Palin hammers media, hints at national ambitions  —  One day after announcing that she's resigning, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin blasted the media for their coverage of her surprise move and asserted that she's held to a higher standard by reporters.  —  Palin, who has not had a public schedule …

A Post Apology  —  I wrote a piece making fun of the fact that a Trig Palin joke was given as the reason that Sarah Palin left office.  I wrote jokes that were offensive but my intent was for them to be ironic and therefore not offensive.  I was wrong.  Within ten minutes of my post …

A Letter to Our Readers  —  Dear Reader:  —  I want to apologize for a planned new venture that went off track and for any cause we may have given you to doubt our independence and integrity.  A flier distributed last week suggested that we were selling access to power brokers …

Leading Clerics Defy Ayatollah on Disputed Iran Election  —  CAIRO — The most important group of religious leaders in Iran called the disputed presidential election and the new government illegitimate on Saturday, an act of defiance against the country's supreme leader and the most public sign …

Obama ‘Concerned’ About DFHs Attacking Centrist Dems over Health Care Reform.  Gee, I Wonder Why?  —  If the president was more passionately engaged in the fight to achieve the goal (instead of announcing he's rather have something bipartisan than legislation that, you know, actually gets the job done) …

READERS ARE SENDING PHOTOS FROM TEA PARTY PROTESTS AROUND THE COUNTRY.  Here's one from Perrysburgh, Ohio, sent by reader Chris Zarecki, who reports about 3,000 people attending.  —  Here's one from Bel Air, Maryland, sent by reader Maya Leonetti.  The Debt Star makes another appearance!

Matalin Thinks Palin is Brilliant—Rollins and Gergen Think She's Toast  —  You can view this video right here by getting the latest version of Flash Player!  —  DOWNLOADS: (617)  —  PLAYS: (6396)  —  What a surprise.  Neocon and former Cheney advisor Mary Matalin thinks …

Report: Ahmadinejad says he wants public talks with Obama  —  TEHRAN, Iran (CNN) — Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said he wants to engage President Obama in “negotiations” before international media, a semi-official Iranian news outlet reported on Saturday.

Mortgages Made Simpler  —  THIS column is in praise of warning labels.  So let's begin with one: I am not your usual sort of economist.  —  I practice what has come to be called behavioral economics.  We behavioralists differ from our more traditional brethren in the way we characterize agents in the economy.

HALPERIN'S TAKE: 9 Pieces of “Analysis” About Sarah Palin's Decision That Are Flat-Out Totally Wrong  —  1. This means she can't run for president in 2012.  —  2. She would have been a stronger candidate for 2012 if she had stayed in office.  —  3. Republican primary and caucus voters …

Tax Bill Appeals Take Rising Toll on Governments  —  Homeowners across the country are challenging their property tax bills in droves as the value of their homes drop, threatening local governments with another big drain on their budgets.  —  The requests are coming in record numbers …

Feel-Good Fourth of July Story  —  The post immediately below links to Roger Simon's gloomy view of the state of the nation on Independence Day.  As an antidote, here's some good news: the Statue of Liberty's crown was opened to visitors today for the first time since 2001.