Fawning press now gets cold shoulder from Obama  —  Will Barack Obama go an entire year without holding a formal news conference?  He's getting close: The president's last full-scale session with the press was on July 22, 2009, which was 307 days ago.  —  When Obama last held a big news conference …

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 …

Obama administration conflicted about relying on BP to stop gulf oil spill  —  The tenuous alliance among the Obama administration, the oil firm BP and Gulf Coast officials was visibly fraying on Monday, with exasperation on all sides mounting as oil from a deep-water gusher began lapping …

Brown to vote ‘no’ on repeal of Don't Ask, Don't Tell pending Pentagon study  —  WASHINGTON — Sen. Scott Brown will vote against repealing 'Don't Ask Don't Tell' when it comes up for a vote Thursday in the Senate Armed Services Committee, dealing a blow to gay rights advocates who were hoping …

Clearing The Air  —  A little over twenty-four hours ago, our founding editor was pressured by pending media reports (a claim that has since been verified) into preemptively acknowledging an inappropriate physical relationship with S.C. Rep. Nikki Haley.  —  While it was originally his intent …

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 …

Just When Ya Think It Can't Get Any More “Interesting”... Welcome, Neighbor!  —  Spring has sprung in Alaska, and with this beautiful season comes the news today that the Palins have a new neighbor!  Welcome, Joe McGinniss!  —  Yes, that Joe McGinniss.  Here he is - about 15 feet away …

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 …

The ‘Veggie’ Option: As Bad as Mystery Meat  —  A seductive advertisement appeared in my inbox Tuesday from two wonderful neighborhood chefs.  In true street food fashion, they're going to deliver modestly priced steamed buns “Made from scratch, baked with love, and totally self-enclosed so there's no mess” …

N Korea ‘severs ties’ with South  —  North Korea is to cut all relations with South Korea, Pyongyang's official news agency reports.  —  KCNA said the North was also expelling all South Korean workers from a jointly-run factory north of the border.  —  The move comes after an international …

House GOP campaign blueprint unveiled  —  Washington (CNN) - House Republican leaders are drafting a blueprint similar to the ‘Contract with America’ that will lay out policy items they will pursue if they win back control of the House in November.  —  The twist, however …

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 …

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 …

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 …

Fiorina up big  —  Carly Fiorina's superior resources always had the potential to blow her opponents for the California Republican Senate nomination out of the water, and in the closing stretch that appears to be exactly what's happening.  Fiorina has now opened up a 20 point lead with 41% …

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 …

Kilpatrick gets to 1.5 to 5 years in prison, loses job  —  Detroit — Kwame Kilpatrick was sentenced to a maximum of five years in prison this morning by Wayne Circuit Judge David Groner who said the former mayor engaged in “contemptible behavior” by hiding assets from the court.

National Guard troops heading to border, lawmaker says  —  The government will deploy 1,200 National Guard troops to the U.S.-Mexico border to help quell violence there, an Arizona lawmaker said Tuesday.  —  Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz.), who represents a district in the southern part of the state …

Americans' Acceptance of Gay Relations Crosses 50% Threshold  —  Increased acceptance by men driving the change  —  PRINCETON, NJ - Americans' support for the moral acceptability of gay and lesbian relations crossed the symbolic 50% threshold in 2010.  At the same time, the percentage calling …

McChrystal calls Marjah a ‘bleeding ulcer’ in Afghan campaign  —  MARJAH, Afghanistan — Army Gen. Stanley McChrystal, the top allied military commander in Afghanistan, sat gazing at maps of Marjah as a Marine battalion commander asked him for more time to oust Taliban fighters …

Congress rebukes FCC on Net neutrality rules  —  The Federal Communications Commission's plan to impose Net neutrality regulations just became much more difficult to pull off.  —  A bipartisan group of politicians on Monday told FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski, in no uncertain terms …