Sources Question Governor's Story  —  Gov. Mark Sanford Says He Disappeared To Go Hiking  —  GREENVILLE, S.C. — WYFF News 4 has received exclusive information from sources who say they have information about Gov. Mark Sanford's whereabouts during a mysterious absence over the past several days.

EXCLUSIVE: U.S. contacted Iran's ayatollah before election  —  Administration overture to Khamenei ridiculed in sermon  —  Prior to this month's disputed presidential election in Iran, the Obama administration sent a letter to the country's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei …

Stay Tuned for More of ‘The Obama Show’  —  In his first daytime news conference yesterday, President Obama preempted “All My Children,” “Days of Our Lives” and “The Young and the Restless.”  But the soap viewers shouldn't have been disappointed: The president had arranged some prepackaged entertainment for them.

Tapes Reveal Nixon's View of Abortion  —  WASHINGTON — On Jan. 23, 1973, when the Supreme Court struck down state criminal abortion laws in Roe v. Wade, President Richard M. Nixon made no public statement.  But privately, newly released tapes reveal, he expressed ambivalence.

Climate Bill Set for Vote After Deal Is Reached  —  WASHINGTON — House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has scheduled a vote Friday on a sprawling climate-change bill, signaling the Democratic leadership's confidence that it can overcome objections from Farm Belt Democrats.

Documents Back Saudi Link to Extremists  —  WASHINGTON — Documents gathered by lawyers for the families of Sept. 11 victims provide new evidence of extensive financial support for Al Qaeda and other extremist groups by members of the Saudi royal family, but the material may never find …

He Thinks You're Stupid  —  In his press conference today, President Obama talked about the cap-and-trade energy tax that the Democrats are trying to ram through Congress.  Obama's nose grew a couple of inches as he uttered this howler: … The idea that the energy tax will come to rest with …

Pushing the President's Buttons  —  Barack Obama, as everyone knows, is one of the most disciplined, controlled and unflappable political leaders in modern times.  Except when he grows testy.  And during Tuesday afternoon's press conference, the president's inability to mask mild annoyance was on full display.

New Protections for Transgender Federal Workers  —  WASHINGTON — Lawyers for President Obama are quietly drafting first-of-their kind guidelines barring workplace discrimination against transgender federal employees, officials said Tuesday.  —  The guidelines will be in an updated federal handbook …

In case you wondered: John McCain bows out of 2012 GOP race  —  With unusual ubiquity for a losing presidential candidate, Arizona Republican Sen. John McCain has been popping up all over the media these days.  —  So it was probably inevitable that he'd get the same question asked …

US missile strike kills 60 in Pakistan  —  • Local official says half of the dead were civilians  —  • Bodyguard assassinates Taliban leader Zainuddin  —  A US drone aircraft killed at least 45 Pakistani Taliban militants in south Waziristan yesterday when it fired missiles …

Most Americans Want Health Reform but Worry About Costs, Quality  —  A majority of Americans see government action as critical to controlling runaway health-care costs, but there is broad public anxiety about the potential impact of reform legislation and conflicting views about the types …

The “Neda video,” torture, and the truth-revealing power of images  —  The single most significant event in shaping worldwide revulsion towards the violence of the Iranian government has been the video of the young Iranian woman bleeding to death, the so-called “Neda video.”

New All-Time Lows for Both CBS & ABC Evening Newscasts  —  Breaking: TVNewser has learned the CBS Evening News has once again set an all-time low last week with 4.89 million Total Viewers and 1.42 million A25-54 viewers.  But it was also the lowest (since records began in the 1991-'92 season) for ABC's World News with Charles Gibson.

Through the Looking Glass With Andrew Sullivan  —  Perhaps the single, common life goal of every intellectual, pseudo-intellectual, and intellectual aspirant, is to be a true Renaissance man — a genius whose force of will and flexible, dominating intellect allows him to master or nearly master …

Reform of regulation has to start by altering incentives  —  Proposals for reform of financial regulation are now everywhere.  The most significant have come from the US, where President Barack Obama's administration last week put forward a comprehensive, albeit timid, set of ideas.