Read Verizon's statement  —  The wireless carrier denies reports that it provided the government with access to customer phone calls.  —  NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) - Verizon Communications Inc. denied Tuesday reports that it provided the National Security Agency with customer phone records.

Mexico Threatens Suits Over Guard Patrols  —  CIUDAD JUAREZ, Mexico - Mexico said Tuesday that it would file lawsuits in U.S. courts if National Guard troops on the border become directly involved in detaining migrants.  —  Mexican border officials also said they worried that sending troops …

Senate Casts First Votes on Immigration  —  WASHINGTON, May 16 — Senators cast their first votes on immigration legislation this afternoon, just as President Bush vowed to work closely with skeptical members of Congress on a comprehensive bill to fix a system that does not work.

Termination, suspension possible for Churchill Governor calls for controversial professor to resign  —  University of Colorado professor Ward Churchill plagiarized, fabricated and falsified material and was disrespectful of American Indian traditions in his writings, a report released today said.

Republican Leadership Approval Hits All-Time Low  —  Public confidence in Republican governance has plunged to the lowest levels of the Bush presidency, with Americans saying they now trust Democrats by wide margins to deal with Iraq, gasoline prices, immigration and more …

Forever Pregnant  —  Guidelines: Treat Nearly All Women as Pre-Pregnant  —  New federal guidelines ask all females capable of conceiving a baby to treat themselves — and to be treated by the health care system — as pre-pregnant, regardless of whether they plan to get pregnant anytime soon.

Midnight in the garden of Moe and Curley  —  It is growing very dark in the increasingly shoddy and ethereal Scooter Libby investigation, where Patrick Fitzgerald, bumping into the furniture, stubbing his toes, muttering something about it making no sense, but regardless of the mounting absurdity …

Tony Snow: Tar babies...  Tony Snow: Tar babies...  When I heard Tony Snow use the term "tar baby" while responding to a question in his first televised Press conference today, it actually startled me.  Doesn't Tony understand what that phrase means to many people in this country?

'Da Vinci Code' Misses the Mark for Critics  —  CANNES, France - "The Da Vinci Code" drew lukewarm praise, shrugs of indifference, some jeering laughter and a few derisive jabs Tuesday from arguably the world's toughest movie crowd: critics at the Cannes Film Festival.

Violence Against Women Act abuses the rights of men  —  In January, President George W. Bush signed the reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act without public debate, even though evidence has surfaced that Congress should have examined before the law was extended.

It's all about me: Why e-mails are so easily misunderstood  —  Michael Morris and Jeff Lowenstein wouldn't have recognized each other if they'd met on the street, but that didn't stop them from getting into a shouting match.  The professors had been working together on a research study …

Congressional Child Care  —  Most parents pay the sitter.  Rep. John Doolittle has his campaign write a check.  —  CHILD CARE, most any parent knows, can be a huge expense.  Some members of Congress, though, have found an innovative — and brazen — way to defray the cost …