House Votes to Allow Repeal of 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' Law  —  WASHINGTON — The House voted Thursday to let the Defense Department repeal the ban on gay and bisexual people from serving openly in the military, a major step toward dismantling the 1993 law widely known as “don't ask, don't tell.”

Sestak says his brother, White House met about alleged job offer  —  Rep. Joe Sestak (D-Pa.) said Thursday his brother has spoken with White House officials about the congressman's allegation that he was offered an Obama administration job if he would stay out of a Democratic Senate primary.

Folks' data shows 600 Haley calls  —  Colleagues' talks prove nothing, candidate's manager says  —  COLUMBIA — In 2007, the year political blogger Will Folks claims he had an affair with state Rep. Nikki Haley, the two spoke by phone at least 600 times.  —  Some of those calls came late at night …

Obama to visit Gulf, vows to take action on oil spill  —  (CNN) — BP's top official, who had previously said the environmental impact on Gulf of Mexico would be modest, upgraded his assessment Friday to an “environmental catastrophe.”  —  Also Friday, engineers in the Gulf tried the …

GOP moves to repeal healthcare law  —  House Republican leaders introduced a bill Thursday to repeal and replace the sweeping healthcare law adopted in late March.  —  According to Rep. Roy Blunt (R-Mo.), the measure would repeal the current law and replace it with the alternative …

Crist switches on 'Don't ask, don't tell' policy on gays in the military  —  TALLAHASEE — Gov. Charlie Crist's switch on the military's 'don't ask, don't tell' policy Thursday left the no-party Senate contender caught in a crossfire of criticism from his Democratic and Republican opponents.

Kenneth Starr Charged With Running $30 Million Ponzi Scheme  —  [Somewhere, Bill Clinton is smiling.  One-time special prosecutor who uncovered the dirty details of the former President's affair with intern Monica Lewinsky has been engaged in some bad behavior of his own …

Clinton: ‘The rich are not paying their fair share’  —  Secretary of State Hillary Clinton made a rare foray into domestic politics today, offering her view that — given America's high unemployment — wealthy Americans don't pay enough taxes.  —  “The rich are not paying their fair share …

Pediatricians now reject all female genital cutting  —  On Thursday the AAP withdrew a policy statement on female genital cutting released in April.  The statement suggested genital “pricking.”  —  (CNN) — The American Academy of Pediatrics has rescinded a controversial policy statement raising …

DNC Pushes Sex Scandal Story  —  The DNC, the political wing of a president who launched his campaign decrying slash-and-burn campaign tactics, is highlighting new stories about a sex scandal rocking a GOP primary.  —  Earlier today, the DNC sent around a report from WSPA, the Spartanburg …

Joe McGinniss's Latest Rationale: The Palins' Neighbor Made Me Do It.  —  Many of you have probably heard the latest in the evolving tale of Joe McGinniss, Governor Palin's new “neighbor”.  For those who missed it, the saga took a rather peculiar turn today when Ben Smith wrote the following on his blog:

OPINION POLL: U.S. SENATE RACE: Survey shows Lowden gives GOP best chance of winning in fall  —  Lowden would attract more independent voters than Reid  —  Republican Sue Lowden has the best chance of defeating U.S. Sen. Harry Reid, according to a new poll for the Review-Journal that also suggests …

Mass. Senate passes crackdown on illegal immigrants  —  With one lawmaker citing President Lincoln's respect for the rule of law, the Massachusetts Senate passed a far-reaching crackdown this afternoon on illegal immigrants and those who would hire them, going further, senators said …

Rand Paul Suggests Children Of Illegal Immigrants Should Not Be U.S. Citizens (VIDEO)  —  Here's another one for the list of out-there Rand Paul statements...  Paul recently suggested to a Russian TV station that the U.S. should abandon its policy of granting citizenship to the children …

U.N. Official Set to Ask U.S. to End C.I.A. Drone Strikes  —  WASHINGTON — A senior United Nations official is expected to call on the United States next week to stop Central Intelligence Agency drone strikes against people suspected of belonging to Al Qaeda, complicating …

New York Subway System Is Getting a New Map  —  In a city of world-class art museums and an instantly recognizable skyline, no image is more closely examined than the New York City subway map, the ubiquitous blue-and-taupe rectangle scrutinized by millions.  —  Now the subterranean icon is poised to get a spruce-up.

He Was Supposed to Be Competent  —  The spill is a disaster for the president and his political philosophy.  —  I don't see how the president's position and popularity can survive the oil spill.  This is his third political disaster in his first 18 months in office.