Obama and Gates Gut the Military  —  The secretary's new budget will leave us weaker to pay for the president's domestic programs.  —  On Monday, Defense Secretary Robert Gates announced a significant reordering of U.S. defense programs.  His recommendations should not go unchallenged.

U.S. Crew in Standoff With Pirates Off Somalia Coast  —  Hours after pirates commandeered a United States-flagged container ship with 20 American crew members off the coast of Somalia on Wednesday, the pirates and crew appeared to be in a standoff, with the ship under control of its crew once again …

White House: No bow to Saudi  —  The White House is denying that the president bowed to King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia at a G-20 meeting in London, a scene that drew criticism on the right and praise from some Arab outlets.  —  “It wasn't a bow.  He grasped his hand with two hands …

Thoughts on Bill O'Reilly and Squeaky the Chicago Mouse  —  Dear Bill: Thanks for including the Chicago Sun-Times on your exclusive list of newspapers on your “Hall of Shame.”  To be in an O'Reilly Hall of Fame would be a cruel blow to any newspaper.  It would place us in the favor of a man …

Palin fan sets up Web site to cover her legal defense costs  —  (CNN) — A Texas businessman launched a Web site Tuesday that allows users to help defray Gov. Sarah Palin's legal costs.  —  The donations will be forwarded to the governor's attorney in Alaska.

Keith Olbermann's scathing criticism of Obama's secrecy/immunity claims  —  (updated below - Update II - Update III)  —  Several weeks ago, I noted that unlike the Right — which turned itself into a virtual cult of uncritical reverence for George W. Bush especially during the first several years …

Obama to host Seder Thursday night  —  Article's topics: Barack Obama, Pessah, Seder,  —  US President Barack Obama will celebrate Passover Thursday night with staff and friends in what is believed to be the first White House Seder attended by an American president.

AP Newsbreak: Obama looks at climate engineering … WASHINGTON (AP) - The president's new science adviser said Wednesday that global warming is so dire, the Obama administration is discussing radical technologies to cool Earth's air.  —  John Holdren told The Associated Press …

Human Rights Campaign Exposes National Organization for Marriage's Fake Ad for Fake Problems  —  Right-wing group does not have truth on its side, so it hires actors to spew lies; Audition reel uncovered online  —  WASHINGTON -The Human Rights Campaign, the nation's largest lesbian, gay …

Rick Warren on the Newsweek ‘End of Christian America’ article, Pt. 1  —  HH: Special hour of the Hugh Hewitt Show, my old and dear friend, Rick Warren, is in studio with us, America's pastor.  He's the author of The Purpose Driven Life.  He is the founding pastor 30 years ago at Saddleback Valley Community Church.

Big Liberal Bloggers Tee Off On Progressive Groups For Not Sharing Ad Wealth  —  Some of the leading liberal bloggers are privately furious with the major progressive groups — and in some cases, the Democratic Party committees — for failing to spend money advertising on their sites …

Mitt Romney sells Utah ski house … SALT LAKE CITY (AP) - Race-car driver and money manager Hal Prewitt bought Mitt Romney's ski house at Deer Valley Resort for “a little less” than the asking price of $5.25 million, his agent said  —  Tuesday.  —  “It's beautiful.

Obama team readying for confrontation with Netanyahu  —  In an unprecedented move, the Obama administration is readying for a possible confrontation with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu by briefing Democratic congressmen on the peace process and the positions of the new government in Israel regarding a two-state solution.

Turkish anchor wears blackface to report on Obama's visit.  —  A YouTube video has popped up of a Turkish anchor wearing dark face paint when reporting on President Obama's recent visit to the country.  Jonathan Turley has a rough translation of what the anchor is saying: … Watch it:

Why Coleman Should Drop Out  —  If he keeps up the fight, he is likely to lose, unnecessarily deprive Minnesota of a second senator, end his political career seen as a sore loser, and hurt his party in a state that is eager for this fight to be over.  His team has talked enough …

Rogers urged to apologize for comments  —  The head of the Alabama Democratic Party said U.S. Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Saks, owes the U.S. speaker of the House an apology.  —  Rogers came to Montgomery on Monday to speak to constituents, and Alabama Democratic Party Chairman Joe Turnham found …

Electricity Grid in U.S. Penetrated By Spies  —  Robert Moran monitors an electric grid in Dallas.  Such infrastructure grids across the country are vulnerable to cyberattacks.  —  WASHINGTON — Cyberspies have penetrated the U.S. electrical grid and left behind software programs …

Ten principles for a Black Swan-proof world  —  1. What is fragile should break early while it is still small.  Nothing should ever become too big to fail.  Evolution in economic life helps those with the maximum amount of hidden risks - and hence the most fragile - become the biggest.

Why We Need the New York Times  —  For many years, I was a devoted reader of the New York Times.  An unusually devoted one.  —  I picked up the habit from David O'Brien, an actor who played my father on a soap opera I appeared on over 25 years ago.  It was my first professional job …

South Park creators given signed photo of Saddam Hussein  —  Matt Stone and Trey Parker, the creators of South Park, were given a signed photo of Saddam Hussein by US marines after the former Iraqi leader was shown their movie in prison.  —  During his captivity, US marines forced Saddam …

UNION'S ‘CUE’ TIPS  —  TEACHERS TOLD COUNCIL JUST WHAT TO ASK  —  Now roll over!  Now speak!  —  The powerful teachers union had City Council members on a short leash this week — crafting cue cards with questions for legislators to ask at a hearing.  —  It was an unusually aggressive attempt …

“Fair and balanced” Fox News aggressively promotes “tea party” protests … Despite its repeated insistence that its coverage is “fair and balanced” and its invitation to viewers to “say ‘no’ to biased media,” in recent weeks, Fox News has frequently aired segments encouraging viewers to get involved with …

Report: Pakistan rejects U.S. plan, wants drones  —  U.S. envoys met with Pakistani leaders on Tuesday to ensure that the $7.5 billion that President Obama plans to send their way over the next five years will be used to achieve common goals in the fight against extremism.

White House May Postpone Auctioning Emissions  —  The Obama administration might agree to postpone auctioning off 100 percent of emissions allowances under a cap-and-trade system to limit greenhouse gas pollution, White House science adviser John P. Holdren said today, a move …