Obama: Cambridge police acted ‘stupidly’  —  After spending most of an hour patiently reiterating his arguments for changing the health insurance system, President Barack Obama turned his press conference sharply toward an iconic moment in American race relations: The arrest …

Obama's Fifth News Conference  —  Following is a transcript of President Obama's fifth news conference, the fourth given in prime-time, as provided by Federal News Service.  —  PRESIDENT OBAMA: Good evening.  Please be seated.  —  Before I take your questions, I want to talk for a few minutes …

Pelosi: I have the votes to pass health bill  —  House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said Wednesday there is “no question” that she has the votes to pass healthcare reform legislation even as key Democrats retreated from their predictions of progress.  —  But Democratic opponents of the bill …

Biden says Guantanamo will close by January  —  LONDON — The Guantanamo Bay detention camp will close by next January, Vice-President Joe Biden said Thursday, adding that decisions on all inmates were likely “well before January.”  —  In an interview with the BBC, he insisted Washington …

N. Korea Escalates War of Words, Calls Clinton Vulgar, Unintelligent  —  The war of words between North Korea and the United States escalated Thursday, with North Korea's Foreign Ministry lashing out at Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton in unusually personal terms for “vulgar remarks” …

Imperfect Health Reform Still Beats the Status Quo  —  Among the range of options for health-care reform, there's one that is sure to raise your taxes, increase your out-of-pocket medical expenses, swell the federal deficit, leave more Americans without insurance and guarantee that wages will remain stagnant.

On Wall Street, Compensation Is Rocketing Back to Pre-Crisis Levels  —  Lawmakers Warn Against Return to Pre-Crisis Levels  —  Wall Street's biggest banks are setting aside billions of dollars more to pay their executives and other employees just months after these firms were rescued …

Dodd In Slump In Connecticut Reelection Bid, Quinnipiac University Connecticut Poll Finds; Obama Approval Down 8 Points  —  Connecticut Sen. Christopher Dodd trails former U.S. Rep. Rob Simmons, a likely Republican challenger 48 - 39 percent in the 2010 Senate race, but he is inching …

Bin Laden Son Reported Killed In Pakistan  —  · U.S. officials believe Saad bin Laden — a son of Osama bin Laden — has been killed by an American missile in Pakistan.  —  Saad bin Laden reportedly spent years under house arrest in Iran before traveling last year to Pakistan …

WH discloses health-care execs' visits  —  The Secret Service had earlier rejected a request for the same information, asserting executive privilege.  The issue could have been an embarassment for Obama at the presser in light of his promises during the campaign to make public White House visitors …

Obama: Greedy doctors are coming after your tonsils or something  —  Gee, I'm really sorry I decided to skip this for “Ghost Hunters.”  Watching The One explain how the medical industry has designs on your body parts would have been much better in hindsight.

Dude, Where's My Sperm?  —  I've been freaking myself out over the past 24 hours by reading Reece Rushing's CAP report on dangerous chemicals impairing American fertility.  For the fellows, there's reduced sperm count:  —  And the ladies aren't being spared either:  —  What's to blame?  Well:

Mother Knows Best  —  A Commentary By Susan Estrich  —  The president is “not familiar” with the bill.  No one can explain how it will work yet, as Sen. Ben Cardin, D-Md., told a contentious town meeting.  There are various plans, and negotiations are still in the early stages.

Cold Shoulder to Climate ‘Urgency’  —  Unfortunately, China's president had to dash home to suppress ethnic riots.  Had he stayed in Italy at the recent Group of Eight summit, he could have continued the Herculean task of disabusing Barack Obama of his amazingly durable belief …

The Blue-State Meltdown and the Collapse of the Chicago Model  —  This should be the moment the Blue Man basks in glory.  An urbane president sits in the White House and a San Francisco liberal runs the House.  But blue states are undergoing a meltdown.  —  On the surface this should be the moment the Blue Man basks in glory.

Would You Stand on Short Flights if It Meant Cheaper Fares?  —  Irish-based discount airline Ryanair recently polled 120,000 passengers on its Web site with the following question: would you be willing to stand on short flights?  —  The answer was an overwhelming “yes” - if the tickets were free.