U.S. Slow to Learn of Mexico Flu  —  Canadian Officials Knew of Rare Strain Before Americans Did  —  U.S. public health officials did not know about a growing outbreak of swine flu in Mexico until nearly a week after that country started invoking protective measures, and didn't learn …

The Banality of Bush White House Evil  —  WE don't like our evil to be banal.  Ten years after Columbine, it only now may be sinking in that the psychopathic killers were not jock-hating dorks from a “Trench Coat Mafia,” or, as ABC News maintained at the time, “part of a dark …

Obama Off to Solid Start, Poll Finds  —  But Release of Memos on Detainee Interrogations Reveals Deep Partisan Split  —  Barack Obama's performance in the first 100 days of his presidency draws strong public approval in a new Washington Post-ABC News poll, but there is decidedly less support …

On Pelosi's Duplicity and Apparent Sandbagging of Elizabeth Warren  —  Despite her longevity as a California pol, house speaker Nancy Pelosi is looking like every bit as much of a dyed-in-the-wool financial services industry backer as the Congressmen on the New York-Boston corridor.

CIA reportedly declined to closely evaluate harsh interrogations  —  Current and former U.S. officials say the failure to carefully examine the value of ‘enhanced’ methods such as waterboarding — despite calls to do so as early as 2003 — was part of a broader trend.

Obama Administration's Assault on the American Warrior Commences  —  The assault is relentless.  It is enraging.  And today, the Obama administration's assault on those who dare to defend America from terrorist thugs who rejoice in publicizing beheadings, mass murder, and pure evil are on notice: “You will be punished.

Slouching Towards Oblivion  —  Maybe it's because I'm staying at the Sunset Tower on Sunset Boulevard, but I keep thinking of newspapers as Norma Desmond.  —  Papers are still big.  It's the screens that got small.  —  Now that everybody can check their iPhones and laptops for news …

2 Somali Pirates Die in Hijacking of Yemeni Vessel  —  Yemeni officials say Somali pirates have seized an empty Yemeni oil tanker in a deadly clash with coast guards.  —  The officials said two pirates were killed in the confrontation in the Gulf of Aden Sunday.  Three other pirates and two coast guards also were wounded.

The Final Triumph of Chiang Kai-shek  —  Chiang Kai-Shek and the Struggle for Modern China  —  Belknap.  —  722 pp.  $35  —  Chiang Kai-shek ranks as one of the most despised leaders of the 20th century.  Famously derided as “Peanut” and “General Cash-My-Check,” the leader …

The Portuguese Experiment: Did Legalizing Drugs Work?  —  Pop quiz: Which European country has the most liberal drug laws?  (Hint: It's not the Netherlands.)  —  Although its capital is notorious among stoners and college kids for marijuana haze-filled “coffee shops,” …