Senator Ted Stevens of Alaska, the Senate’s longest-serving Republican in US history, was convicted yesterday of violating federal ethics laws for failing to report tens of thousands of dollars in gifts he received from friends. A jury in Washington, D.C. found Stevens guilty on seven felony counts, each with a maximum penalty of five years in prison. The 84-year-old Stevens is one of the most powerful Republicans in Congress and is the first sitting US senator to go on trial in more than two decades. [includes rush transcript]