Justices Rule for White Firefighters in Bias Case  —  WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court has ruled that white firefighters in New Haven, Conn., were unfairly denied promotions because of their race, reversing a decision that high court nominee Sonia Sotomayor endorsed as an appeals court judge.

Obama says coup in Honduras is illegal  —  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Barack Obama said on Monday the coup that ousted Honduran President Manuel Zelaya was illegal and would set a “terrible precedent” of transition by military force unless it was reversed.

Madoff Sentenced to 150 Years in Prison for Ponzi Scheme  —  A federal judge sentenced Bernard L. Madoff to 150 years in prison on Monday for operating a huge Ponzi scheme that devastated thousands of people, calling his crimes “extraordinarily evil.”  —  In pronouncing the sentence …

Betraying the Planet  —  So the House passed the Waxman-Markey climate-change bill.  In political terms, it was a remarkable achievement.  —  But 212 representatives voted no. A handful of these no votes came from representatives who considered the bill too weak, but most rejected the bill …

Video: Energy Czar hasn't read cap & tax, either  —  Barack Obama's energy czar appeared on Fox & Friends this morning to discuss the cap-and-tax bill passed by the House last week on a razor-thin margin.  Carol Browner got stumped by Fox's Steve Doocy while questioning her ability to speak to the subject …

First on the CNN Ticker: Bauer suggests compromise on Sanford  —  COLUMBIA, South Carolina (CNN) — South Carolina Lt. Gov. Andre Bauer said Monday he would be open to a scenario in which he would assume the governorship but not run for the state's top office in 2010 if Governor Mark Sanford decides to resign in the coming weeks.

Obama Picks Camp David Church — Not a D.C. Congregation  —  For the past five months, White House aides and friends of the Obamas have been quietly visiting local churches and vetting the sermons of prospective first ministers in a search for a new — and uncontroversial — church home.

It's Now Legal to Catch a Raindrop in Colorado  —  DURANGO, Colo. — For the first time since territorial days, rain will be free for the catching here, as more and more thirsty states part ways with one of the most entrenched codes of the West.  —  Precipitation, every last drop or flake …

Morning Fix: A New Republican Leader?  —  Dispirited Republicans looking for national leaders amid a wash of scandals that have dominated national news over the last fortnight got a bit of good news on Sunday with an inspired performance on “Meet the Press” by South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham (R).

8st 1oz, no food just pills in his stomach, bald, bruised, his ribs broken by CPR, 4 needle wounds near his heart...  THE horrifying state of pop superstar Michael Jackson in his final days can be revealed by The Sun today.  —  Harrowing leaked autopsy details show the singer was a virtual skeleton …

Paper Avalanche Buries Plan to Stem Foreclosures  —  LOS ANGELES — Somewhere on earth, there must be a more difficult task than this: persuading American mortgage companies to lower payments for homeowners who can no longer afford their loans.  But as Karina Montenegro struggles to accomplish …

Ron Paul's ‘Audit the Fed’ Bill Gathers Steam  —  He may have faded from the national political scene a year ago, after his dark-horse presidential run came to naught, but Rep. Ron Paul 's influence is still being felt in campaigns and policy debates across the country.

Coleman: the GOP's million-dollar man  —  Republicans know they'll need every last dollar in next year's campaign if they want to keep Democrats from topping 60 seats in the Senate.  —  So with potentially better Senate investments on the horizon, is it worth continuing to pour money …

Bottom Line on Public Option  —  This won't come as the slightest surprise to those versed in health care policy issues.  But I fear it's only barely permeated the health care reform debate in the country, certainly in Washington.  And that's this: the opposition to a so-called 'public …

A what-man?  —  When the Sony Walkman was launched, 30 years ago this week, is started a revolution in portable music.  But how does it compare with its digital successors?  The Magazine invited 13-year-old Scott Campbell to swap his iPod for a Walkman for a week.  —  My dad had told me it was the iPod of its day.

Obama is choosing to be weak  —  As he promised last year, Barack Obama has brought climate change and healthcare reform to the centre of the nation's attention.  As well as evangelising, he is pressing Congress to act.  Last week the House of Representatives passed the Waxman-Markey cap …

Monica Conyers Resigns  —  Detroit (WWJ) — Effective July 6, Monica Conyers will resign her seat on the Detroit City Council.  The 44-year-old Conyers, the wife of Democratic congressman John Conyers, admitted Friday in federal court to taking cash from a Houston company in exchange …

REBUKING ALITO.  —  Responding to Justice Alito's allegation that the City's decision to throw out the test was based on the political calculations of New Haven's mayor in order to avoid a backlash among New Haven's black voters, Justice Ginsburg writes: … More on this later.

Iran's Politics Is All About Survival  —  WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama, in dealing with Iran, brings some expertise as important as his lack of foreign policy experience: a background in Chicago politics.  —  The big picture in Iran, even more than a bottom-up street insurgency …

NKorea criticizes US missile defense for Hawaii  —  SEOUL, South Korea — North Korea criticized the U.S. on Monday for positioning missile defense systems around Hawaii, calling the deployment part of a plot to attack the regime and saying it would bolster its nuclear arsenal in retaliation.