The City Life: The Subway Beat (NYT)

penis envy

By VERLYN KLINKENBORG

It’s nearly always a mistake to think of the subway as a public conveyance.

A New Job for Tony Blair (NYT)

worrisome virtues

Tony Blair, who steps down as British prime minister this week, has many of the right qualities and some worrisome flaws as a possible Middle East peace envoy.

Congestion Pricing Deadline (NYT)

transit strike

New Yorkers and anyone else who rides public transportation in and around the city should mark July 16 on their calendars.

Raising Taxes on Private Equity (NYT)

Bush recession proposed

Congress will achieve a significant victory if it ends the breaks that are skewing the tax code in favor of the most advantaged Americans.

Editorial Observer: Woody Allen’s Universe, Still Expanding, Is as Absurd as Ever (NYT)

absurdism is the NYT genre

By ADAM COHEN

Woody Allen’s absurdism is a welcome respite in this age of bitterly held ideologies.

Autism in the Vaccine Court (NYT)

global warming

Virtually every major scientific study and organization has seen no link between early childhood vaccinations and development of autism in children.

White House of Mirrors (NYT)

disturbance noticed

Recent weeks have produced disturbing disclosures about just how far President Bush’s team is willing to go to keep lawmakers and the public in the dark.

Where Are Our Passports? (NYT)

state department tied up in NYT's peace process proposals

There are nearly three million passport applications pending in the State Department for Americans flying home from neighboring countries.

The Fall of Mr. Small’s Empire (NYT)

crisis implies government ; otherwise there's no point.

A stinging new report concludes that the Smithsonian Institution is in a “governance crisis” largely caused by Lawrence Small’s self-isolating and “secretive” management style.

Mr. Spitzer’s First Round (NYT)

backwoods rubes defeated

New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer may not have won the toughest battles he fought, but he has charted a clear path for where he wants to take the state.

Signs of Energy (NYT)

meddling is always good

The energy bill passed by the Senate on Thursday includes an important breakthrough: the first substantial improvement in the nation’s automobile fuel-efficiency standards since 1975.

The China Puzzle (NYT)

east mysterious

Governments and companies tend to become so seduced or intimidated by China that they won’t hold it to high standards of human rights and business ethics.

Fixing the College Loan Mess (NYT)

corruption ending

Congress has reacted to the college loan scandal with several strong proposals that would go a long way toward ending corruption.

Home Depot Amendment (NYT)

morally repulsed

Senator Johnny Isakson of Georgia wants to add a squalid little amendment to the immigration bill so as to benefit a corporate constituent.

Don’t Veto, Don’t Obey (NYT)

elections overlooked

The Bush administration’s theory of the “unitary executive,” which has no support in American history or the Constitution, is a formula for autocracy.

A Deal Worth Cheering (NYT)

tree ethanol

The purchase of the last big piece of privately owned timberland in the Adirondacks by the Nature Conservancy is cause for cheers.

New Rules for Undercover Cops (NYT)

fair play urged

Commissioner Ray Kelly has wisely agreed to heed the recommendations of a panel of law enforcement experts to make changes to New York’s undercover police procedures.

Well, We Found 140,000 (NYT)

sinisterness uncovered

Congressional investigators have discovered that while 88 White House staffers had accounts over at the G.O.P. computer banks, there are no e-mail archives to be found for 51 of them.

China and the Chest Thumpers (NYT)

full employment, rising income crisis

It would be better if Congress focused on the problems from globalization that it could actually solve rather than blaming China for America’s economic ills.

The Best Judges Business Can Buy (NYT)

control freak carnival

States must either adopt public financing and strict fund-raising rules for judicial elections or switch to a nonelective merit selection system.

Muddy Waters (NYT)

omnibus swamp bill

Congress needs to move quickly to approve clarifying legislation about which streams and wetlands are subject to federal jurisdiction.

Two Cheers on Global AIDS (NYT)

looming

Congress and other national legislatures ought to look hard for additional AIDS funds to close a looming gap between the funds committed and the needs of desperate patients.

When Demagogues Play the Leprosy Card, Watch Out (NYT)

bad people

By LAWRENCE DOWNES

People who want to reform immigration by putting America in lockdown have not been shy about using fear and revulsion to get their point across.

Don’t Listen to What the Man Says (NYT)

forces of good defeated by mere laws

If the Supreme Court, with its new conservative majority, wanted to announce that it was getting out of the fairness business, it could hardly have done better than its decision last week in the case of Keith Bowles.

Presidential Stone Walls (NYT)

Bush derangement ranges

Hiding secrets and embarrassments may be a predictable part of a politician’s instinct for survival. But attempting to enshrine this instinct timelessly is a stain on the Constitution and an insult to history.

Why Protect Shady Gun Dealers? (NYT)

how long must muggers die before the insane second amendment is overturned?

It should not require the shedding of innocent blood to shame Congress into showing the spine to take on the gun lobby, but that seems like a good description of the sorry state of affairs on Capitol Hill.

When Good Weeds Go Bad (NYT)

poison ivy colorful in fall

It takes vigilance and a commitment to protecting the balance of native ecosystems to root out invasive species.

Good News on Math (NYT)

rattling along at the bottom

New York City students showed gains in every grade tested and outpaced students in most other of the state’s big cities.

Congress and the Caregivers (NYT)

higher wage, lower demand, fewer workers

some news for the newspaper

Congress has to reform the law to include home health employees so that they are compensated fairly for the work they do.

Palestinians at War (NYT)

the peace process

For Washington and Jerusalem to exert constructive influence, doing more to help the Palestinian president, Mahmoud Abbas, is the only currency that really counts.

Keeping a Watch on Winter (NYT)

frightens the vacationing liberals

Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne should help put an end to snowmobiles in Yellowstone.

Expletive Policy Deleted (NYT)

editorial content

In a very welcome decision, a federal appeals court overturned the F.C.C.’s indecency policy for live broadcasts.

Jail Time for Scooter Libby (NYT)

news deranged by snappy editorial department

The jail sentence and fine imposed on Scooter Libby are an appropriate and necessary punishment for his obstruction of justice.

Gitmo: A National Disgrace (NYT)

editorial by the liberty fairy

The detention camp at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, was created on a myth, built on a lie and organized around a fiction. It is time to get rid of it.