1758—James Monroe, the fifth president of the United States, is born.

1788—Maryland ratifies the U.S. Constitution without adding any amendments.

1945—Benito Mussolini is executed, ending Fascist rule of Italy.

1992—The food pyramid, featuring six food groups, is presented by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

2001—The Russians launch a spacecraft carrying the first paying space tourist, a California businessman who paid $20 million for the privilege.

John McCain is preparing to distance himself from President Bush more than West Wing officials might expect. "On some issues, we will agree to disagree with the White House," says a senior strategist for the Republican candidate's presidential campaign.

That's because McCain genuinely has separate opinions from Bush on many topics, the strategist tells U.S. News. He adds that, "It happens to be the best thing to do politically this year" because Bush is so unpopular and McCain needs to show he is his own man.

In the past few weeks, we've been hearing reports of rice troubles from abroad, set off by spikes in prices and concerns about shortages: India and Vietnam have put up export bans on rice; farmers in Asian countries are hoarding stocks; and the Philippine government is cracking down on everyone from distributors to fast food chains, hoping to avoid a nationwide panic.

But we're not feeling any of the fallout here in the United States, right? Think again. Citing "recent supply and demand trends," warehouse-retail giant Sam's Club announced today that it is restricting the number of 20-pound bags of imported rice customers can buy—to four bags at a time. The move follows similar actions by Costco Wholesale Corp., which imposed restrictions on purchases of rice at certain stores earlier this week.

Sam's Club is not restricting purchases of retail-size rice, however. Nor is Wal-Mart, Sam's Club's corporate owner, planning to impose any limits of its own.

—Kent Garber

The nation's largest gay rights organization is planning to make an announcement on Monday naming its endorsements for key U.S. Senate races. At the same time, the group plans to launch what it calls an "unprecedented nationwide campaign" to get out the vote this fall.

At the launch, Human Rights Campaign President Joe Solmonese will be joined by Democratic strategist Paul Begala, a Hillary Clinton supporter and former Clinton administration adviser. But HRC spokesman Trevor Thomas told U.S. News that the organization will not make a presidential endorsement until the Democratic primary season is over.

HRC, in this campaign's first major effort to mobilize gay and progressive voters, will target its 700,000 members as well as more than 5 million other voters in key battleground races. The goal? To elect "pro-civil rights leaders," they said.

HRC represents the interests of gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender Americans.

—Liz Halloran

Members of the House and Senate will receive briefings today by top U.S. intelligence officials, who are expected to present what they say is video evidence that North Korean researchers or officials provided assistance to Syria for a now destroyed nuclear reactor facility. The reactor, which was never operational, was bombed by Israeli planes last year.

Ford Motor Co. was back in the black in the first quarter of 2008, beating Wall Street expectations and providing a cautious counterpoint to the overall poor performances of American companies in the current economic environment. Ford reported net income of $100 million, or 5 cents per share, compared with a net loss of $282 million, or 15 cents per share, a year earlier, despite an 8 percent drop in revenues. Most of the earnings gain came from the expansion of Ford's markets in Europe and South America, and not from the U.S., where the automaker is reducing its second-quarter production plan and offering more targeted buyouts to union workers.

Hillary Clinton's campaign said that it was "on track" to raise more than $10 million in the 24 hours following her Pennsylvania primary victory, according to reports last night. She certainly needs it: According to the Federal Election Commission, as of April 1 Clinton had $10 million of debt and only $9 million on hand.

1704—The first regular newspaper in the United States, the Boston News- Letter, is published.

1800—The United States Library of Congress is established when President John Adams signs legislation to appropriate $5,000 to purchase "such books as may be necessary for the use of Congress—and for putting up a suitable apartment for containing them therein...."

1953—Winston Churchill is knighted by Queen Elizabeth II.

1990—The Hubble telescope is launched into orbit.

2005—Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger is inaugurated as the 265th pope of the Roman Catholic Church, taking the name Pope Benedict XVI.

It is a great faith that preaches unity, peace, and love of a common God. And with 1.2 billion followers, it is the world's second-largest and fastest-growing religion. But Islam is also a singularly demanding faith, one that holds much that non-Muslims find abhorrent. The terrorist attacks of 9/11 and the continued desperation of misguided zealots has further tarnished Islam's image in the West. Yet the faith has a rich history, a glorious legacy in art, and ancient rituals that give structure and comfort to millions.

What do Muslims really believe? Who was Muhammad? What is the significance of the pilgrimage to Mecca? U.S. News provides answers to these and many other questions in its series Secrets of Islam: The Essential Guide to the World's Fastest-Growing Religion.