American, 19, Among Gaza Flotilla Dead  —  Furkan Dogan Was Shot Five Times, Including Four Times in Head  —  A U.S. citizen who lived in Turkey is among the nine people killed when Israeli commandos stormed a Turkish aid ship heading for the Gaza Strip, officials said today.

W.H. political team stumbles, bumbles  —  They toppled Hillary Clinton, crushed John McCain and managed to get the first black man elected president of the United States.  —  But now a series of recent missteps just keeps getting worse for Barack Obama's political operation …

'I'd do it again' former President Bush tells Grand Rapids crowd about waterboarding terrorists … GRAND RAPIDS — Former President George W. Bush was by turns affable, relaxed — and deadly serious in his local appearance Wednesday.  —  “Yeah, we water-boarded Khalid Sheikh Mohammed,” …

Angle Surges into Lead in Nevada Senate GOP Primary; Suffolk University Poll Shows Sandoval (Governor) and Krolicki (Lieutenant Governor) with Solid Leads over Respective Fields  —  BOSTON - Former Nevada state Assemblywoman Sharron Angle has surged to the front of the pack in a close race …

The Times to Host Political Polling Site FiveThirtyEight  —  The New York Times said Thursday that it would begin hosting the popular blog FiveThirtyEight and make its founder, Nate Silver, a regular contributor to the newspaper and the Sunday magazine.  —  Mr. Silver, a statistical wizard …

Kiss and Tell, Tell, Tell  —  If chivalry were still alive and well anywhere, I'd expect it to be in South Carolina.  But clearly South Carolina politicos cannot keep their mouths shut about who they've slept with.  —  You'll remember that in one of the text messages Nikki Haley's first accuser …

Nuclear Option on Gulf Oil Spill?  No Way, U.S. Says  —  The chatter began weeks ago as armchair engineers brainstormed for ways to stop the torrent of oil spilling into the Gulf of Mexico: What about nuking the well?  —  Decades ago, the Soviet Union reportedly used nuclear blasts …

How not to save news  —  The Federal Trade Commis sion says it wants to save journalism.  I'm not sure who asked it to.  —  In a just-released “staff discussion draft” of “potential policy recommendations to support the reinvention of journalism,” the agency only circles its wagons around old newspapers …

Things Everyone In Chicago Knows  —  Which happen not to be true.  —  It was deeply depressing to see Raguram Rajan write this: … That's a claim that has been refuted over and over again.  But what happens, I believe, is that in Chicago they don't listen at all to what the unbelievers say and write …

Brian Williams To Mediaite: “The President Might Have Had His Scenario Off By 180 Degrees”  —  NBC Nightly News anchor Brian Williams was remarkably candid in respectfully rebuking President Obama's criticism of the media in an exclusive interview with Mediaite from the Gulf Coast.

Director James Cameron says BP turned down help offer  —  PALOS VERDES, Calif (Reuters) - Film director and deep-sea explorer James Cameron said on Wednesday that BP Plc turned down his offer to help combat the massive oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.  —  “Over the last few weeks I've watched …

Golden Girls Star Rue McClanahan Dies at 76  —  Golden Girl Rue McClanahan has died at the age of 76.  —  “She passed away at 1 a.m. this morning,” her manager, Barbara Lawrence, tells PEOPLE.  “She had a massive stroke.”  —  McClanahan, who played man-happy Blanche Devereaux …

Arizona Governor Meets With Obama  —  The White House has agreed to send staff members to Arizona to consult with state and local authorities over the contentious immigration legislation recently enacted in the state.  —  Gov. Jan Brewer of Arizona emerged from a meeting with President Obama …

Lobbyists turn to gun permits to skip lines at Capitol  —  AUSTIN — To avoid getting delayed behind noisy schoolkids waiting in line to pass through new metal detectors at the state Capitol, lobbyists are signing up for concealed handgun permits exempting them from the security checkpoints.

Data Used to Justify Health Savings Effort Is Sometimes Shaky  —  In selling the health care overhaul to Congress, the Obama administration cited a once obscure research group at Dartmouth College to claim that it could not only cut billions in wasteful health care spending but make people healthier by doing so.

The Muslim Brotherhood's Flotilla  —  Western press accounts have enumerated the many left-wing human rights activists who were among the Gaza-bound flotilla's passengers earlier this week.  But there were other, more conspicuous passengers aboard the ships.  The Muslim Brotherhood, in particular, was well-represented.

Interpol: Joran van der Sloot arrested in Santiago  —  Joran van der Sloot is being investigated in connection with the death of Stephany Flores Ramirez, right, and was a suspect in the disappearance of Natalee Holloway.  —  [Updated at 1:13 p.m.] Joran van der Sloot has been arrested …

Balls  —  See if you can find the person in this video with balls:  —  Paul Brasel  —  KeninMontana said it best, “That kid has balls that CLANK solid steel.”  Good on him.  —  Robert Mahoney  —  I am glad the picture said it all.  I frankly don't have 7 minutes and 19 seconds to waste on idiots.

Interview: Alexander Zaitchik on his new biography of Glenn Beck, ‘Common Nonsense’  —  Last summer, when Glenn Beck was rocketing from talk radio stardom to the status of a national icon, he got the full profile treatment from Alexander Zaitchik at Salon.  That profile was the first serious …

Artur Davis says he won't run for office again after loss in Alabama governor's race … Four-term congressman Artur Davis, in the wake of a resounding rejection of his bid to be Alabama's governor, said Wednesday that his political career was over.  —  “I have no interest in running for political office again,” Davis said.

BP Oil: Coming to a Beach Near You in Summer 2010  —  The National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) just released this horrifying animation of how ocean currents may carry all the oil in the Gulf of Mexico.  According to their computer modeling of currents and the oil, the spill …