North Koreans Launch Rocket Over the Pacific  —  SEOUL, South Korea — North Korea defied the United States, China and a series of United Nations resolutions by launching a rocket on Sunday that the country said was designed to propel a satellite into space, but that much of the world viewed …

HE FEARED THE ‘OBAMA GUN BAN’.... The latest gun massacre occurred this morning in Pittsburgh.  This one had a more political bent than most. … It wouldn't be fair to blame right-wing propaganda for Poplawski slaying these police officers.  Plenty of people have heard the far-right talking points …

The End of Christian America  —  The percentage of self-identified Christians has fallen 10 points in the past two decades.  How that statistic explains who we are now—and what, as a nation, we are about to become.  —  From the magazine issue dated Apr 13, 2009

It Really Is All Greenspan's Fault  —  Ask John Taylor ...  It's been quite a spectacle for those who have followed Alan Greenspan's career for decades.  Gone is the financial rock star or even the statesman testifying before Congress in a measured baritone.

Obama Wants to Control the Banks  —  There's a reason he refuses to accept repayment of TARP money.  —  I must be naive.  I really thought the administration would welcome the return of bank bailout money.  Some $340 million in TARP cash flowed back this week from four small banks in Louisiana, New York, Indiana and California.

Why Creditors Should Suffer, Too  —  THE Obama administration's proposals to reform financial regulation sound ambitious enough as they aim to bring companies like A.I.G. under a broader umbrella of government rule-making and scrutiny.  —  But there is a big hole in these proposals …

Pitchforks and Pistols  —  Lately I've been consuming as much conservative media as possible (interspersed with shots of Pepto-Bismol) to get a better sense of the mind and mood of the right.  My read: They're apocalyptic.  They feel isolated, angry, betrayed and besieged.

Europeans Offer Few New Troops for Afghanistan  —  STRASBOURG, France — European leaders offered few extra troops on Saturday for President Obama's intensified effort in Afghanistan, with most of the soldiers only on temporary security assignment, underlining deep divisions within the alliance over the war.

Chinese Hunger for Sons Fuels Boys' Abductions  —  SHENZHEN, China — The thieves often strike at dusk, when children are playing outside and their parents are distracted by exhaustion.  —  Deng Huidong lost her 9-month-old son in the blink of an eye as a man yanked him from the grip …

A Push Is On for Same-Sex Marriage Rights Across New England  —  BOSTON — The Iowa Supreme Court's approval of same-sex marriage on Friday gave advocates an important first victory in the nation's heartland, thwarting the notion that only the Northeast will accept it.