Job Losses Slow; Unemployment at 9.4%  —  The United States economy lost 345,000 jobs in May, the government reported on Friday, a sharp slowing in the pace of job losses that fueled hopes that the economy was on its way toward a recovery.  —  The recession continued to take a toll …

Intel firestorm: GOP reveals briefing info  —  Republicans ignited a firestorm of controversy on Thursday by revealing some of what they had been told at a closed-door Intelligence Committee hearing on the interrogation of terrorism suspects.  —  Democrats immediately blasted the GOP lawmakers …

The End of America's Strategic Alliance with Israel?  —  From an Israeli perspective, Pres. Barack Obama's speech today in Cairo was deeply disturbing.  Both rhetorically and programmatically, Obama's speech was a renunciation of America's strategic alliance with Israel.

Inhofe Rips Obama As ‘Un-American,’ Suggests He's On The Side Of Terrorists  —  Reacting to President Obama's outreach to the Muslim world yesterday, Sen. James Inhofe (R-OK) decried the president's speech as “un-American” and even suggested Obama might be on the side of terrorists:

Keeping Them Honest  —  “I appreciate your efforts, and look forward to working with you so that the Congress can complete health care reform by October.”  So declared President Obama in a letter this week to Senators Max Baucus and Edward Kennedy.  The big health care push is officially on.

Nominee's Criminal Rulings Tilt to Right of Souter  —  WASHINGTON — While Judge Sonia Sotomayor stands in the liberal mainstream on many issues, her record suggests that the Supreme Court nominee could sometimes rule with the top court's conservatives on questions of criminal justice.

FDIC Pushes Purge at Citi  —  Bair Wants to Shake Up Management, Sought to Cut Rating of Bank's Health  —  WASHINGTON — The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. is pushing for a shake-up of Citigroup Inc.'s top management, imperiling Chief Executive Vikram Pandit, people familiar with the matter said.

White House Set to Appoint a Pay Czar  —  WASHINGTON — The Obama administration plans to appoint a “Special Master for Compensation” to ensure that companies receiving federal bailout funds are abiding by executive-pay guidelines, according to people familiar with the matter.

Cheney and Pelosi Have Poor Ratings in Common  —  Pelosi's ratings down, while Cheney's improved from record low  —  PRINCETON, NJ — Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and former Vice President Dick Cheney have little in common politically, but they receive almost identical image ratings from the American public.

MSNBC Shrugs About Liz Cheney's Over-Exposure: “Liz Is A Great Guest”  —  MSNBC is shrugging off the growing criticism of the extensive airtime the network has granted Liz Cheney to mount a political defense of her father and a political offensive against the Obama administration …

NASA Study Acknowledges Solar Cycle, Not Man, Responsible for Past Warming  —  Report indicates solar cycle has been impacting Earth since the Industrial Revolution  —  Some researchers believe that the solar cycle influences global climate changes.  They attribute recent warming trends to cyclic variation.

Settlers build ‘Oz Yehonatan’ outpost  —  Article's topics: Barack Obama, Settlements  —  A day after US President Barack Obama reiterated his call to stop settlement activity during a speech in Cairo, defiant settlers continued to erect illegal structures in the West Bank …

Sotomayor Repeatedly Referenced ‘Wise Woman’ in Speeches  —  Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor is greeted by Sen. Arlen Specter before a meeting on Capitol Hill Thursday.  (Getty)  —  Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor delivered multiple speeches between 1994 and 2003 in which she suggested …

It Could Be Worse  —  Much has been made of President Obama's “on the other hand” transition, in his speech yesterday, from the Holocaust to the travails of the Palestinians.  Some thought that he implied a kind of equivalence.  But the appalling Tom Brokaw reminded us that it could have been worse …

Republican senator seeks to outlaw tobacco  —  A Republican senator who is also a doctor is calling for a new era of Prohibition — outlawing cigarette smoking and other tobacco use.  —  The unlikely demand comes from Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.), one of the staunchest free-market conservatives in the Senate.

Review: Glenn Beck, Simulcasting Discontent  —  Before starting his performance Thursday night at the Midland Theater in Kansas City, Mo., which was simulcast to more than 440 movie houses around the country, Glenn Beck walked over to the camera, waved, and acknowledged the critic for The New York Times.

Racist Knows the Pain of Being Called Racist  —  This is pretty rich — both for Sen. Sessions (R-AL) and CNN for taking his line at face value.  Sessions is saying he can feel Sonia Sotomayor's pain over being called a ‘racist’ since he was called a ‘racist’ too.

Rove: ‘Who Cares’ Whether Muslims ‘Approve Or Like The President Of The United States’?  —  Last night, Karl Rove went on Fox News and lambasted President Obama's speech in Cairo, saying that he would give him a grade of “D minus” on the “important parts of the speech.”

ABORTION FOE TO LEAD HHS FAITH-BASED OFFICE.  —  President Obama has appointed Alexia Kelley, executive director of Catholics in Alliance for the Common Good (CACG), to head the Center for Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships at the Department of Health and Human Services.

Liberal Writer Fired By AOL News For Reporting Vile Playboy List  —  Editor's Note/Update below: AOL editor's email and further business connections revealed.  —  AOL News has been bending over backwards lately to make sure that they do not cover the controversy surrounding Playboy.com …

Barack and Michelle Obama decline dinner with the Sarkozys  —  The Obamas turn up in Paris this evening, but have declined a dinner invitation from the couple next door: the Sarkozys.  —  President Obama's reluctance to spend more than minimum time with the French leader on his visit for the D …

Lawmakers muster votes to override Palin on stimulus  —  STIMULUS: Palin makes Alaska the sole state to reject energy cost relief.  —  scockerham@adn.com  —  Legislative leaders say they appear to have enough votes to override Gov. Sarah Palin's veto of $28.6 million in federal stimulus money for energy cost relief.