As part of a major financial-system overhaul, senior administration officials are debating whether to create a single agency to control the banking industry. The current system allows banks to choose from one of three regulators: the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, the Office of Thrift Supervision, and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. Because bank fees fund these regulators, agencies vie for business by offering more relaxed supervision. This system also creates coverage gaps by splitting up the largest banks among agencies, an oversight many experts believe contributed to the financial meltdown. Also up for deliberation: officials may give the FDIC the ability to seize large financial firms to thwart their collapse—both Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke and Treasury Secretary Timothy F. Geithner said having this authority could have allowed the government to sidestep the financial crisis entirely. The regulation proposals should be revealed in the next few weeks, but the single-agency bit could face major opposition from states, which have the power to contract and supervise banks.

Remember those 2,000 Abu Ghraib abuse photos President Obama didn’t want released? Major General Antonio Taguba, who conducted the investigation of Abu Ghraib and retired in 2007, told the Daily Telegraph they “show rape.” One picture, he alleges, depicts an American soldier raping a female prisoner; another shows a male translator raping a male detainee. Other images depict prisoners being sexually assaulted with objects such as a wire, a club, and a phosphorescent tube. Still another shows a female prisoner “having her clothing forcibly removed to expose her breasts.” Taguba supports Obama’s wishes not to release the photos. “I am not sure what purpose their release would serve other than a legal one,” he said, and adds, "The mere description of these pictures is horrendous enough, take my word for it." The photos, which are related to 400 cases of alleged abuse from 2001-2005, were originally thought to be similar in content to previously released pictures, which depicted prisoners being threatened by dogs and piled into human pyramids.

Despite the Cuban government’s own history of suspect interrogation methods, Fidel Castro criticized former Vice President Dick Cheney on Wednesday for defending the counterterrorism policies of the Bush administration. Posted on a government website, Castro rebuked Cheney’s speech from last week, and went on to accuse the US of using terrorism against Cuba after his 1959 revolt, mentioning US plans to overthrow the Cuban government in its formative years. A report released earlier this month by the Organization of American States' Inter-American Commission on Human Rights chided Cuba for not fully protecting human rights, and Cuban rights activists estimate that Cuba is currently holding around 200 political prisoners. Despite this, Castro said in his statement that torture is an unacceptable means of obtaining information.

Government bribes? Sort of. In an upcoming GQ interview, Levi Johnston, Bristol Palin’s ex-boyfriend and father to her child, said Todd Palin offered to buy his daughter a car if she dumped the boy. Johnston has a track record for divulging scandalous details of the estranged couple’s relationship, including an allegation that Governor Sarah Palin knew Bristol and Levi were knocking boots. And don’t hold your breath on the couple reuniting any time soon: Johnston said he has no plans of asking Bristol back.

American Idol runner-up Adam Lambert's sexuality isn't the only ambiguity in his life: The star is also pretty ambiguous about whether or not he enjoys the orientation-obsessed attention. "Calm down," he told People magazine when they asked about whether or not he's gay. "And keep speculating." The makeup-wearing crooner said he's happy to be a role model for "embracing who you are and what makes you different." He'd like to represent "young adults who don't have a role models like that. It feels great because I never had a role model like that." Will he address what "that" means in his upcoming Rolling Stone profile? "Maybe."

At least they didn't call her "Maria"? Attacking Sonia Sotomayor, Newt Gingrich wrote on Twitter, "Imagine a judicial nominee said 'my experience as a white man makes me better than a Latina woman' new racism is no better than old racism,” and then “White man racist nominee would be forced to withdraw. Latina woman racist should also withdraw.” White House Press Secretuary Robert Gibbs fired back: "I think we’re satisfied that when the people of America and the people of the Senate get a chance to look at more than just the blog of a former lawmaker that they’ll come to the same conclusion that the President did." But as more Republicans jump into the fray, they're lining up with Gingrich: Former congressman Tom Tancredo also called Sotomayor “racist.” Senator Jim Inhofe (R-OK) questioned Sotomayor's race and gender will "influence" her decisions, and Rep. Lamar Smith (R-TX) said Sotomayor has a "personal bias based on ethnicity and gender." He'd know, we guess. And just for giggles, here’s Mark Krikorian attacking the “Spanish” pronunciation of Sotomayor’s name: “But one of the areas where conformity is appropriate is how your new countrymen say your name, since that's not something the rest of us can just ignore, unlike what church you go to or what you eat for lunch. And there are basically two options—the newcomer adapts to us, or we adapt to him. And multiculturalism means there's a lot more of the latter going on than there should be.”

American taxpayers can add another company to their portfolio: GM is expected to file for bankruptcy by Monday, as a debt exchange with bondholders that would have swapped $27 billion for a 10-percent stake in the company failed last night. Now, it appears that the government will have to take a 70-percent stake in the company, which is larger than originally expected. “The government will provide GM at least $50 billion to get the company through Chapter 11,” The New York Times writes, though some in Detroit think it could be even more. The Canadian government will receive a partial stake too for $8 billion in aid. Meanwhile, investors are lining up to buy the embattled automaker's European division, Opel. Chancellor of Germany Angela Merkel is seriously considering offers from two potential buyers: Fiat, the Italian company that already bought Chrysler, and Magna, a Canadian auto parts maker.

North Korea is issuing dark threats to its neighbor to the south. "Those who provoke [North Korea] once will not be able to escape its unimaginable and merciless punishment," the country’s news agency said Wednesday. As punishment for joining an operation to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons, North Korea renounced a 1953 treaty halting Korean War infighting: North Korea’s military will no longer guarantee the safety of South Korean or U.S. ships off its waters, nor will they respect the status of five South Korean islands. North Korea’s nuclear test earlier this week outraged the West, and now, according to a South Korean newspaper citing an unidentified government official, U.S. spy satellites have detected steam over North Yongbyon's nuclear complex, which suggests they may have begun reprocessing nuclear fuel. The UN Security Council is discussing a resolution on the matter that may include more sanctions, and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton warned there would be “consequences.” About 28,500 U.S. troops are stationed in South Korea.

It’s the spookiest scandal in D.C.: America’s two intelligence chiefs are in a battle over control of foreign posts, according to government officials. National Intelligence Director Dennis Blair has asked to choose his own representatives at U.S. embassies, instead of relying on CIA Director Leon Panetta’s station chiefs to serve as his eyes and ears in foreign nations. For four years, CIA station chiefs have been Blair’s eyes and ears (his job was created after the 9/11 attacks to improve foreign intelligence). If Blair’s proposal is approved, he will likely rely on CIA chiefs for intelligence in most foreign nations, but will have the added option of assigning NSA officers to countries where CIA presence is low. CIA officials worry that dual command agencies will ultimately be harmful to intelligence operations. Some went so far as to describe Blair’s request as an attempt to undermine the CIA’s authority and its position in foreign operations, and CIA veterans said it could hinder missions that require officials to act quickly. The feud has gone so far that National Security Adviser James L. Jones has stepped in to mediate—but, like almost everything in the intel business, the mediation’s details are under wraps.

In an attempt to pass time behind bars, former police officer and murder suspect Drew Peterson did what any self-respecting man would do: he uses his one phone call to dial into a talk radio show. Peterson, who is being held in the Will County jail in Illinois on a $20 million bond, placed a collect call to WLS Radio’s Mancow & Cassidy show today to test out his standup comedy material, joking about “bling” handcuffs, prison showers and the always hilarious topic of conjugal visits. After being charged with first-degree murder in the 2004 death of his wife and his status as a suspect in the 2007 disappearance of his fourth wife, stage fright and hecklers are probably the last thing on his mind.

Does Chris Brown have a Jekyll and Hyde complex? The R&B star, who was accused earlier this year of beating girlfriend and fellow popstar Rihanna, today claimed in a video that he “ain’t a monster”—only to be accused, a few hours later, of another assault-related legal charge. A photographer claims that Brown’s bodyguards physically assaulted him at a basketball court in March. The purported victim claims he took a picture of Brown at a Los Angeles gym weeks after Brown’s alleged physical assault of Rihanna. According to the photographer, Brown’s bodyguards yelled at him and a gym employee blocked the building’s exit, at which point the photographer fell down a flight of stairs and was picked up by the bodyguards, who then proceeded to attack him. The man is suing Brown and the gym for assault and battery, false imprisonment, intentional infliction of emotional distress, negligence and premises liability. In the video of Brown released earlier today, he thanks his fans for their support, promotes his new album Graffiti, and does his best to convince viewers of his humanity. Actions speak louder than words, Chris!

The New York Times has a monster of a profile on Sonia Sotomayor today. What can we tell you about it in 200 words? She eats tuna fish for lunch, works out three times a week, and in college “danced a mean salsa.” Her future fellow justice Samuel Alito protested the growing number of women at Princeton shortly before she arrived. Off the bench, “she has been a tireless advocate for Latinos.” At the age of 29, The New York Times Magazine described her as “an imposing woman of 29 who smoked incessantly.” Daniel Patrick Moynihan was convinced in 1991 that “Ms. Sotomayor would become the first Hispanic Supreme Court justice.” Her primary asset is her Greenwich Village condo, which she bought with the help of two mortgages totaling $324,000 in 1998. Of the five of her cases that the Supreme Court reviewed, three were overturned and two were affirmed, although it rejected her reasoning while accepting the outcome in one of those two. A parting quote: “My hope is that I will take the good from my experiences and extrapolate them further into areas with which I am unfamiliar. I simply do not know exactly what that difference will be in my judging. But I accept there will be some based on my gender and my Latina heritage.”

Never before has an ex-president dealt with such a role reversal. Suddenly, it is Hillary Clinton in the headlines trotting the globe and meeting with foreign heads of state. So, how is Bill dealing with life in the Obama era? Without any regrets, apparently. A new article in The New York Times Magazine portrays a Bill Clinton at peace with all the mudslinging and betrayals of the Democratic primary, (with the exception of a select few: Caroline and Ted Kennedy, as well as Bill Richardson) and his new role outside of the spotlight. Clinton does not get involved with executive affairs anymore, instead focusing on his successful charity work. He enjoys the company of some of the wealthiest people in the world and makes a point to pick up gifts for his friends' wives and girlfriends when abroad. The only problem with his new role? “I can’t always get hold of (Hillary)," Clinton said, "They changed all her phone numbers."

Russian officials discovered and took into their care a five-year-old feral child who was "brought up" by cats and dogs. The girl, who lived in Siberian city Chita, could not speak and had "clear attributes of an animal" according to a police statement, having adopted the mannerisms of the animals she lived among, in her mother's home. In the custody of Russian child services, the girl "barked like a little dog" and jumped at the door when her caretakers exited her room. The girl's mother is being questioned and her father's whereabouts are unknown.

In the future, everyone will be famous for 15 minutes and every success will be measured in 100-day increments. In a speech before Nevada’s Nellis Air Force Base, President Obama celebrated the stimulus’ first 100 days, celebrating that “we are already seeing results.” 150,000 jobs have been saved or created, he said, and infrastructure repairs will help promote business. “But this is just the beginning. There are still too many Americans out of work, and too many who worry that their job may be next. … That is why we will continue to implement the [stimulus plan] as quickly and effectively as possible over the next year years.” Obama pledged to “continue an unrelenting, day-by-day effort to fight for economic recovery on all fronts.” Obama was at Nellis Air Force Base to tour their “photovoltaic array,” a series of photo panels that generate 30 million kilowatt-hours of electricity every year, approximating 25 percent of the base’s annual electrical needs.

Glow-in-the-dark monkeys: Totally cool, totally useless, or both? Japanese scientists have engineered monkeys that glow under UV light. They also pass the trait onto their offspring, a breakthrough that will aid research to cure diseases such as Parkinson's, the BBC reports. Exactly how glow in the dark monkeys help scientists—beyond finding them if the lights go out, of course—remains unclear. Not surprisingly, some animal rights groups are uncomfortable with the modified marmosets. One critic insisted that monkey's brains actually are not very useful for scientists seeking cures to human ailments. Another scientist, conceding that the glow-in-the-dark monkeys served no obvious purpose, remained thrilled. "This experiment is reminiscent of the exciting early days of transgenic research where it was initially difficult to fully know what the potential applications and future research directions might be," the scientists said. To which we respond: Jungle-themed rave party.

The Taliban is not letting up. Militant fighters are responsible for a bomb in Lahore, Pakistan that killed nearly 30 people and injured hundreds more. The attack is considered an act of revenge for the successful military offensive in the Swat Valley, where the government claims they've killed 1,000 insurgents and chased out far more. In Lahore, several men opened fire and then detonated a car bomb outside the police intelligence agency building. Rescuers are still digging survivors out of the rubble and the death toll could rise. Lahore, the country's cultural capital, is fast becoming a target for a campaign of violence since it's the home of the Punjab police.

Canadian author Alice Munro, 77, is the winner of this year's International Man Booker Prize, it was announced Wednesday morning. Munro has published short stories from her debut in 1968 of Dance of the Happy Shades through 2006's The View from Castle Rock. "Alice Munro is mostly known as a short story writer and yet she brings as much depth, wisdom and precision to every story as most novelists bring to a lifetime of novels," the judging committee wrote. "To read Alice Munro is to learn something every time that you never thought of before." Munro responded to the award—which amounts to about $95,800—by saying she was "totally amazed and delighted."

Theodore Olsen is about as prominent and heavyweight as conservative lawyers come: He argued Bush v. Gore for Bush, defended Reagan during Iran-Contra, sat in on the first meeting of the Federalist Society, and served as solicitor general during Bush’s first term. So this is rather surprising: “Former Bush administration solicitor general Theodore Olson is part of a team that has filed suit in federal court in California seeking to overturn Proposition 8 and re-establish the right of same-sex couples to marry.” Olsen tells Byton York, "I personally think it is time that we as a nation get past distinguishing people on the basis of sexual orientation, and that a grave injustice is being done to people by making these distinctions. … If the people of California had voted to ban interracial marriage, it would have been the responsibility of the courts to say that they cannot do that under the constitution. … I also personally believe that it is wrong for us to continue to deny rights to individuals on the basis of their sexual orientation.”

Barcelona manhandled Manchester United in the Champions League final, winning with a solid 2-0. The victory gives Barcelona its second league title in four years. The AP reports that Lionel Messi "easily won the glamour duel" with Cristiano Ronaldo by scoring a goal in the 70th minute of the contest and securing the win. Manchester United's manager made various substitutions throughout the game to spur his team, but to no avail.

The fact that Lisa Jack, who photographed Barack Obama during his freshman year at Occidental College, chose to hold onto the photos during the brutal presidential campaign restores a little of one's faith in humanity. But now that Obama is safe from any faux-outrage over the portraits—in which he oozes a pre-calculated cool complete with cigarette in hand—the photos are on exhibit in Los Angeles. Jack remembers meeting the young Obama in 1980, and being impressed with his confidence. He "was a cool dude," she said. And even then Obama had an instinct for the image he wanted to project. He came to the photo shoot with a stylish bomber jacket, cigarettes, and banded hat. Jack first published some of the photos in Time in December, choosing that magazine over tabloids that likely would have paid handsomely. "I could have made a boatload of money, probably, but I wanted to do it right," Jack said.

Chris Brown may be a public enemy since he was accused of beating up his girlfriend, Rihanna, but now he has a message for the world: “I ain’t a monster!” In a grainy video shot in a bowling alley, Chris Brown acknowledges that he’s been lying low since the news of Rihanna’s abuse surfaced, saying “I ain’t been out there in a minute.” He stops to thank his true fans, and, of course to promote his new album, Graffiti. “Everybody’s that’s haters, they’ve just been haters,” Brown says wagging a finger at the camera. “All my real fans, I love y’all. I ain’t a monster.”

James Bond will go head to head with Wolverine, but this time in an unlikely place: on Broadway. Daniel Craig and Hugh Jackman will headline in a A Steady Rain, a new play about two cops whose friendship is tested when they become entangled in a drama in a poor neighborhood. While Jackman is a Broadway staple—winning a Tony for his role in The Boy From Oz—this will be Craig’s debut on the New York stage. And it looks like this match-up will bring in major bucks, perhaps even topping Julia Roberts’ record gross of $10 million in 12 weeks with her show Three Days of Rain. One Broadway source explained why A Steady Rain is going to be a surefire hit: “Daniel Craig and Hugh Jackman in police uniforms? All the boys will be there!”

Mike Tyson's 4-year-old daughter, Exodus, has died after accidentally getting her neck stuck in a cord hanging off the family treadmill on Monday. The New York Post reports that the stricken Tyson and Sol Xochitl, the child's mother, are grieving in Phoenix, where Xochitl lived with Exodus and her 7-year-old brother. In a statement, Tyson said, "There are no words to describe the tragic loss of our beloved Exodus," before asking the media to "respect our need at this very difficult time for privacy to grieve and try to help each other to heal."

Start rioting, Adam Lambert fans! American Idol’s biggest corporate sponsor, AT&T, supplied phones with free text-messaging services at two Kris Allen fan parties in Arkansas. Allen won last week’s show in an upset victory over glam rocker Adam Lambert. AT&T didn’t provide free texts at any Lambert fan parties. “In Arkansas, we were invited to attend the local watch parties organized by the community. A few local employees brought a small number of demo phones with them and provided texting tutorials to those who were interested,” an AT&T spokesman said. Allen fans were also instructed to send “power texts” of 10 or more text messages as votes, which is against Idol rules.

Widely ridiculed for gaining weight and wearing unflattering high-waisted jeans, singer Jessica Simpson is hoping to turn the tables on the haters with a new reality show about body image called The Price of Beauty. Us Weekly reports the 28 year-old, famous for being candid on MTV's Newlyweds, has pitched the series to networks. The show is being sold as "a road trip around the world in search of what people find beautiful and why," a source explained.

Despite the depressing state of the media, pundit Tucker Carlson will launch a new news site called TheDailyCaller.com in a few weeks. According to The Hill, its format will be similar to The Huffington Post's, but will slant to the right. Carlson said the general-interest site will focus its energies on the Obama administration and hopes to drive traffic in the same way the Drudge Report and Huffington Post do. He also hopes it will be a home for basic reporting, with reporters sharing the site's profits based on the amount of traffic their work draws.

A sordid scandal of drugs, murder, and alleged racism is unfolding at Harvard. Chanequa Campbell, 21, has been kicked off campus and possibly expelled for allegedly lending her swipe card to a man who may have murdered a drug dealer during an attempted theft. Last week, Jordan Copney, 20, a professional songwriter who did not go to Harvard, was arrested for allegedly shooting suspected marijuana dealer Justin Cody in the stomach in a Harvard dorm during a robbery gone wrong. Campbell, who was due to graduate next month, lived in the dorm where the murder occured and is friends with Copney's long term girlfriend. She said she had nothing to do with the murder and that she was being singled out because "I'm black and I'm poor". Campell grew up in a rough area of Brooklyn and was at Harvard through scholarships from The New York Times and Coca-Cola.

Conservatives are scrambling to form a plan to oppose Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor but are worried opposing the first Latina justice would be tantamount to political suicide. Rush Limbaugh called her a “reverse racist” joining the ranks of outraged conservative advocacy groups, but many GOP Senators are staying mute, concerned that Republicans need to appear welcoming in order to gain back Hispanic votes lost over their hard line in the immigration debate. "Republicans are in a very awkward position," said one Hispanic GOP strategist. Opposing Sotomayor "would be one more nail in the Republicans' image coffin in terms of Latino voters," a Republican ad-maker said. While more than 40 percent of Latinos voted for Bush five years ago, less than a third cast their vote for McCain. Republican Senator John Cornyn told reporters Sotomayor offered a "compelling American success story and something that we can all admire and respect about our country."

A criminal investigation into how Roland Burris was appointed to replace Barack Obama in the Senate has uncovered some scandalous material. "I know I could give him a check," Burris said in a secretly recorded call with Governor Rod Blagojevich’s brother before his appointment to Senate. But Burris said he was worried they’d “catch hell” if it looked like he fundraised in exchange for the Senate seat. "And if I do get appointed that means I bought it," Burris said. Later, he commented: “And, and God knows number one, I, I wanna help Rod. Number two, I also wanna, you know, hope I get a consideration to get that appointment.” The Senate Ethics Committee, which is investigating Burris’ appointment by Blagojevich, got the transcript of the recorded call from a federal judge. Burris’ lawyer said since Burris never did send a check to Blago, he is innocent of wrong-doing.

President Bush has been respectfully silent since leaving office. Is he living in a monastery? No, an 8,500 square foot, $2.1 million Dallas home, actually. The Daily News runs photos of the new abode, which, though large, is also pretty conventional, more befitting a local businessman, say, than a former president. We hope Bush is adjusting well: The White House had 34 bathrooms. The new house in an affluent and conservative Dallas neighborhood has four.

Republican senators may be reluctant to attack Sonia Sotomayor, but conservatives who are not beholden to voters are quickly gathering around the affirmative-action meme. “Does she think the figure of Justice should lift her blindfold, an emblem of impartiality, and be partial to certain categories of persons?” George Will asks in his column. “Affirmative action standards are a bad way to pick one of the nine most influential jurists in the U.S.” Richard Epstein writes in Forbes. Others are asking whether Sotomayor is Obama’s “Harriet Miers”—which suggests that she is inexperienced and therefore was chosen based on other considerations. Will it work? Dahlia Lithwick at Slate asks, “Why did Republicans treat Samuel Alito's blue collar upbringing as a great humanizing factor in his confirmation hearings? Why did they deem Clarence Thomas' childhood poverty an advantage, whereas they now cast Sotomayor's as a handicap?” She concludes, “The case against Sotomayor—to the extent it's being made, is that her life is such a tumultuous blend of personal hardship and deep feeling that she cannot separate the law from her own agenda. In short, she feels too much.”

Director of break-out hit Slumdog Millionaire Danny Boyle has bought one of the film’s child stars a new home after authorities razed the slums where the actor lived. The director faced criticism for exploiting the children when news broke that they returned to extreme poverty once the crew's cameras stopped rolling. Azharuddin Ismail, 9, became homeless last month after his family was kicked out of the slums, so Boyle stepped in with a trust fund that was formed to take care of the stars until they turn 18. Boyle also wants to provide a new home for Rubina Ali, who played the young Latika, before monsoon rains begin in June. "They were given access to a world, an extraordinary and glamorous world, and they understandably want their lives to be completely transformed," Boyle said of the child stars.