening in Cuba

President Barack Obama's decision to allow U.S. telecommunications companies to obtain licenses to operate in Cuba is a cautious first step toward any possible thaw in U.S. trade relations with the Caribbean nation, trade experts say. But Obama held back from bolder steps that he could have taken.

LA Times: Portuguese water dogs play key role in genetics research

Nobody knows Bo like geneticists know Bo.

NYT: Investigators Take Closer Look at Rep. Jackson in Blagojevich Case

Representative Jesse L. Jackson Jr. went to see the Illinois governor in December to press for an appointment to the United States Senate seat being vacated by Barack Obama. Mr. Jackson took along a black binder filled with letters of support, poll numbers and lists of his accomplishments over 13 years in Congress.

Chicago Tribune: Indicted Blagojevich to be arraigned Tuesday

Former Gov. Rod Blagojevich is scheduled to make his first appearance in federal court Tuesday since he stood before a judge in a jogging suit just hours after his December arrest on corruption charges.

Washington Post: Fenty-Council Ticket Spat Returns With the Spring

In baseball, this is what you might call another kind of lockout. Several D.C. Council members said they and some of their constituents were kept away from yesterday's home opener at Nationals Park because Mayor Adrian M. Fenty (D) was withholding 19 tickets to their suite at the stadium.

USA Today: Al Gore on board for $20M stem cell venture

Former vice president Al Gore is entering the stem cell arena with an announcement today of a $20 million biotech venture in the hot area of "induced pluripotent" stem cells.

NATIONAL
For the latest national news: www.CNN.com.

CNN: Police: Child found in submerged luggage may have been raped

A Sunday school teacher accused of killing a Tracy, California girl may also have raped the 8-year-old, authorities say.

CNN: Phil Spector found guilty of actress' 2003 murder

After about 30 hours of deliberation, a jury on Monday convicted music producer Phil Spector of second-degree murder in the death of actress Lana Clarkson more than six years ago.

CNN: 3 'phenomenal shots' ended pirate hostage crisis

In the end, it was a single moment that brought the hostage crisis to its dramatic finish.

CNN: Passenger lands turboprop plane after pilot dies

It's a nightmarish scenario straight out of the movies: A passenger is forced to land a plane after its pilot becomes incapacitated.

WSJ: Smaller Cars Get Low Grades

Drivers have long wondered how size affects safety in car crashes. Many small cars perform well in safety tests but appear, intuitively at least, to be at a disadvantage in collision with larger vehicles.

Lexington Herald-Leader: Car battery plant to employ 2,000

A consortium of more than 50 companies wants to build an advanced car battery manufacturing plant in Kentucky that would cost more than $600 million and employ as many as 2,000 people.

WSJ: The Safety Lessons of Columbine, Re-Examined

The carnage at Columbine High on April 20, 1999, prompted a swift and aggressive response around the U.S.

Baltimore Sun: Legislature passes immigrant driver's license bill

Illegal immigrants would be stripped of Maryland driver's licenses by 2015 under a last-minute legislative compromise that seeks to end the state's status as a haven for foreigners seeking government-backed credentials.

USA Today: New oil with zero trans fat could revolutionize frying

What may be the next big thing in the quest for the perfect low-fat french fry will sprout from Iowa ground this summer.

WSJ: Harassment Is Said to Persist at a Mint Branch

Female employees say little has changed three years after the Denver branch of the U.S. Mint agreed to make its work environment less hostile toward women, according to a filing Monday with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.

LA Times: AIDS patients in the South find little support

Sheila Holt moved to this small town from New Jersey two years ago to take care of her ailing mother. But as a former heroin addict with HIV, she found that rebuilding her life in the South was harder than she had imagined.

INTERNATIONAL

For the latest international news: http://edition.cnn.com/

CNN: U.N. condemns North Korean rocket launch

The U.N. Security Council on Monday adopted a declaration condemning North Korea for launching a rocket earlier this month.

CNN: Pirates vow to kill U.S., French sailors

Two pirates in Somalia vowed revenge Monday, after the U.S. military killed three pirates and freed a U.S. ship captain who had been held hostage for several days.

CNN: Poland hostel fire kills at least 21

Polish authorities declared Tuesday a day of mourning after a massive hostel fire killed 21 people.

London Times: Student visa scam allowing terror suspects into Britain

A suspected terrorist linked to an alleged al-Qaeda plot to attack Manchester was a student at a bogus college that sold places on fake courses to hundreds of Pakistanis seeking entry to Britain.

BBC: Journalist goes on trial in Iran

An Iranian-American journalist accused of spying in Iran went on trial this week and a verdict is expected soon, an Iranian official has said.

NYT: Allied Militants Threaten Pakistan’s Populous Heart

Taliban insurgents are teaming up with local militant groups to make inroads in Punjab, the province that is home to more than half of Pakistanis, reinvigorating an alliance that Pakistani and American authorities say poses a serious risk to the stability of the country.

CS Monitor: Where will captured Somali pirate get justice?

Justice Department officials are examining a trove of evidence against the lone surviving Somali who allegedly helped hold an American captain for ransom off the coast of Somalia.

The Economist: Thailand's ugly crisis

The Thai new year dawned on Monday April 13th not with water fights but with live rounds and tear gas as the army moved against red-shirted protesters who last week had seized control of much of the government district of Bangkok, laying siege to Government House, the prime minister’s seat.

London Times: Regrets, but no apology from Brown over e-mails sent by Damian McBride

Gordon Brown bowed to pressure and expressed his “great regret” last night over a smear campaign planned by his former head of strategy and planning in No 10.

McClatchy: Iraq, once a country of fervent readers, now starves for books

When Maysoon Kadhim began working on her master's thesis at Baghdad University two years ago, she braced for the challenge. After all, her paper's subject is Shakespeare, whose prose can perplex even native English speakers.

Times of India: Dubai claims world's first cloned camel

The United Arab Emirates today claimed its own version of Dolly the sheep, the world's first cloned mammal, after the birth of a cloned camel in Dubai this month.

BUSINESS
For the latest business news: www.CNNMoney.com.

CNN: Goldman reports $1.8 billion profit

Goldman Sachs reported a much stronger-than-expected first-quarter profit Monday, bouncing back from its worst quarter as a public company.

CNN: GM recalling 1.5 million cars over fire fears

The possibility of engine fires has prompted General Motors to recall nearly 1.5 million passenger sedans manufactured between 1997 and 2003, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration announced Monday.

CNN: Geithner to host global finance meeting

Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner will host a meeting of international finance ministers next week, the Treasury Department said Monday.

WSJ: Tax Refunds Give Boost to Consumer Spending

Individual federal tax refunds are way up this year, helping to buttress consumer spending amid the recession. But the refund-fueled boost could wear off within a few weeks, posing a challenge to recovery.

Financial Times: Global ad spending to fall by 7%

Declines in global advertising will be much worse than expected, says a leading media buyer , which will on Tuesday unveil the grimmest forecasts yet seen for the advertising market and traditional media companies.

Washington Post: Fewer Funds Are Raising Capital for Start-Ups

Only 40 venture capital funds nationwide raised money during the first three months of the year, marking the lowest level of institutional funding in six years.

Financial Times: SEC to review whether BofA broke the law

The Securities and Exchange Commission is reviewing whether Bank of America broke the law by not telling shareholders about Merrill Lynch’s plan to pay out $3.6bn in bonuses before they voted for a government-backed merger of the two banks.

Bloomberg: Life Insurers Profit as Retirees Fear Outliving Cash

Sales of so-called immediate annuities are climbing as retirees are drawn to lifetime payments guaranteed by U.S. insurance companies.

Forbes: Some Banks Should Stay Under The TARP

Banks are racing to repay government funds handed to them under the Treasury Department's Troubled Asset Relief Program, but shareholders may want them to hold onto that money for a while.

Business Week: The Fragile Flight of the Twitterlings

Twitter executives don't disclose much about their plans to make money from the microblogging site. But that's not stopping scores of other companies trying to build their own businesses on the back of the increasingly popular communication tool. Take Tweetie, whose downloadable software makes Twitter available on Apple's (AAPL) iPhone. Sales of the $2.99 application have been climbing "exponentially," says developer Loren Brichter.

In Case You Missed It
To watch the latest interviews and reporting: http://www.cnn.com/video.

CNN: Is Cuba ready for U.S. tourists?

Some think there's work to do before U.S. tourists hit Havana streets. Morgan Neill reports.

CNN: Stimulus dollars at work

President Obama says stimulus spending is coming in ahead of schedule. CNN's Jessica Yellin takes a look.

CNN: Chef keeps it simple

Former White House chef David MacFarlane talks about his new restaurant. CNN's Chris Welch reports.

CNN: Teens stay clean at special HS

Recovering teens can go to special high schools to help them stay clean. Dr. Sanjay Gupta reports.

The CNN Washington Bureau’s morning speed read of the top stories making news from around the country and the world.

WASHINGTON/POLITICAL
For the latest political news: www.CNNPolitics.com.

CNN: General: U.S. should be out of Iraq by late 2011
Gen. Ray Odierno, the top U.S. military commander in Iraq, said Sunday he believes U.S. troops will be out of the country by the end of 2011.

CNN: Official: Obama granted use of appropriate force to rescue captain
President Obama granted two separate requests from the Defense Department to go forward with a military operation to rescue Captain Richard Phillips, an administration official tells CNN.

CNN: Obama daughters to get Portuguese water dog named 'Bo'
The frenzy over the First Dog is finally over. The Obamas are welcoming a Portuguese water dog to the White House that Sasha and Malia have named "Bo," according to two Democratic sources familiar with the secretive process.

CNN: Arizona State apologizes for degree flap, honors Obama
Arizona State University appeared to backtrack Saturday in the controversy over not giving President Barack Obama an honorary degree, and said it would pay tribute to the president by expanding its most important scholarship program and naming it after him.

Washington Post: An Early Military Victory for Obama
It was one of the earliest tests of the new American president - a small military operation off the coast of a Third World nation. But as President Bill Clinton found out in October 1993, even minor failures can have long-lasting consequences.

NYT: Plan to Change Student Lending Sets Up a Fight
The private student lending industry and its allies in Congress are maneuvering to thwart a plan by President Obama to end a subsidized loan program and redirect billions of dollars in bank profits to scholarships for needy students.

LA Times: Obama is urged to take the wheel on infrastructure
Two prominent governors, California's Arnold Schwarzenegger and Pennsylvania's Edward G. Rendell, sent a memo to President Obama saying he needed to assert more political leadership instead of leaving it to Congress to draft a plan for improving the nation's aging highways, bridges and ports.

Bloomberg: Schwarzenegger Debt Defies Academics as Negotiations Trump Bids
Utah and Georgia saved money for taxpayers by selling AAA-rated bonds in the first quarter through private negotiations with banks, even though more than a dozen studies show such transactions may increase costs.

LA Times: Republican in Obama's corner
When President Obama needs to reach out to the political opposition, Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood often gets the call to be the go-between.

Washington Post: Give-and-Take With Emanuel Advances President's Agenda
As the House and Senate debated the budget earlier this month, Rahm Emanuel's spacious West Wing office took on the feel of a legislative bazaar.

Denver Post: Bill pushes all-paper voting
State lawmakers have introduced a bill that would push Colorado toward an all-paper election system, but the measure doesn't contain a hard deadline for achieving such a system.

WSJ Op-ED: Fleischer: Everyone Should Pay Income Taxes
If you thought Bernard Madoff's Ponzi scheme was bad, wait until you hear about the inverted pyramid scheme the federal government is working on. While Mr. Madoff preyed on people who trusted him with their money, the federal government has everyone's money, and the implications of its actions are worse.

NYT: Should Online Scofflaws Be Denied Web Access?
Is Internet access a fundamental human right? Or is it a privilege, carrying with it a responsibility for good behavior?

Boston Globe: Electronic health records raise doubt
When Dave deBronkart, a tech-savvy kidney cancer survivor, tried to transfer his medical records from Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center to Google Health, a new free service that lets patients keep all their health records in one place and easily share them with new doctors, he was stunned at what he found.

Washington Post Op-Ed: Donley & Schwartz: Moving Beyond the F-22
The debate over whether to continue production of the F-22 Raptor has been one of the most politically charged and controversial budget issues in recent memory, spawning lobbying efforts that include contractor-sponsored newspaper ads and letter-writing campaigns.

Newsweek: Palin and the Wolves
Deep in Alaska's interior, Fortymile Country is what you visualize when you think of the nation's 49th state: rugged, cold and heartbreakingly lonely, a feeling heightened by the occasional howl of a wolf. But there was another sound in the area last weekend: the whir of a helicopter, carrying a steady-handed state employee looking to target those wolves in the sights of his 12-gauge shotgun. This time the hunters came back empty-handed, but last month they killed 84 wolves in the area.

Denver Post: Balm generates lip-smacking appeal in economy
When the economy goes south, Americans apparently reach for the lip balm.

NATIONAL
For the latest national news: www.CNN.com.
CNN: Hostage captain rescued; Navy snipers kill 3 pirates
U.S. Navy snipers fatally shot three pirates holding an American cargo-ship captain hostage after seeing that one of the pirates "had an AK-47 leveled at the captain's back," a military official said Sunday.

CNN: Family, academy express relief after captain's rescue
For four days, an American sea captain and four Somali pirates rode the waves of the Indian Ocean in an enclosed lifeboat, far out of sight of most of the world.

CNN: 5 dead in Florida boating accident, official says
Five people were killed in a boating accident near Jacksonville, Florida, Sunday, a rescue official said.

CNN: Family of slaying suspect says charges 'out of character'
The family of a woman who faces charges of killing an 8-year-old playmate of her daughter's said Sunday the accusations are "completely out of character." The Tracy, California, family offered their prayers to the victim's family.

WSJ: Auto Thefts Plague Border Region
This city along the Rio Grande is on the verge of becoming the stolen-car capital of the U.S., according to data set for release Monday that underscore how drug cartels are helping make the U.S.-Mexico border region a hot spot for vehicle thieves.

Washington Post: A Possible Step Toward Setting the Biological Clock
Scientists have produced strong new evidence challenging one of the most fundamental assumptions in biology: that female mammals, including women, are born with all the eggs they will ever have.

LA Times: Fraud infects state in-home care program
Loose oversight and bureaucratic inertia have allowed fraud to fester in a rapidly expanding multibillion-dollar state program that provides personal caregivers to the impoverished elderly and disabled. Hundreds of reports of scams and swindles are going without investigation.

USA Today: Reflecting bad times, some lotteries hit losing streak
State lotteries are down on their luck as players cut back on games of chance.

Washington Post: Foreclosure Sales Stalled by Red Tape
Anxious to meet the bank's demands for quick action, Andrew Garcia and his fiancee, BethAnne Hoffmann, rushed to find financing to buy a foreclosed-on house in a lovely tree-lined Baltimore neighborhood.

LA Times: Recession closes in on chicken farmers
Four years ago, Andrew Meeks literally bet the farm on chickens. Now he fears he made a losing bet.

Boston Globe: Amid layoffs, child support pacts fraying
A Massachusetts family court system that is strained during the best of times and taxed with implementing new child-support guidelines faces another challenge: divorced parents seeking relief from – or enforcement of – support arrangements as their financial and employment situations deteriorate.

USA Today: Reality show on DNA exoneration stirs ethics issues
For the first time, reality TV will explore the growing use of DNA evidence to exonerate the wrongly convicted, in a series that is raising ethical questions before its first episode airs this month.

Chicago Tribune: Public libraries: Poor hygiene might get you tossed
Patrons of the Schaumburg Township District Library have never been allowed to bring in the noise. Now they can't bring in the funk.

Newsweek: A Racial Divide
Todd Bowen, a 42-year-old father of seven, has been visiting the In the Cut barbershop in Inglewood, Calif., every two weeks for seven years. He likes to look good, but he never expected his tonsorial routine to save his life. In February, Bowen arrived at the shop to find not only his barbers, but also a doctor doing on-the-spot testing for hypertension and diabetes. Bowen, who is uninsured, had never been tested for either; that day he tested positive for both, with a blood-pressure reading of 160/89. "I was all shaken up when I saw where I was on the scale and where I was supposed to be," Bowen says. "I thought I was invincible, immune. If they wouldn't have been there, I wouldn't have gotten tested. I wouldn't have went out of my way. It was God's will for that to happen to me."

INTERNATIONAL
For the latest international news: http://edition.cnn.com/
CNN: Protesters step up violence in Thailand
Thai army soldiers fired a volley of gunshots on Monday on the streets of Bangkok as they advanced toward anti-government protesters demanding Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva step down. It was not immediately known whether the troops fired rubber bullets or live gunshots.

CNN: Saudi judge refuses to annul 8-year-old's marriage
A Saudi judge has refused for a second time to annul a marriage between an 8-year-old girl and a 47-year-old man, a relative of the girl told CNN.

CNN: Survivors of deadly Italian quake mark somber Easter
Mass in a tent village. Handouts of donated chocolate Easter eggs, and a holiday lunch consisting of aid food.

CNN: Police: 14 die in rebel siege in India
Four suspected Maoists and 10 federal security officers died in an hours-long shootout Monday in eastern India.

NYT: China Slows Purchases of U.S. and Other Bonds
Reversing its role as the world’s fastest-growing buyer of United States Treasuries and other foreign bonds, the Chinese government actually sold bonds heavily in January and February before resuming purchases in March, according to data released during the weekend by China’s central bank.

Al Jazeera: Hezbollah 'plotted to attack Egypt'
Egypt has accused Hezbollah of plotting to attack tourists at resorts in the Sinai Peninsula – days after Cairo said 49 men had been arrested for allegedly being linked to the Lebanese armed political group.

BBC: Pressure mounts on PM over smears
Pressure is mounting on Gordon Brown to explain who was involved in drafting e-mails sent by a senior adviser which discussed smears against senior Tories.

Jerusalem Post: Gaza fishing boat explodes in apparent attempted terror attack
A booby-trapped Palestinian fishing boat exploded off the Gaza coast as it headed north toward Israeli territory in an apparent attempted terror attack on Monday morning, the IDF said. No one was wounded in the incident.

CS Monitor: NATO, US seek alternatives to Pakistan supply routes
Militants attacked a supply depot Sunday in Pakistan that serves Western forces in Afghanistan, increasing the pressure for US and NATO officials to find alternatives to their beleaguered supply lines.

BUSINESS
For the latest business news: www.CNNMoney.com.

CNN: Wall St. to Goldman: Remove the TARP
Wall Street is counting down to Tuesday morning, when Goldman Sachs is due to report quarterly earnings. But the firm's first-quarter profits aren't the main source of suspense.

CNN: 8 cars for under $18,000
The term "Econobox" just doesn't mean what it used to anymore. These days, you can get a lot more in a small box than anyone would have thought just a few years ago.

WSJ: Oil Industry Braces for Drop in U.S. Thirst for Gasoline
Since Henry Ford began mass production of the Model T nearly a century ago, car-loving Americans have gulped ever-increasing volumes of gasoline. A growing number of industry players believe that era is over.

Financial Times: Goldman raises $5.5bn to buy up discounted private equity holdings
Goldman Sachshas raised $5.5bn (£3.72bn) for a fund to buy discounted private equity holdings – the largest amount raised for a fund of this type – as investors anticipate a flood of forced sellers looking to offload private equity stakes.

WSJ: Bailed-Out Banks Face Probe Over Fee Hikes
The committee overseeing federal banking-bailout programs is investigating the lending practices of institutions that received public funds, following a rash of complaints about increases in interest rates and fees.

NYT: Parental Controls Come to the Car
Think of it as PG-rated driving: MyKey, a new technology system that Ford demonstrated at the New York auto show, allows parents of teenage drivers to restrict what their offspring can do with the family car — in a minimal, not-so-intrusive way, of course.

Bloomberg: Microsoft Lands a Big Cable Fish as Clients Clamor for New Ads
Microsoft Corp. beat Yahoo! Inc. and Google Inc.’s YouTube for a seven figure advertising campaign with Discovery Communications Inc., its first to simultaneously combine Internet, mobile and video-game ads.

Chicago Tribune: Travel discounts for the jobless
Pink slip travelers? Furlough tourists? Jobless vacationers?

Business Week: U.S. Marketers Say Hola! to Hispanic Consumers
What do Procter & Gamble (PG), Johnson & Johnson (JNJ), Verizon (VZ), and General Mills (GIS) have in common? All are pouring more advertising dollars into marketing aimed at Hispanics. Last year, General Mills tripled its spending on commercials on Spanish-language TV to more than $35 million, according to ad tracker TNS Media Intelligence. "We've gone aggressively into Hispanic marketing," explains the food company's Chief Marketing Officer Mark Addicks, "because we're getting double-digit sales gains."

Washington Post: Plagued by Debt, Six Flags Faces Its Own Wild Ride
Four years after waging a brutal proxy battle to become chairman of Six Flags, Redskins owner Daniel Snyder and his management team face a summer that could produce the kind of queasiness riders feel zooming around on the company's Superman roller coasters.

Bloomberg: Financial Geniuses Now Fit to Be Fed to Lecter: Albert R. Hunt
Used-car salesmen, lawyers and journalists can relax; they’ve been replaced as America’s favorite villains by corporate executives, or at least investment bankers.

In Case You Missed It
To watch the latest interviews and reporting: http://www.cnn.com/video.

CNN: Top U.S. general on Iraq
Gen. Ray Odierno, the top U.S. military commander on the ground in Iraq, speaks with CNN's John King about Iraq.

CNN: Salazar searches for energy
CNN's John King tours the ocean with Interior Secretary Ken Salazar to find ways to fuel the future.

CNN: China adoptions down by half
The number international adoptions in China is dropping. CNN's Emily Chang reports

CNN: YouTube fulfills 96 dreams
YouTube users chose 96 people who get to perform at Carnegie Hall. CNN's Josh Levs reports.

WASHINGTON/POLITICAL
For the latest political news: wwwcnnpolitics.com

CNN: Obama wants another $83 billion for Iraq, Afghanistan

The Obama administration will ask Congress for another $83.4 billion to fund the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan through the end of September, Democratic congressional sources said Thursday.

CNN: Sources: Obama to move ahead on immigration reform

The White House is planning to start addressing the nation's immigration system as early as May, two senior administration officials said Thursday.

CNN: 'Unapproved' morphine to stay on market, FDA rules

A form of liquid morphine used by terminally ill patients will remain on the market even though it is an "unapproved drug," according to a decision by the Food and Drug Administration.

CNN: Obama announces new veterans' medical records system

The federal government is establishing a new system for updating medical records of servicemen and women during and after their military careers, President Obama announced Thursday.

CNN: GOP lawmakers blast Cuba visit by Black Caucus members

A pair of Republican congressmen ripped Congressional Black Caucus members for ignoring Cuba's "myriad gross human rights abuses" Thursday, saying this week's caucus trip to the island nation ignored the plight of political prisoners under the Castro regime.

CNN: Arizona State students scalping Obama commencement tickets

Many Arizona State University seniors are relishing the chance to invite relatives to see President Obama give their commencement address.

Washington Post: Obama Pledges New Data System for Veterans

President Obama said yesterday that his administration will create an electronic record for veterans that will "contain their administrative and medical information from the day they first enlist to the day that they are laid to rest."

WSJ: Economic Meeting Sets Stage for More Aggressive Action

President Barack Obama's meeting on Friday with top government economic officials likely sets the stage for more aggressive White House action soon on the economy, despite emerging signs of hope.

US News & World Report: Obama's Journey from Charismatic to Polarizing

When he ran for president, Barack Obama was one of the most inspirational candidates in a long time, able to draw huge numbers of new voters to the polls by engaging them with a message of change and hope.

Washington Post: For a Limited Time, Something Better Than a Slap Chop

You might have thought that Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton had retired her $6 million presidential campaign debt a long time ago. Apparently not, judging from an e-mail we got from Hillary Clinton for President announcing a lottery - only $5 a ticket - and offering as prizes a day with Bill Clinton in New York, a trip to the "American Idol" finale in Los Angeles or a flight here for you and a guest for a tour of D.C. with political operatives and commentators James Carville and Paul Begala.

NYT: Mayor Trusts Youngest Deputy to Run City, or Chase a Thief

Driving through the South Bronx last summer, Deputy Mayor Edward Skyler spotted a man illegally washing car windshields at a stoplight.

Washington Times: Climate bill could trigger lawsuit landslide

Self-proclaimed victims of global warming or those who "expect to suffer" from it – from beachfront property owners to asthmatics – for the first time would be able to sue the federal government or private businesses over greenhouse gas emissions under a little-noticed provision slipped into the House climate bill.

Washington Post: Judge in Stevens Dismissal Known for Tenacity

U.S. District Judge Emmet G. Sullivan was irate when he accused the Justice Department of "hiding the ball" after its lawyers did not produce a document that undercut a key witness.

Chicago Tribune: Obama refinancing would be bad move, experts say

As President Barack Obama on Thursday talked up the economic benefits from the wave of home refinancing sweeping the nation, a mortgage broker said he and First Lady Michelle Obama would likely do well to stand pat with the 30-year mortgage they have on their stately mansion in Chicago.

Slate.com: Czar Obama

President Barack Obama's claim to czarlike powers in a perpetual global war against international terrorism has been blunted by a judicial appointee of former President George W. Bush. Last week, in the case Fadi al Maqaleh, United States District Judge John D. Bates denied that President Obama could make suspected "enemy combatants" disappear into the Bagram Theater Internment Facility at Bagram Airfield in Afghanistan without an opportunity for exoneration. (While President Obama has abandoned the term enemy combatant for Guantanamo Bay detainees, he has retained the label for detainees held elsewhere.)

CNN: White House hit by swarm of bees

The Secret Service is always on the alert for aerial assaults — but on Thursday, White House grounds were hit by one unexpected airborne threat.

CNN: Sanford hits airwaves to make stimulus case

South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford is firing back against critics who say he should accept the entire $2.8 billion in federal stimulus funds allotted to his state, launching a one-minute TV spot in which he argues a substantial portion of the money will only saddle the state with further debt.

NATIONAL
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CNN: U.S. negotiators try to persuade pirates to free captain

Negotiators aboard a U.S. Navy warship are trying to secure the release of an American freighter captain who is being held by pirates on a lifeboat off the coast of Somalia, according to Maersk Line Ltd.

CNN: Despite U.S. policy, nothing stops ransom payment, expert says

Despite a hardline U.S. policy, there is no reason why federal officials can't negotiate directly with pirates who are holding a U.S. captain hostage off Somalia, a counterterrorism expert said Thursday.

CNN: Island DIY: Kauai residents don't wait for state to repair road

Their livelihood was being threatened, and they were tired of waiting for government help, so business owners and residents on Hawaii's Kauai island pulled together and completed a $4 million repair job to a state park - for free.

CNN: Whale makes appearance off New York's coast

'Unapproved' morphine to stay on market, FDA rules. A 30- to 40-foot humpback whale surfaced in the not-quite-pristine waters just north of New York City's Verrazano Bridge on Thursday morning, according to the Coast Guard.

NYT: More Squatters Are Calling Foreclosures Home

When the woman who calls herself Queen Omega moved into a three-bedroom house here last December, she introduced herself to the neighbors, signed contracts for electricity and water and ordered an Internet connection.

Washington Post: New SAT Policy Can Keep Low Scores From Reaching Colleges

Legions of high school students equipped with No. 2 pencils have done battle with the SAT, but a new policy is easing the stress for college-bound teenagers. If they take the test more than once, they can send their favorite set of scores with applications and ignore the rest.

LA Times: Some rays of sunshine for the economy

After months of nearly unmitigated gloom, glimmers of improvement are emerging in the U.S. economy.

USA Today: Open house, anyone? 1 in 9 homes sit empty

The white notice taped to the front window of a luxury home in the Vasaro subdivision is a telltale sign.

Newsweek: The New Survivor Guilt

For Betsy Storm, things aren't so bad. The communications firm she runs is flush with clients, and even though her husband's company was acquired earlier this year, he's managed to hold on to his job and his salary. In this economy, the Chicago couple's story is something of an anomaly: two 50-somethings who haven't seen their savings completely vanish or had to kiss their retirement plans goodbye. And that's why Betsy feels terrible. "Within the last four months, my three best friends have lost their jobs," she says. "And it's awkward. My husband and I can't be too excited right now."

Denver Post: Training programs put older workers back on the job

This recession has beaten down many older workers and retirees. Sylvester Barron picks them up, dusts them off and helps the unemployed find jobs.

Boston Globe: Partners curbs doctors' drug industry ties

Doctors at Partners HealthCare may no longer accept gifts and meals from drug and device firms, or travel the country as paid members of company "speakers bureaus," as the state's largest hospital and physician network adopts tougher restrictions to counter industry's influence over the drugs and treatments physicians prescribe.

LA Times: New push for national registry for arsonists

As a federal prosecutor, Rep. Adam B. Schiff (D-Burbank) struggled to tie an accused arsonist to a string of fires in the San Bernardino National Forest.

Washington Post: Stimulus Aid Being Doled Out, Slowly

Building repairs are underway on public housing in Imboden, Ark., and Cumberland, Ill., states across the country are receiving money to weatherize the homes of low-income residents, and the Silver Star Construction Co. is about to start work on two road-resurfacing projects in south-central Oklahoma with a total cost of $12 million.

USA Today: Spending cuts hit summertime fun

Tight budgets are squeezing some of the fun out of summer.

Boston Globe: Beth Israel faulted for staph outbreak in mothers, babies

Over the past six months, 18 mothers and 19 newborns have become sick with a dangerous bacterial infection soon after being released from Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, triggering a state investigation that uncovered serious problems with the hospital's infection control practices.

NYT: With More Rooms Empty, Hotels Seek to Cut Worker Pay

With the city’s hotels in the midst of a sudden slowdown in business, operators are seeking wage cuts and other concessions from the unions representing 27,500 bellhops, housekeepers and waiters.

Washington Post: Food Safety Efforts Have Stalled in Recent Years, CDC Says

Efforts to reduce the number of food-borne illnesses in the United States have stalled in the past three years, and some illnesses are on the upswing, giving new urgency to efforts to reform the nation's food safety system, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported yesterday.

LA Times: Global warming endangers U.S. corn production, study says

Global warming could rob the U.S. economy of $1.4 billion a year in lost corn production alone, a national environmental group estimated in a report released Thursday.

USA Today: Free clinics fill medical void

By his analysis, Edward Boyer should be dead. Boyer, who lost his health insurance with his factory job last May, is an insulin-dependent diabetic who says he can't afford his medicine. He has a new job, working part-time in the kitchen of a chain-store restaurant, but can't afford insurance, he says.

Washington Times: Pets left homeless as owners face foreclosure

Brownie, Sergeant, Sophia and Mia are new residents at the Loudoun County Animal Shelter, near Leesburg, Va. These dogs and cats are there for the same reason: Their owners are moving.

LA Times: $40,500 reward offered in shooting of 2 California condors

The shotgun shooting of two California condors has prompted a large reward - as well as a spat between federal wildlife investigators and a private detective hired by an environmental group.

Boston Globe: For those who live and breathe chocolate, a puff

Chocoholics rejoice: A Harvard professor has invented a calorie-free way of experiencing the sweet obsession – by inhaling it.

Denver Post: Bad economy good deal for baseball fans

John Henry, a self-professed 49-year-old baseball fanatic, purchased six Rockies tickets Thursday morning at Coors Field. Because tickets for this afternoon's home opener against the Phillies were sold out more than a month ago, he settled for seats to Saturday night's game.

Times of India: Forget college, attend classes on YouTube

College too expensive? Try YouTube. It might seem counterintuitive to look for higher education alongside Avril Lavigne music videos, but the video-sharing site has become a major reservoir of college content.

Dallas Morning News: Flood of food stamp applications slows state's conversion to new software

State social services officials, buffeted by a recession-driven surge in food stamp applications, have postponed further expansion of a troubled software system for handling requests for public assistance.

INTERNATIONAL

For the latest international news: www.cnn.com/WORLD/

CNN: U.S. not lined up to defeat al Qaeda, top official warns

The nation's chief counterterrorism official says despite a "seriously diminished" threat to the homeland, the U.S. government is still not properly organized to support the "team" effort needed to defeat al Qaeda.

CNN: Japan extends sanctions against North Korea

Japan has tightened economic sanctions against North Korea to punish the communist regime for its recent rocket launch, Japanese government officials said Friday.

CNN: China executes 2 for attack before Olympics

Two men were executed Thursday for an attack on police that killed 17 in northwestern China in the run-up to the 2008 Olympics, state-run media reported.

Telegraph UK: Al-Qaeda terror plot to bomb Easter shoppers

Sources told The Daily Telegraph that the arrests of 12 men in the north west of England on Wednesday were linked to a suspected plan to launch a devastating attack this weekend.

McClatchy: Celebrating freedom: Thousands of Iraqis rally against U.S.

Six years after the U.S. overthrew Saddam Hussein's government, tens of thousands of Iraqis gathered in the rain in Iraq's capital Thursday to mark the anniversary and renew calls for an American withdrawal.

WSJ: Is It Safe to Go to Mexico?

Teresa Bitler thought about spending Easter this year lounging on the beach in Puerto Penasco, Mexico, with her husband and two daughters. Then she changed her mind.

BBC: Water cut off in Mexican capital

Mexico City officials have shut down a main pipeline providing fresh water to millions of residents because reserves have fallen to record low levels.

NYT: Mugabe Aides Are Said to Use Violence to Gain Amnesty

President Robert Mugabe’s top lieutenants are trying to force the political opposition into granting them amnesty for their past crimes by abducting, detaining and torturing opposition officials and activists, according to senior members of Mr. Mugabe’s party.

WSJ: India Defies Slump, Powered by Growth in Poor Rural States

This country's path out of the global economic turmoil may start here, among a community of outcastes who dine on rats.

BUSINESS
For the latest business news: www.CNNMoney.com.

CNN: GM: The good, the bad and the ugly

If General Motors goes into bankruptcy, many of its most iconic brands, such as Buick and Pontiac, might not survive.

CNN: Wells Fargo predicts a $3 billion profit

Wells Fargo delivered a much-needed bit of good news for the banking sector Thursday, saying it expected to book a better-than-expected profit of approximately $3 billion in the most recent quarter.

CNN: Government speeds up purchase of 17,600 fuel-efficient cars

The federal government will speed up its timetable for the purchase of roughly 17,600 fuel-efficient vehicles in an effort to help struggling domestic automakers, the White House announced Thursday.

WSJ: Goldman Seeks New Stock Sale

Goldman Sachs Group Inc., riding a rising market, is considering making a multibillion-dollar offering of its shares to investors as part of an effort to repay a $10 billion government loan, according to people familiar with the matter.

Bloomberg: Fed Said to Order Banks to Stay Mum on ‘Stress Test’ Results

The U.S. Federal Reserve has told Goldman Sachs Group Inc., Citigroup Inc. and other banks to keep mum on the results of “stress tests” that will gauge their ability to weather the recession, people familiar with the matter said.

Financial Times: Universal and YouTube agree video deal

Universal Music and YouTube have finalised plans for a premium music video site, a landmark agreement between the largest record label and the Google-owned video sharing site it had once threatened to sue.

WSJ: Banks Get Boost From Wells Fargo

Wells Fargo & Co. fueled a sharp rise by bank stocks after the San Francisco bank said it expects a profit of about $3 billion in the first quarter.

NYT: Yelp Will Let Businesses Respond to Web Reviews

Small businesses will soon feel a little more love in their love-hate relationship with Yelp, the Web site whose users post reviews of restaurants, dry cleaners and other local businesses.

Business Week: How Microsoft Is Fighting Back (Finally)

For 25 years, Microsoft (MSFT) held unquestioned dominance in the personal computer business. But last year the maker of the Windows operating system started to look like a weary, vulnerable champ. Fueled by iPhone-mania and the iconic "I'm a Mac" TV ads, Apple (AAPL) was nearing a double-digit share of the PC market. At the same time, a new generation of sub-$500 "netbooks" that ran on the free Linux operating system was taking off.

In Case You Missed It
To watch the latest interviews and reporting: http://www.cnn.com/video.

CNN: Bow or no bow?

Did America's president bow or didn't he? CNN's Jeanne Moos examines a gesture that's getting some bent out of shape.

CNN: Church in a bar

A Little Rock, Arkansas pastor plans to hold his church service in a bar. KTHV's Katherina Yancy reports.

CNN: Veterans and PTSD

Veterans groups talk about post-traumatic stress disorder to CNN's Kyra Phillips.

CNN exclusive: Alex Ferguson

Alex Ferguson talks to CNN's Pedro Pinto about life at MUFC, Cristiano Ronaldo and winning more European trophies.

WASHINGTON/POLITICAL
For the latest political news: www.CNNPolitics.com.

CNN: U.S. to join nuclear talks with Iran, State Department says

In a dramatic break from previous policy, the United States will join direct talks between U.N. and European powers and Iran over Tehran's nuclear program, the State Department announced Wednesday.

CNN: Clinton 'deeply concerned' about pirate attacks

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton late Wednesday called for international cooperation to combat piracy like this week's attack on a U.S. ship and crew off the coast of Somalia.

CNN: White House seder

Tomorrow night President Obama will attend what could be the first White House seder in the old family dining room of the residence, a White House official tells CNN. And it won't be the President's first.

CNN: Congressman denies Castro's 'racist' claim

A Missouri congressman is denying former Cuban president Fidel Castro's claim that a member of the fact-finding delegation described the U.S. as "racist."

CNN: Commentary: Liking Obama, opposing his White House

As I watched President Obama conduct a town hall meeting in Strasbourg, France, the other day, a chilling realization crossed my mind: I like the guy.

NYT: Obama to Push Immigration Bill Despite the Risks

While acknowledging that the recession makes the political battle more difficult, President Obama plans to begin addressing the country’s immigration system this year, including looking for a path for illegal immigrants to become legal, a senior administration official said on Wednesday.

Washington Post: Security-Clearance Checks For OPM Allegedly Falsified

Half a dozen investigators conducting security-clearance checks for the federal government have been accused of lying in the reports they submitted to the Office of Personnel Management, which handles about 90 percent of the background inquiries for more than 100 agencies.

NYT: U.S. Imagines the Bailout as an Investment Tool

During World War I, Americans were exhorted to buy Liberty Bonds to help their soldiers on the front.

WSJ: Obama Risks Liberal Backlash on War Funding

President Barack Obama plans to request new funding from Congress for the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan, but he risks a backlash from antiwar lawmakers.

LA Times: U.S. to join group negotiating with Iran

The Obama administration said Wednesday that it will for the first time become a regular participant in group negotiations aimed at curbing Iran's nuclear ambitions, another signal of its eagerness for talks with the Islamic Republic.

SF Chronicle: Greenhouse gases must be cut, Obama aide says

In sharp contrast to the low priority the Bush administration gave to global warming, President Obama's new science adviser said Wednesday that the world's industrialized nations must immediately cut greenhouse gas emissions to ward off the most extreme effects of climate change.

The Economist: Two cheers and a jeer

After Barack Obama’s first long jaunt abroad as president, Americans are in two minds. Some are delighted that so many foreigners love him. Others fret, like Machiavelli, that it is often better to be feared than loved, and that the people who ought to fear America don’t take Mr Obama seriously.

Chicago Tribune: White House wealth: President Barack Obama's team virtually all Chicago millionaires

When President Barack Obama moved into the White House earlier this year, he took several of his fellow Chicago millionaires with him.

WSJ Op-Ed: Rove: The President Has Become a Divisive Figure

The Pew Research Center reported last week that President Barack Obama "has the most polarized early job approval of any president" since surveys began tracking this 40 years ago. The gap between Mr. Obama's approval rating among Democrats (88%) and Republicans (27%) is 61 points. This "approval gap" is 10 points bigger than George W. Bush's at this point in his presidency, despite Mr. Bush winning a bitterly contested election.

Boston Globe: He's not buying bygones for Bush

One of the old hands in the US Senate, Democrat Pat Leahy of Vermont, likes to tell of the oversight hearing when a former Bush administration official tried to brush off an inquiry from the rookie senator from Rhode Island, Sheldon Whitehouse.

US News & World Report: Congress Sends Obama a Bill to Boost Community Service

There may not be much agreement in Congress about President Obama's plans for the budget, Detroit's struggling car companies, or, well, much of the rest of the economy. But last week, a bipartisan group of lawmakers found common ground on at least one issue close to Obama's heart: the importance of community service.

Washington Times: Did Madame Tussauds snub GOP first ladies?

After the fanfare surrounding first lady Michelle Obama's new wax figure at Madame Tussauds in downtown Washington Tuesday, we noticed something peculiar: No Republican first ladies have had the honor of being immortalized in wax at the museum.

NATIONAL
For the latest national news: www.CNN.com.

CNN: U.S. warship nears boat carrying pirates

A U.S. warship arrived before dawn Thursday near a 28-foot lifeboat holding four pirates and the kidnapped captain of a U.S.-flagged cargo ship, officials said.

CNN: Poll: Fewer Americans support stricter gun control laws

From Oakland, California, to Binghamton, New York, several mass shootings in recent weeks have killed dozens across the country. But has there been an effect on public opinion?

CNN: Christian doctors' group protests rolling back 'conscience' rule

An organization of Christian physicians argued Wednesday against an impending rollback of a federal rule allowing health care workers to refuse to provide certain reproductive services, saying it's discriminatory.

CNN: More job cuts likely in New York City

New York City's Office of Management and Budget announced Wednesday an additional round of layoffs may be necessary to offset the city's 2010 budget shortfall.

Washington Post: Studies Find A Way Adult Bodies May Fight Obesity

Three new studies show that most adults have unexpectedly large and active deposits of a calorie-burning type of fat that biologists once thought disappeared after infancy.

USA Today: Faster unemployment service on the way

For millions of jobless people dependent on unemployment benefits, the wait for help may be getting shorter.

WSJ: Gold-Plated Economy in Nevada Town Becomes Rare Beacon for the Jobless

Gold fever has inoculated this historic cow town from the state's economic malaise, making it an island of relative prosperity in a state flooded with unemployed workers.

USA Today: Cities cleaning, 'greening' urban alleys

Cities are starting to see the thousands of miles of alleys ways that line the backside of homes and buildings in a new light.

LA Times: U.S. citizens caught up in immigration sweeps

Rennison Vern Castillo thought his legal troubles were nearly over at the end of a jail stay for harassing his ex-girlfriend. But then a U.S. immigration hold order blocked his release.

NYT: Colleges in 3 States to Set Basics for Degrees

In the first American effort of its kind, universities and colleges in Indiana, Minnesota and Utah are starting pilot projects to make sure that degree programs in their states reflect a consensus about what specific knowledge and skills should be taught.

Boston Globe: Public schools to send home weight reports

Starting in the fall, public schools across Massachusetts will send reports home to parents alerting them if their child weighs too much or too little – the centerpiece of a campaign to shrink bulging waistlines and halt obesity-related diseases once rare in children.

WSJ: Dogged Pursuit: Professionals Find New Livelihood Selling Frankfurters

In hard times, some small-town Americans are turning to a new livelihood with relish.

LA Times: Federal officials ban salmon fishing off California coast

Federal fishery managers voted unanimously Wednesday to ban commercial salmon fishing off the coast of California for the second year in a row, a move some fishermen fear could imperil the industry's future in the name of saving it.

Forbes: Can This Man Fix The Housing Market?

Shaun Donovan has the worst job in Washington and doesn't seem to know it.

Boston Globe: New to the market

A growing number of first-time buyers are jumping into the housing market this spring because of falling prices, historically low mortgage rates, and an $8,000 federal tax credit.

Business Week: Chinese Investors Are Buying U.S. Homes

At the end of February, 40 wealthy Chinese embarked on a housing tour of the US. The trip, run by Soufun Holdings, one of China's largest real estate companies, kicked off in Boston and continued on to San Francisco, Los Angeles and New York. For a fee of US$3,600 apiece, tour group members perused homes in the US$500,000 to US$1 million range.

Newsweek: Faith Isn't Under Fire

I wrote a cover story for NEWSWEEK this week entitled "The Decline and Fall of Christian America." In the essay I argued that two things were going on in American religion this Holy Week. First, that new (and newish) data suggested that the percentage of Americans who self-identify as Christians has been falling, albeit from astronomical heights to semiastronomical ones. The second point is that the political project undertaken by politically and theologically conservative Christians in the wake of Roe v. Wade—what we call, in cultural and political shorthand, the rise of the religious right—has failed.

Providence Journal: Now the tax will kill ya

Deanna LeBlanc knows what she wants as she ambles into a convenience store in downtown Providence and glances behind the counter. It’s a new day, about 11 a.m., and LeBlanc is looking for her trusted companion — a pack of Newports.

INTERNATIONAL

For the latest international news: www.cnn.com/WORLD/

CNN: UK terror chief quits after security blunder

Britain's top counter-terrorism officer has resigned, the London mayor's office said Thursday, a day after he accidentally exposed a sensitive document about a terrorism investigation.

CNN: Aftershock shakes Italy quake zone

A strong aftershock rattled central Italy early Thursday as thousands of Italians in the region were still coping in the aftermath of Monday's deadly quake in nearby L'Aquila.

CNN: Iran charges U.S. journalist with spying

Iranian authorities have charged detained American journalist Roxana Saberi with espionage, Iran's Press TV reported.

CNN: Source: 12 arrested in 'very serious' terror plot in UK

British police Wednesday arrested 12 people in a counterterrorism operation, and locations were being searched, authorities said.

Washington Post: Extremist Web Sites Are Using U.S. Hosts

On March 25, a Taliban Web site claiming to be the voice of the "Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan" boasted of a deadly new attack on coalition forces in that country. Four soldiers were killed in an ambush, the site claimed, and the "mujahideen took the weapons and ammunition as booty."

Times of India: Terrorists stealing info from matrimonial sites

Prospective brides and grooms who avail services of online matrimonial sites, will now have to be more cautious as their photographs and personal details registered on such websites might be lifted by the terrorists for making fake identities.

WSJ: Georgians Plan Big Protest of President

Opposition leaders are calling for Georgians to take to the streets on Thursday to force President Mikheil Saakashvili to resign and call early elections.

Washington Post: U.S. Journalist Held in Iran Faces Charges of Spying

Roxana Saberi, an American freelance journalist who has been in custody in Iran since January, has been charged with spying, the judge in the case told Iranian state television Wednesday.

LA Times: For Shiite cleric in Iraq, good and bad are intermixed

All of the past is alive in Najaf's winding alleys, and none of it is forgotten by Ayatollah Mohammed Hussein Hakim, who grins frequently and seems to delight in contradiction, as if his own suffering made him accept the paradoxes around him.

BBC: Kosovo civilian abuses revealed

The Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) abducted civilians in Kosovo who were then mistreated and in some cases killed, a BBC investigation has found.

The Economist: Self-defence

The commander of NATO forces in Afghanistan, General David McKiernan, offered a bristling salute and plenty of encouragement as the first 240 volunteers for the Afghan Public Protection Programme (AP3) graduated from training in late March. There are great hopes riding on what he called “purely an Afghan initiative”, which seeks to emulate the startling impact of the “Sons of Iraq” experiment. But the programme has many sceptics.

The New Yorker: Can Iran Change?

Ever since Mahmoud Ahmadinejad first ran for President of Iran, four years ago, he has shown a canny understanding of communications.

BUSINESS
For the latest business news: www.CNNMoney.com.

CNN: Miami housing: The power of cheap

Ivette Castillo thought buying a home at a time like this was out of the question. But when a friend told her there were great deals to be had in Miami, Castillo decided to test the waters.

CNN: Ten business strategies to organize your home

About 11 years ago, two big things happened in my life: My wife and I started a family, and I launched a consulting firm. For years I was much more successful at running my company than managing our family - probably because I was taking specific steps to improve my business, then going home and winging it.

WSJ: Salary Cuts: Ugly, But It Could Be Worse

You may have survived your company's latest round of layoffs, but that doesn't mean you're out of the woods yet.

NYT: Apple Sued Over Touch-Screen Rights

The Taiwanese company Elan Microelectronics has sued Apple, alleging infringement of two of its touch screen patents, an Elan spokesman said Wednesday.

LA Times: Madoff-type schemes are proliferating on YouTube

Here come the mini-Madoffs.

Bloomberg: Southeastern Stands to Lose $500 Million on IBM Offer to Sun

Sun Microsystems Inc.’s biggest shareholder could face a loss of more than $500 million on its investment if Sun sells to International Business Machines Corp. under terms discussed last week.

Financial Times: Mars goes sweet for ethically sourced cocoa

Mars, which owns the Mars, Snickers and M&M candy brands, is to spend tens of millions of dollars annually certifying that the cocoa used in the $10bn of chocolate products it sells every year is sustainably sourced by 2020.

Business Week: Cars Gone Wireless

Ford is getting its geek on. Like other automakers, the U.S. carmaker has long outfitted cars with CD players, satellite radios, and navigation systems. But now, Ford also boasts Web access.

In Case You Missed It
To watch the latest interviews and reporting: http://www.cnn.com/video.

CNN: Texting gets teen grounded

A Wyoming teen sent 10,000 texts in a month, sticking her parents with a $4,000 cell bill! KUSA reports.

CNN: McCain's daughter sounds off

CNN's Roland Martin talks politics with Meghan McCain.

CNN: Shrimp fried 911

A diner dials 911 over missing shrimp in shrimp fried rice. Jeanne Moos has the 411 on fast food 911 calls.

CNN: House that costs $0 has a catch

A historic home in Colorado is being offered for free, but the new owner will have to move it. KUSA reports.

WASHINGTON/POLITICAL
For the latest political news: www.CNNPolitics.com.

CNN: Biden rebukes Cheney, guarantees we're 'safer today'

Vice President Joe Biden brushed aside recent criticism by predecessor Dick Cheney that moves by the Obama administration had put the United States at risk, telling CNN on Tuesday that the former vice president was "dead wrong."

CNN: Borger: What surprises Biden the most

During the presidential campaign, vice presidential candidate Joe Biden loved to remind us all of his working-class roots - born in Scranton, Pennsylvania, son of a car dealership manager.

CNN: Same-sex marriage rights a step closer in District of Columbia

On the same day that Vermont's House and Senate voted to override GOP Gov. Jim Douglas' veto of a bill legalizing same-sex marriage in the state, the Washington City Council voted 12-0 Tuesday in favor of allowing same-sex marriages performed in other states to be recognized in the nation's capital.

CNN: Official: Millions spent defending Pentagon computers from attack

The U.S. military has spent at least $100 million defending its computer network from and responding to cyberattacks, according to a top official responsible for network security.

CNN: LBJ and Reagan loyalists clash over Obama agenda

"Who controls the past controls the future." It's a line from George Orwell's novel "1984." But it could also serve as the rallying cry for two groups battling over President Obama's ambitious domestic agenda - and the legacy of two former presidents.

CNN: Sen. Ted Stevens' conviction set aside

A federal judge on Tuesday set aside the conviction of Republican former Sen. Ted Stevens while excoriating the case's prosecutors.

Financial Times: US moves against Iran nuclear trade

New York prosecutors joined the Obama administration yesterday in shutting down a China-based network that allegedly supplied Iran's nuclear and missile programmes with the unwitting aid of some of Wall Street's biggest banks.

Chicago Tribune: Obama trips are calculated risk

When Americans learned that unemployment had reached its highest level in a quarter century last week, President Barack Obama was midway through a star turn in Europe. And next week, with barely time to pack fresh shirts and refuel Air Force One, he's off again–first to Mexico, then on to a summit meeting in the Caribbean.

Washington Post: Awareness Campaign On HIV/AIDS Begins

The Obama administration began a five-year, $45 million media blitz yesterday to spark awareness about HIV infection and AIDS, saying that Americans have grown complacent about the deadly illness even though it represents "a serious threat to the health of our nation."

LA Times: California to use $415 million from stimulus to aid the unemployed

California is moving quickly to pump $415 million in federal stimulus money into upgrading job training and placement services at employment centers around the state, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger announced Tuesday.

Washington Post: Wishing and Hoping and Networking

They are the Obama-wannabes, many of them young and heady former campaign workers, frantically networking or waiting, just waiting, for the ultimate status symbol in their generation's caste system: a job in the Obama administration.

Slate.com: The Careful Exaggerator

As President Obama traveled through Europe, he was a study in nuance. Speaking to a town hall in Strasbourg, France, he admitted American arrogance but also chided Europeans for their casual anti-Americanism. In another context, he quoted his college law professor: "Some are to blame, but all are responsible." In a town hall with students in Turkey, he pushed for nuance as an end in itself: "In the Muslim world, this notion that somehow everything is the fault of the Israelis lacks balance. There are two sides to every question. ... I say the same thing to my Jewish friends—which is, you have to see the perspective of the Palestinians. Learning to stand in somebody else's shoes, to see through their eyes—that's how peace begins."

Chicago Tribune: Quigley claims victory in race to replace Rahm Emanuel

Democratic Cook County Commissioner Mike Quigley claimed victory tonight in the 5th District race to replace Rahm Emanuel in Congress.

Washington Times: Bush AIDS fight saved 1.1M, study says

Former President George W. Bush's international AIDS-fighting campaign has reduced by 10 percent the mortality rates in 15 targeted countries, primarily in Africa, and has saved 1.1 million lives, according to a study that for the first time quantified the successes of his program.

Gallup: Obama Approval Rating Stable, Polarized

President Barack Obama's overall job approval rating has been highly stable since mid-February, averaging 62% since Feb. 16, as well as in the most recent week, from March 30 through April 5.

NATIONAL
For the latest national news: www.CNN.com.

CNN: VA looking into possible contamination at medical facilities

The Department of Veterans Affairs has launched an investigation into whether there is a connection between improperly sterilized endoscopy equipment and a veteran's positive HIV test.

WSJ: Electricity Grid in U.S. Penetrated By Spies

Cyberspies have penetrated the U.S. electrical grid and left behind software programs that could be used to disrupt the system, according to current and former national-security officials.

NYT: With Victories, Gay Rights Groups Expand Marriage Push

Gay-rights groups say that momentum from back-to-back victories on same-sex marriage in Vermont and Iowa could spill into other states, particularly since at least nine other legislatures are considering measures this year to allow marriage between gay couples.

USA Today: Housing agencies faulted in audits to get $300M of stimulus

The federal government will soon send more than $300 million in stimulus funds to 61 housing agencies that have been repeatedly faulted by auditors for mishandling government aid, a USA TODAY review has found.

Washington Post: Bids Pour In for State Construction Jobs

Construction firms are so eager for work in the sagging economy that project bids are coming in much lower than expected, allowing state and local governments to stretch their federal stimulus dollars further.

LA Times: Nevada debates whether to tax its working girls

With its gleaming Vegas Strip and stucco sprawl, Nevada has portrayed itself as a model of the civilized West. But every so often, such as Tuesday, holdovers from its boisterous beginnings show up at the Capitol - and they are named Chicken Ranch, Pussycat Ranch and Shady Lady.

LA Times: Factory boats face cap on accidental salmon catch

The giant factory fishing boats that take billions of pounds of pollock from Alaska's Bering Sea would face major limits on salmon caught accidentally in their nets under controversial regulations recommended Monday.

Forbes: The Hormone Dilemma

Once marketed as a fountain of youth, hormone replacement therapy is now believed to be just the opposite. Even the term hormone replacement therapy (H.R.T.) has come under fire.

Seattle Times: More seniors using vehicles as shelter

Sporting a black cowboy hat, Gene Sargent steps up to the microphone at Dave's Restaurant in Milton, Pierce County, launching into an old Sons of the Pioneers tune. It conjures up his memories of when he was married the first time, had a wife with long brown hair; was a new father and had a job in Modesto, Calif. — before everything slowly came apart like the seeds of a tumbleweed.

USA Today: After layoffs, many workers go back to school

In this tough economy, the path from a layoff to a new career often runs through a classroom.

Boston Globe: Hurricane outlook cut to 12 storms

Colorado State University's Atlantic hurricane forecast, the most-watched annual prediction, was lowered yesterday to 12 named storms for the 2009 season, with at least six developing into hurricanes.

INTERNATIONAL

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CNN: 15 years later, Rwanda remembers the massacre

Crowds gathered in somber reflection near the Rwandan capital of Kigali on Tuesday, marking the 15th anniversary of the start of a 100-day genocidal massacre in Rwanda in which an estimated 800,000 people were brutally killed.

CNN: Aftershocks rattle quake rescue efforts

The arduous work of combing through rubble and treating the wounded of this medieval city continued into the early hours of Wednesday morning, even as the death toll from the powerful earthquake that rocked the area continued to climb.

CNN: Indonesians gear up for key polls

A candidate for Indonesia's upcoming legislative election smiles broadly, flanked by a photo illustration of U.S. President Barack Obama and Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden - his hands clasped over theirs.

CNN: U.S. lawmakers meet with Fidel Castro

Fidel Castro, the longtime communist leader of Cuba, met with visiting members of the U.S. Congressional Black Caucus on Tuesday, a day after his brother, Raúl, who succeeded him as president, did the same, according to a U.S. official in Havana.

Times of India: Holbrooke, Mullen meet Narayanan

US special envoy Richard Holbrooke on Wednesday met National Security Adviser M K Narayanan and is understood to have discussed how India could help Washington's strategy aimed at ending terror threats emanating from Afghanistan and Pakistan.

WSJ: In Iraq, Obama Pushes for Political Solutions

President Barack Obama made a surprise visit to Baghdad, which has been rocked by a spate of recent bombings, to urge the leaders of Iraq's feuding sectarian factions to find "political solutions" to their disputes.

CS Monitor: North Korea used dummy satellite, South Korean experts say

The satellite that North Korea insists it has sent into orbit was evidently a dummy that the North manufactured to justify testing a Taepodong-2 missile, South Korean space experts say.

Al Jazeera: World 'ignored Rwanda genocide'

Paul Kagame, the Rwandan president, has criticised world powers for "abandoning" the country to genocide in 1994, in which more than one million people were slaughtered.

NYT: Thousands Protest in Bangkok

Thousands of anti-government protesters — many of them dressed in red, their signature color — gathered in central Bangkok on Wednesday morning as the Thai capital braced for a new round of political demonstrations.

BUSINESS
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