Deal Reached for Ending Law on Gays in Military  —  WASHINGTON — The White House and leading Congressional Democrats reached agreement Monday on legislative language and a time frame for repealing the military's “don't ask, don't tell” policy, but it was not clear whether the deal had secured …

Sources say Rob Simmons will drop out of U.S. Senate race tomorrow.  —  Rob Simmons will hold a press conference for this morning in New London to announce he's leaving the U.S. Senate race, sources said late today.  —  The former congressman and Vietnam War veteran lost …

Private pay shrinks to historic lows  —  Paychecks from private business shrank to their smallest share of personal income in U.S. history during the first quarter of this year, a USA TODAY analysis of government data finds.  —  At the same time, government-provided benefits …

U.S. Expands Secret Military Acts in Mideast and Beyond  —  WASHINGTON — The top American commander in the Middle East has ordered a broad expansion of clandestine military activity in an effort to disrupt militant groups or counter threats in Iran, Saudi Arabia, Somalia and other countries in the region …

U.S. Gov't: We're In Charge of Spill Response  —  Feds Say They Need BP's Expertise to Plug Hole, Are Working to Implement States' Plans to Protect Sensitive Areas  —  Following the back-and-forth of the past few days about who ultimately is in charge of stopping the massive oil leak in the Gulf of Mexico …

The Next Bailout: $165B for Unions  —  Taxpayers could be on the hook for another $165 billion if a bill to bail out private union pension funds makes it through Congress.

Zev Chafets's ‘Rush Limbaugh: An Army of One,’ reviewed by David Frum  —  Sentinel.  229 pp.  $25.95  —  “Every great man has his disciples,” quipped Oscar Wilde.  “And it is always Judas who writes the biography.”  —  Not so for Rush Limbaugh.  Biographer Zev Chafets received unprecedented access …

When Passengers Spit, Bus Drivers Take Months Off  —  It could be the cutbacks to the city's transportation system, or a general decline in urban civility.  Perhaps people are just in a collective bad mood.  —  What else could explain why New Yorkers — notoriously hardened to the slings …

Wall Street Tumbles Along With Europe and Asia  —  A sense of foreboding in global markets seemed to deepen on Tuesday.  —  Shares on all three continents skidded Tuesday and the euro resumed its fall, as reports that North Korea had threatened its southern neighbor jolted nerves already frayed …

Inspector General's Inquiry Faults Regulators  —  WASHINGTON — Federal regulators responsible for oversight of drilling in the Gulf of Mexico allowed industry officials several years ago to fill in their own inspection reports in pencil — and then turned them over to the regulators …

The big offshore lie  —  The Obama administration, in the wake of the Gulf of Mexico disaster, has apparently decided that digging in on its misguided decision in March to expand offshore drilling is the way to go.  —  Interior Secretary Ken Salazar dug in to defend the administration's drilling plans last week.

CNN Poll: Nearly 8 in 10 favor gays in the military  —  (CNN) - Most Americans say people who are openly gay should be allowed to serve in the U.S. military, according to a new national poll.  —  A CNN/Opinion Research Corporation survey released Tuesday indicates that 78 percent …

Two Theories of Change  —  When I was in college I took a course in the Enlightenment.  In those days, when people spoke of the Enlightenment, they usually meant the French Enlightenment — thinkers like Descartes, Rousseau, Voltaire and Condorcet.  —  These were philosophers who confronted …

It's Like He Does it On Purpose — By: Jonah Goldberg  —  Thomas Friedman does it again.  He literally fantasizes about American becoming like China — but just for a day!  From Meet the Press yesterday: … Can someone please tell Tom Friedman that China only produces “suboptimal solutions” too.

Patrick says Obama critics are ‘almost at the level of sedition’  —  Governor Deval Patrick, even as he decried partisanship in Washington, said today that Republican opposition to President Obama's agenda has become so obstinate that it “is almost at the level of sedition.”

Libtalker Pleads With Obama To Take Action On Oil Spill  —  THEY'RE WORRIED  —  Libtalkers Worry Public Outrage Shifting Toward Obama  —  Can blame for gross inaction on the Gulf oil spill be shifted away from Obama indefinitely?  Some on the left are clearly beginning to realize the anti-BP OUTRAGE …

Tea party tempest in Idaho primary  —  There isn't much of national interest on the Idaho primary ballot Tuesday, but there's one race that's well worth watching for a unique look into tea party movement politics—the 1st District Republican primary.  —  In that contest, Raul Labrador …

Rep. James Moran's investments illustrate Congress's leeway in trading  —  He was a stockbroker before he became a politician, and he continued playing the markets during his rise through Congress.  —  Rep. James P. Moran Jr. (D-Va.), a member of the powerful House Appropriations Committee …

Exclusive: FBI details surge in death threats against lawmakers  —  I voted for you," the caller said in a voice mail to Democratic Rep. Heath Shuler's district office. “  If you vote for that stimulus package, I'm gonna kill you.  Simple as that.  The FBI says the caller was a 70-year-old resident …