The Terror Finance Flotilla  —  The Turkish organizers of the Gaza Strip-bound flotilla that was boarded this morning by Israeli commandos knew well in advance that their vessels would never reach Israeli waters.  That's because the organizers belong to a nonprofit that was banned …

Obama administration moves to distance itself from BP on oil spill response  —  Struggling to convey command of the worsening Gulf of Mexico oil spill, the Obama administration is taking steps to distance itself from BP and is dispatching Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. to the Gulf Coast to meet with federal and state prosecutors.

Koppel son dies after a bender  —  The son of legendary TV newsman Ted Koppel was found dead in a Washington Heights apartment under mysterious circumstances yesterday morning after a daylong drinking binge with a man he had just met in a Midtown bar, law-enforcement sources said.

Owners Stop Paying Mortgages, and Stop Fretting  —  ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — For Alex Pemberton and Susan Reboyras, foreclosure is becoming a way of life — something they did not want but are in no hurry to get out of.  —  Foreclosure has allowed them to stabilize the family business.

Al-Qaeda No. 3 Yazid reported killed by U.S. drone  —  Al-Qaeda's third-ranking operative, an Egyptian who was a founding member of the terrorist network and a key conduit to Osama bin Laden, has been killed in Pakistan, according to a statement Monday from al-Qaeda that U.S. intelligence officials believe is accurate.

Soaring costs force Canada to reassess health model  —  TORONTO (Reuters) - Pressured by an aging population and the need to rein in budget deficits, Canada's provinces are taking tough measures to curb healthcare costs, a trend that could erode the principles of the popular state-funded system.

Robert Leslie Hymers, III, Sort-Of “Reports” Me to the FBI  —  For your fisking/snarking pleasure.  First, the attorney's cover note: … Well, okay.  Are they true believers, or whores?  Just curious.  —  Young Robert Leslie Hymers apparently faxed this to his attorney …

THE SUCCESS OF THE AUTO INDUSTRY BAILOUT.... It's been about a year since the Obama administration intervened to rescue GM and Chrysler, and at this point, far-right apoplexy notwithstanding, it appears the rescue efforts have been surprisingly successful.  —  Steven Rattner …

Pelosi Says She Has a Duty to Pursue Policies in Keeping With The Values of Jesus, ‘The Word Made Flesh’  —  (CNSNews.com) — House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) says she believes she must pursue public policies “in keeping with the values” of Jesus Christ, “The Word made Flesh.”

Undercover Census Fraud Investigation - New Jersey  —  On April 27, 2010, I got a job with the United States Census Bureau in New Jersey.  With a hidden camera, I caught four Census supervisors encouraging enumerators to falsify information on their time sheets.

Our Epic Foolishness  —  If a bank is too big to fail, it's way too big to exist.  If an oil well is too far beneath the sea to be plugged when something goes wrong, it's too deep to be drilled in the first place.  —  When are we going to stop behaving so stupidly?

Did liberals get it wrong on crime?  —  This is a good news, bad news column.  The good news is that crime is again down across the nation — in big cities, small cities, flourishing cities and cities that are not for the timid.  Surprisingly, this has happened in the teeth of the Great Recession …

The Oil Plume  —  The failure of the top-kill technique in the Gulf of Mexico represents an interesting turning point on the Obama presidency.  It symbolizes the end of the period of lightning advance and the beginning of the period of nasty stasis.  —  President Obama swept …