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Embattled and embarrassed by the confession he fathered a child from an extramarital affair, New York Rep. Vito Fossella is facing public calls to resign. Secluded with his family Friday, he had to grapple with the prospect of lingering fallout from the scandal, including questions about whether taxpayer money was used in pursuit of the romance. The Republican lawmaker indicated Thursday he planned to stay in Congress for months to come, but there were signs he could be out much sooner: House Minority Leader John Boehner said he expected Fossella to make a decision this weekend. Fossella’s personal life came apart at the seams after police stopped him for running a red light last week and charged him with drunken driving. The arrest led to revelations of an affair with a former Air Force officer and the 3-year-old daughter he fathered with her. Political consultant Mike Paul, a former aide to Republicans including former New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani and New York Sen. Alfonse D’Amato, said the pressure will be intense for Fossella to make some decision by Monday. “This weekend for him is a lot of soul-searching,” said Paul, adding that the decision was complicated by the fact he was trying to save his family as well as his career. The Staten Island Advance, the paper that speaks directly to the bulk of Fossella’s constituents, declared Friday that he “is finished” and must resign immediately. The New York Post declared it’s “time to go.” But go where? Back to the home he shares with his wife and three children on Staten Island? Or back to his other child and her mother in Virginia? If Fossella tries to hang on - as many lawmakers have done in recent scandals - he will have some rocky times ahead. - He could face a mandatory five days in jail if convicted of the drunken driving charge against him. - His wife will be under scrutiny, with questions about whether she knew he had a child with another woman, and whether she plans to stand by his side. - The congressman may face further scrutiny over whether he mixed business with pleasure with the New York Daily News reporting that the other woman, Laura Fay, socialized with Fossella while the two were on congressional junkets to Europe. Fossella’s spokeswoman said Friday that he was in Staten Island with his family, and provided no further details. If Fossella did step down, and the resignation took effect before July 1, New York Gov. David Paterson, a Democrat, would have the option of calling a special election to fill the seat for the rest of the year. That would force the financially strugging House GOP campaign committee to plow a large amount of money into an extra election in New York City, one of the most expensive places in the nation to campaign. If Fossella made his resignation effective after July 1, then there would be no special election, the seat would be empty for the remainder of the year, and the normal primary and general election process would take place. Fossella’s district includes all of Staten Island and a chunk of Brooklyn. For decades, it has been reliably conservative, dominated by Catholic voters who sent Catholics to Congress. Democrats, however, have been chipping away at such seats across the state, and even before the scandal, were expected to intensify their efforts to oust Fossella this time around. Yet there are plenty of recent examples of lawmakers who didn’t leave Congress after a scandal. Sen. David Vitter, R-La., has stayed on after being linked to a D.C. prostitution ring; Larry Craig, R-Idaho, remains in Congress after pleading guilty to disorderly conduct resulting from a sex sting in a Minneapolis airport bathroom; and Democrat William Jefferson has pleaded not guilty in a bribery investigation and continues to represent his Louisiana district.

Barack Obama all but erased Hillary Rodham Clinton’s once-imposing lead among national convention superdelegates on Friday and won fresh labor backing as elements of the Democratic Party began coalescing around the Illinois senator for the fall campaign. Obama picked up the backing of nine superdelegates, including Rep. Donald Payne of New Jersey, a member of the Congressional Black Caucus who had been a Clinton supporter. In addition, the American Federation of Government Employees announced its support for Obama. The union claims about 600,000 members who work in the federal and Washington, D.C., governments. Obama, who won a convincing victory in the North Carolina primary and lost Indiana narrowly on Tuesday, has been steadily gaining strength in the days since. Clinton also gained a superdelegate. The developments left the former first lady with 271.5 superdelegates, to 271 for Obama. Little more than four months ago, on the eve of the primary season, she held a lead of 169-63. Superdelegates are party leaders who attend the convention delegates by virtue of their positions, and are not selected in primaries and caucuses. In addition to Payne, Reps. Peter DeFazio of Oregon and Mazie Hirono of Hawaii, two members of the Democratic National Committee from California and a party official in South Carolina announced they were supporting Obama. Superdelegates from New Mexico and Virginia also joined the migration. So, too, John Gage, president of the AFGE. “Our people, I think, recognize the enthusiasm and vitality behind Senator Obama’s campaign,” he said in a statement. “The election is over, everybody knows that. Obama has won,” said Vernon Watkins, one of the two Californians. “After careful consideration, I have reached the conclusion that Barack Obama can best bring about the change that our country so desperately wants and needs,” said Payne, who in a statement said that Clinton is a good friend and he still holds her in high regard. Payne is one of at least 10 superdelegates who have switched allegiances from Clinton to Obama. None have publicly switched the other way. In the overall race for the nomination, Obama leads with 1,859.5 delegates, to 1,697 for Clinton. Obama is just 165.5 delegates short of the 2,025 delegates needed to win it. Clinton’s new supporter was Rep. Chris Carney, D-Pa. His congressional district voted overwhelmingly for the former first lady in the Pennsylvania primary on April 22. Both Obama and Clinton have courted superdelegates in recent days in private meetings at party headquarters not far from the Capitol. Despite Watkins’ assessment, Clinton has shown no signs she is ready to quit the race. She is heavily favored to win Tuesday’s primary in West Virginia, and is in the midst of a two-day swing through several other states with upcoming elections.

Mario Manningham has given people a lot to talk about with all his off the field problems. On the field with the Giants for the first time today, the troubled third-round draft pick from Michigan showed flashes of why he might have been one of the biggest steals in the NFL Draft. Manningham caught a short pass in the morning workout, deked a defender, spun past another and jogged down the field with a flair that raised eyebrows at the Giants’ minicamp for rookie and free agents. “I am very excited,” Manningham said between workouts at Giants Stadium. “There is no better situation that I could be in right now coming in and playing for the Super Bowl champs. It is fun out there, I get to meet new people and everything. I get to play with great players. They aren’t here yet, but I get to play with great players.” The Giants are excited having Manningham, although they realize there is a reason he fell to the third round in last month’s draft. In a letter to NFL executives, he admitted that he failed two drug tests while at Michigan. That came on the heels of an arrest a year ago after police found a prescription pain killer and a controlled substance in a car in which he was riding with two other men. Before the Giants took the field, Manningham had a long talk with Tom Coughlin. Though neither disclosed what was said, it’s obvious the Giants have told the receiver he needs to be a model citizen. “It happened, it is in the past, I am not really worried about it right now,” Manningham said. “I am just trying to make the team and trying to bring an impact to my team right now.” Manningham posted terrific numbers in his three seasons with the Wolverines, catching 137 passes for 2,310 yards and 27 touchdowns. His speed and elusiveness should make him a big-play threat, something only Plaxico Burress provided last season. The only adjustment he might have to make is getting used to the speed of the game in the NFL. His confidence in not an issue. “If it is time for a receiver to get the ball, yeah I want the ball, that is what I do,” Manningham said. “Like I told you, I want to make plays. I am not going to shy away. That is what I have been doing.” Manningham said he doesn’t think that slipping to the third round will motivate him more. “Whether I went first round or third round or sixth round, I am always motivated,” he said. “I am a football player. When you are so used to doing something, that is what you do. You play football. I am motivated anyway whether I would have been a free agent, a first rounder, or wherever. I am pretty motivated.” Being a rookie, Manningham made mistakes, although no glaring ones. “This is my first day,” he said. “You know I am going to make mistakes. You are not just going in on the first day and just get it Johnny on the dot. That is just how it is. Every practice I am going to get better.” * First-round draft pick Kenny Phillips wore No. 21 in honor of recently slain Washington Redskins safety Sean Taylor, another Miami product. Tiki Barber was the previous Giant to wear No. 21.

PHOENIX - Despite rampant speculation that Mike D’Antoni is headed to Chicago or New York, Phoenix point guard Steve Nash expects his coach to be back on the Suns’ bench next season. Beyond that, the two-time NBA MVP had little to say about the Suns’ ongoing coaching saga during a charity appearance today. “This is the last thing I’m going to say about our coaching situation: Mike’s my coach,” Nash said. “So I expect to see Mike back here next year. And I know there’s a lot of stuff going on right now, but Mike’s my coach. I love playing for him. I expect to see him back in October.” Nash’s remarks came after he helped officials from utility Arizona Public Service and the Suns dedicate a refurbished basketball court at Florence Crittenton of Arizona, which offers programs for at-risk girls. D’Antoni, who has two years worth $8.5 million remaining on his contract, reportedly has been courted by the Knicks and Chicago Bulls. Earlier this week, the Suns granted D’Antoni permission to speak to other teams even as they expressed hope he would remain with them.

Forget the Empire State Building. Some New York tourists are eager to see the city’s other landmarks: Carrie’s stoop, Charlotte’s gallery and that restaurant where Samantha threw a martini in a boyfriend’s face. Fans of “Sex and the City” have…

JERUSALEM, May 9 (Reuters) - Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert defied a barrage of calls to resign on Friday after he admitted taking cash from an American businessman at the centre of a police inquiry into allegations of bribery. Olmert, whose…

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — It’s a happy Mother’s Day for an Arkansas woman - she’s pregnant with her 18th child. Michelle Duggar, 41, is due on New Year’s Day, and the latest addition will join seven sisters and 10 brothers. There are two sets of twins. “We’ve had three in January, three in December. Those two months are a busy time for us,” she said, laughing. The Duggars’ oldest child, Josh, is 20, and the youngest, Jennifer, is nine months old. The fast-growing family lives in Tontitown in northwest Arkansas in a 7,000-square-foot home. All the children - whose names start with the letter J - are home-schooled. Duggar has been been pregnant for more than 11 years of her life, and the family is in the process of filming another series for Discovery Health. The new show looks at life inside the Duggar home, where chores - or “jurisdictions” - are assigned to each child. One episode of the new show involves a “jurisdiction swap,” where the boys do chores traditionally assigned to the girls, and vice versa, Duggar said. “The girls swapped jurisdictions, changing tires, working in the garages, mowing the grass,” she said. “The boys got to cook supper from start to finish, clean the bathrooms,” among other chores. Duggar said she’s six weeks along and the pregnancy is going well. She and her husband, Jim Bob Duggar, said they’ll keep having children as long as God wills it. “The success in a family is first off, a love for God, and secondly, treating each other like you want to be treated,” Jim Bob Duggar said. “Our goal is for each one of our children to be best friends, and everybody working together to serve each other makes that happen.” The other Duggar children, in between Joshua and Jennifer, are Jana, 18; John-David, 18; Jill, 16; Jessa, 15; Jinger, 14; Joseph, 13; Josiah, 11; Joy-Anna, 10; Jeremiah, 9; Jedidiah, 9; Jason, 7; James, 6; Justin, 5; Jackson, 3; and Johannah, 2.

JERUSALEM, May 9 (Reuters) - Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert defied a barrage of calls to resign on Friday after he admitted taking cash from an American businessman at the centre of a police inquiry into allegations of bribery. Olmert, whose…

Josh Beckett got eight strikeouts, including the 1,000th of his career and Kevin Youkilis hit another home run at spacious Comerica Park to lead the Red Sox to a 5-1 win over the Tigers last night in Detroit. Beckett (4-2) gave up six hits and a run in seven innings and Youkilis hit his third home run in two games, giving him eight in Detroit. Rays 8, Blue Jays 3 (13) In Toronto, Dioner Navarro hit a grand slam in the 13th inning after Carl Crawford drove in the go-ahead run with a sacrifice fly and the Rays beat the Blue Jays. Rangers 5, Mariners 0 In Seattle, Ian Kinsler hit a two-run homer and then got hit by a pitch. That set up a fourth-inning brawl in which Seattle’s Richie Sexson charged the mound and flung his helmet at Rangers starter Kason Gabbard after the left-hander threw a pitch eye-high to him in the bottom half. Both benches cleared, but no punches were thrown. Sexson was ejected. NATIONAL LEAGUE D’backs 8, Phillies 3 Brandon Webb became the first pitcher to win his first eight starts in three years, tossing his 13th career complete game to help the Diamondbacks in Phoenix. Webb (8-0) became the first pitcher to win his first eight starts since Jon Garland of the White Sox in 2005 and the first in the NL since Pedro Martinez for Montreal in 1997. Braves 5, Padres 4 In Atlanta, the Braves finally won a one-run game when Matt Diaz hit a bases-loaded single in the ninth. Nationals 8, Astros 3 In Houston, Willie Harris and Rob Mackowiak homered for the Nationals, who ended the Astros’ five-game winning streak.