In Nashville, a Ballot Measure That May Quiet All but English

By ROBBIE BROWN

Josh Anderson for The New York Times

Melissa Gordon, left, and Laura Barnett spoke to Joy Bland as they campaigned door to door against the language proposal.

Councilman Eric Crafton hopes to make Nashville the largest city in the United States to prohibit the government from using languages other than English.

Eric H. Holder Jr., a well-established Washington lawyer, is Barack Obama’s choice to take over at the Justice Department.

A Public Servant’s Private Stint Is at Issue

By ERIC LICHTBLAU

Republicans will press Eric Holder, the attorney general nominee, about his past work as a high-priced lawyer.

Times Topics: Eric Holder

At Key Moment, Diverse G.O.P. Leadership Choice

By ADAM NAGOURNEY

In an increasingly diverse country, the Republican Party is considering two black candidates for chairman.

Gov. Bill Richardson last week, after he withdrew from consideration to be commerce secretary.

Inquiry Highlights New Mexico’s Few Ethics Laws

By JAMES C. McKINLEY Jr. and MICHAEL HAEDERLE

An investigation of aides to Gov. Bill Richardson has focused attention on the state’s lack of caps on campaign donations.

Report Outlines a High Life for Advocates of Avocadoes

By JESSE McKINLEY

The audit showed that California Avocado Commission employees were buying season tickets to sports games, getting paid gym memberships and running up large clothing bills.

The two President Bushes and their wives in Norfolk, Va., on Saturday as the carrier George H. W. Bush was commissioned.

For Bush and His Staff, a Season of ‘the Lasts’

By SHERYL GAY STOLBERG

As life inside the White House winds down for President Bush, the legacy-building is gearing up.

President-elect Barack Obama, joined by Adrian M. Fenty, the mayor of Washington, at right, ordered a half-smoke, a local sausage delicacy, for lunch on Saturday at Ben’s Chili Bowl.

Obama Raises Estimate of Job Creation in Plan

By JEFF ZELENY and DAVID M. HERSZENHORN

Barack Obama said that his economic recovery plan would create or save three million to four million jobs.

Room for Debate: Fear Factor in the Workplace

Economy May Delay Work on Campaign Pledges

By PETER BAKER

Barack Obama and Democrats are planning to delay some campaign promises to focus on the economy.

Biden Arrives in Afghanistan to Discuss the War

Obama Names Minister to Lead Prayer Service

Rule No. 1: Do Not Call Him ‘Ball Hog in Chief’

Director of Disease Control Centers Resigns

Foes Say Law Protects Predators

‘Eternal’ Flame Is Lighted Again Despite High Cost

Donald F. Gleason, 88, Dies; Devised Prostate Test

Harry W. O. Kinnard, Who Said One Word Would Do, Dies at 93

From the Magazine and Week in Review

Mark Driscoll whom conservatives call "the cussing pastor."

Who Would Jesus Smack Down?

By MOLLY WORTHEN

The Seattle minister Mark Driscoll is out to transform American evangelicalism with his macho conception of Christ and neo-Calvinist belief in the total depravity of man.

Photo Illustration by The New York Times;
photograph of living presidents by Mark Wilson/Getty Images;
other photographs from The New York Times and Associated Press

U.S. Presidents: The Very Elite Club That Never Meets

By SHERYL GAY STOLBERG

With only a handful of living members, the Presidents Club sometimes looks more like a dysfunctional family than a collection of august world leaders.

Interactive Graphic: Welcome, 44, From 43, 42, 41, 40, 39, 32, 16...

Multimedia

Video: Forming Simple Priests in Complex Times

A priest shepherds young men through seminary in India, where bishops trek from the U.S., Europe, Latin America and Australia looking for spare priests.

2008 — The Year in Pictures

Wind combined with rain to tear up the Gulf Coast once again; it combined with fire to sow destruction in California. But not all havoc was wrought by nature.

Interactive Map: A Growing Detention Network

A map showing facilities where people detained on suspicion of immigration violations are being held.

Interactive Feature: Casualties of the Afghan War

A listing of the 563 American service members who have died in Operation Enduring Freedom. Of those deaths, 510 occurred in Afghanistan or are directly linked to the war. (August 7, 2008)

Faces of the Dead

An interactive look at the American service members who have died in Iraq.

Despite an electric car’s challenges, “I think it’s a gamble not to do it,” William C. Ford Jr. said.

Detroit Goes for Electric Cars, but Will Drivers?

By BILL VLASIC

Ford and other carmakers are betting billions on electric cars despite questions about consumer demand.

Multimedia

Video

Coal Ash Spill Raises Broader Questions

A billion gallons of coal ash breached a holding pond at a Tennessee power plant, reigniting a debate over the safety of the byproduct of clean coal technology.

Audio Slide Show

A 24/7 Faith

What started as a round-the-clock vigil has become a lifestyle for a group of parishioners at St. Frances, a church the Archdiocese of Boston ordered closed.