Obama's Economic Circle Keeps Tensions Simmering  —  WASHINGTON — President Obama was getting his daily economic briefing one recent morning when a fly distracted him.  The president swatted and missed, just as the pest buzzed near the shoes of Lawrence H. Summers, the chief White House economic adviser.

Palin versus GOP  —  Sarah Palin's on-again, off-again appearance at Monday night's gala GOP fundraising dinner is off — again.  —  After being invited — for a second time — to speak to the annual joint fundraiser for the National Republican Congressional Committee and the National …

U.S. Fighting North Korea Labor Camp Sentence for Laura Ling, Euna Lee  —  Laura Ling and Euna Lee Were Sentenced to 12 Years in North Korean Camp  —  For two families praying for the release of U.S. journalists Laura Ling and Euna Lee, the news that they were sentenced to 12 years …

Suspect in abortion doctor death warns of violence  —  WICHITA, Kan. — The man charged with murdering a high-profile abortion doctor claimed from his jail cell Sunday that similar violence was planned around the nation for as long as the procedure remained legal, a threat that comes days …

In Iraq, Colbert Does His Shtick for the Troops  —  CAMP VICTORY, Iraq — It was Sunday night in Baghdad, and President Obama was ordering Gen. Ray Odierno, the commander of the American troops here, to shave Stephen Colbert's head.  (Not to give everything away, but the general is not as brutal …

Sotomayor and the Politics of Race  —  Americans thought they were electing a president who would transcend grievance.  —  Printer  —  Friendly  —  President Obama's nomination of Sonia Sotomayor for the Supreme Court points to a dilemma that will likely plague his presidency: How does a …

Corruption trial set over money in the freezer  —  Former Rep. William Jefferson's (D-La.) corruption trial is set to begin Tuesday after two years of intense legal wrangling that at one point involved evidence gathered during an FBI raid of his congressional office.

EXCLUSIVE: Recently Released Gitmo Detainee Talks to ABC News  —  Held Seven Years, Former Aid Worker Tells ABC News He Was Tortured  —  For 7½ years, Lakhdar Boumediene was known simply by a number: “10005.”  —  These were the digits assigned to him when he arrived at the detention center …

In Iran, Harsh Talk as Election Nears  —  TEHRAN — The leading candidates are accusing each other of corruption, bribery and torture.  The wife of the strongest challenger to President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has threatened to sue him for defaming her.  And every night, parts of the capital become …

U.S. to Propose Wider Oversight of Compensation  —  The Obama administration plans to require banks and corporations that have received two rounds of federal bailouts to submit any major executive pay changes for approval by a new federal official who will monitor pay, according to two government officials.

Dr. Goolsbee gets it wrong on the auto loans  —  This morning on Fox News Sunday, host Chris Wallace moderated a discussion about the auto industry.  One of his guests was Dr. Austan Goolsbee, who is a Member of President Obama's Council of Economic Advisers and chief economist on the President's Economic Recovery Advisory Board.

President Obama's French food tested by ‘taster’ … A US “taster” tested the food being dished up to President Barack Obama at a dinner in a French restaurant, a waiter said on Sunday.  —  “They have someone who tastes the dishes,” said waiter Gabriel de Carvalho from the “La Fontaine de Mars” …

Group Linked to Al Qaeda May Have Killed Minnesota Man Recruited in Somalia  —  A Minnesota man recruited to join an Al Qaeda-linked terrorist group overseas may have been assassinated in Somalia by the very terrorist group he went there to help.  —  The Federal Bureau of Investigation …

IT'S A FEATURE, NOT A BUG.... The New York Times had an item over the weekend on the inclusion of a public option in a health care reform.  The piece was primarily about the existence of state-based plans in which employees are given a choice “between government-backed insurance options and a menu of commercial policies.”

Victory In Iraq  —  How we got here is a matter for history.  But the democratic ideal is still within reach. … From the magazine issue dated Jun 15, 2009  —  “America is not the crude stereotype of a self-interested empire,” said President Obama in his Cairo speech.

Obama Rated Highest as Person, Lowest on Deficit, Spending  —  Obama doing better than Bush and Clinton at similar points in their first year in office  —  PRINCETON, NJ — While 67% of Americans view President Barack Obama favorably, his overall job approval rating and his ratings on specific areas are less positive.