‘Top kill’ effort succeeds in blocking oil leak, Coast Guard admiral says  —  Thad Allen, who is coordinating the government response, says the well still has low pressure, but cement will be used to cap the well permanently as soon as the pressure hits zero.

Obama Defends Handling of Oil Spill  —  WASHINGTON — President Obama declared on Thursday that he is “angry and frustrated” over the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, and ordered a further moratorium on new permits to drill new deepwater wells as he tried to address deepening public frustration.

Palin neighbor sought author as tenant  —  Sarah Palin's next-door neighbor sought out author Joe McGinniss as a tenant, McGinniss's son said.  —  “No one is stalking anyone,” Joe McGinniss, Jr., a novelist whose father is the non-fiction writer, wrote in response to an email from a Palin supporter …

Here comes impeachment  —  What's at stake in the elections this fall?  Energy/climate?  Tax cuts?  Management of the economy?  —  Well, sure, all those things.  It's worth pointing out, however, that what's also at stake is the impeachment of Barack Obama.

Justice Scalia Praises Elena Kagan's Lack of Judicial Experience  —  ABC News' Teddy Davis reports:  —  Obama Supreme Court nominee Elena Kagan has been criticized by some Republican senators for lacking judicial experience.  But Justice Antonin Scalia, the High Court's most outspoken conservative …

Mullen: Proposed Legislation Retains Prerogative  —  The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said yesterday that he's comfortable with proposed legislation that seeks to repeal the law that bans gay men and lesbians from serving openly in the military because it includes “very clear language” …

Rove Finally Admits That Bush Really Blew It During Katrina  —  Today in the Wall Street Journal, Karl Rove pens an op-ed titled: “Yes, the Gulf Spill is Obama's Katrina.”  He predictably places blame on Obama for a “lethargic,” “slow,” and “unacceptable” response to the BP oil spill.

New Obama security strategy targets Americans radicalized by al Qaeda  —  Washington (CNN) - Vowing to continue to “underwrite global security” - but not alone - the Obama administration Thursday released its first National Security Strategy, a 52-page outline of the president's strategic approach and priorities.

Election 2010: Wisconsin Senate  —  Wisconsin Senate: Feingold 46%, Johnson 44%  —  Businessman Ron Johnson, endorsed at last weekend's state Republican Convention, is now running virtually even against incumbent Democrat Russ Feingold in Wisconsin's race for the U.S. Senate.

Easy Money, Hard Truths  —  ARE you worried that we are passing our debt on to future generations?  Well, you need not worry.  —  Before this recession it appeared that absent action, the government's long-term commitments would become a problem in a few decades.

BP Used Riskier Method to Seal Oil Well Before Blast  —  WASHINGTON — Several days before the explosion on the Deepwater Horizon oil rig, BP officials chose, partly for financial reasons, to use a type of casing for the well that the company knew was the riskier of two options, according to a BP document.

US money supply plunges at 1930s pace as Obama eyes fresh stimulus  —  The M3 money supply in the United States is contracting at an accelerating rate that now matches the average decline seen from 1929 to 1933, despite near zero interest rates and the biggest fiscal blitz in history.

Witnesses, Evidence Mounting Against Haley  —  For a campaign employee she claims to have barely known, S.C. Rep. Nikki Haley certainly paid plenty of late night visits to our founding editor's town house in early 2007.  —  In fact, multiple witnesses are coming forward …

Counterterror Adviser Defends Jihad as ‘Legitimate Tenet of Islam’  —  White House counterterrorism adviser John Brennan speaks to reporters in the White House Jan. 7.  (AP Photo)  —  The president's top counterterrorism adviser on Wednesday called jihad a “legitimate tenet of Islam,” …