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 …

Al and Tipper Gore to separate  —  Al and Tipper Gore, whose playful romance enlivened Washington and the campaign trail for a quarter century, have decided to separate after 40 years of marriage, the couple told friends Tuesday.  —  In an “Email from Al and Tipper Gore,” the couple said …

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.

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.

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.

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.”

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 …

More U.S. Voters Want Arizona-Like Immigration Law, Quinnipiac University National Poll Finds; Support For Offshore Drilling Drops  —  American voters say 48 - 35 percent they want their state to pass an immigration law similar to Arizona's and by an overwhelming 76 - 12 percent they say that plans …

Poll: Plurality say GOP should not push to repeal any part of healthcare reform  —  A plurality of Americans said they would prefer Republicans to leave the new healthcare law alone and not repeal any parts of it, a new poll found Tuesday.  —  Given the option to name the sections …

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 …

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 …

Supreme Court Miranda Ruling: Suspects Must Explicitly Tell Police They Want To Remain Silent  —  WHAT'S YOUR REACTION?  —  WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court ruled Tuesday that suspects must explicitly tell police they want to be silent to invoke Miranda protections during criminal interrogations …

How Obama's Bitter Enemies May Give Him a Boost  —  A woman holds an anti-Obama sign at a Tea Party rally held in Parker, Texas  —  The late, longtime New Yorker critic Pauline Kael was said to have expressed confusion over Richard Nixon's landslide reelection in 1972 — because no one she knew had actually voted for him.

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?