Government Officials

Authorities searched the Temple City offices and homes of the mayor and two council members Wednesday as part of an investigation into allegations that they solicited tens of thousands of dollars in bribes in exchange for their support of a $75-million mall project.

Cuba's ailing former leader Fidel Castro, not seen in public for almost three years, appeared on the streets of Havana and people cried when they recognized him, according to Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez. Chavez spent several hours with Castro in Cuba last weekend and said Friday that Castro, 82, was in his best health since surgery for an unspecified intestinal problem in July 2006.

President Raul Castro on Monday abruptly removed some of Cuba's most high-profile officials from top posts in what he said was an effort to streamline his administration. The sweeping overhaul also seemed designed, at least in part, to allow Castro to put his stamp on the country's leadership by promoting officials close to him and sidelining those associated with his brother, Fidel. Castro formally replaced his ailing sibling as president a year ago.

Franklin Raines, the former chief executive of Fannie Mae, used a special program at mortgage lender Countrywide Financial to receive a below-market rate on a home loan, contrary to sworn testimony he made to Congress in December, according to the top Republican on the House Committee on Oversight and Government. Raines' lawyer, however, disputed Rep. Darrell Issa's characterization of events.

Lawyers for former President George W. Bush, the House and the Obama administration reached agreement Wednesday to resolve a long-running dispute over the scope of executive power, which will allow lawmakers to question Bush aides Karl Rove and Harriet E. Miers about their role in the firing of nine federal prosecutors in 2006.

Two former top Cuban political figures who were fired from the Cabinet by President Raul Castro said they had made "errors" and resigned from their other official posts, completing a stunning fall from grace. Former Foreign Minister Felipe Perez Roque and former Cabinet chief Carlos Lage, both of whom had been seen as emerging leaders, were dismissed by Castro on Monday in a shake-up that brought eight new ministers and merged four ministries into two.

A former top NASA official has been indicted on charges of steering $9.6 million in agency funds to a consulting client. The U.S. attorney's office announced a three-count indictment on Friday against Courtney Stadd of Bethesda, Md., who had served as NASA's chief of staff and White House liaison. The indictment accuses Stadd of steering money from an earth science appropriation to Mississippi State University, which was paying him as a consultant.

Iraq's minister of state for women's affairs said Monday that she planned to withdraw her resignation after receiving pledges from aid organizations to help women. Nawal Samarai quit last month to protest the lack of resources for women, accusing the government of not making their needs a priority. But the Sunni Arab activist decided to return to her job after getting pledges for funds and support from international aid organizations.

A judge ruled Thursday that Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has the power to order the 15,600 employees of other elected statewide officials to take furlough days as part of a budget-cutting measure. State Controller John Chiang, who had doubted the governor's authority and asked the court to decide, said he would appeal the ruling.

Thomas Perez is Maryland's highest-ranking Latino, but his selection as the nation's leading civil rights enforcer has provoked sharp criticism from some Latino civil rights advocates. The criticism isn't directed at Perez, the state's secretary of labor and a first-generation Dominican American, or his qualifications.