Helen Thomas retires after fallout from controversial Israel remarks  —  Helen Thomas announced Monday that “she is retiring, effective immediately,” according to a statement from Hearst newspapers.  —  Her decision comes after her controversial remarks about Israel hit the blogosphere.

U.S. Intelligence Analyst Arrested in Wikileaks Video Probe  —  Federal officials have arrested an Army intelligence analyst who boasted of giving classified U.S. combat video and hundreds of thousands of classified State Department records to whistleblower site Wikileaks, Wired.com has learned.

Hispanics' Approval of Obama Drops in 2010  —  By contrast, whites' and blacks' views have been highly steady  —  PRINCETON, NJ — Hispanics' approval of President Barack Obama's job performance slipped to 57% in May, after falling from 69% in January to 64% in February.

Hooked on Gadgets, and Paying a Mental Price  —  SAN FRANCISCO — When one of the most important e-mail messages of his life landed in his in-box a few years ago, Kord Campbell overlooked it.  —  Not just for a day or two, but 12 days.  He finally saw it while sifting through old messages …

Poll: BP Oil Spill Response Rated Worse than Katrina  —  Most Favor Criminal Charges Against BP and Others Involved in the Gulf of Mexico Spill  —  By more than a 2-to-1 margin, Americans support the pursuit of criminal charges in the nation's worst oil spill, with increasing numbers calling it a major environmental disaster.

Bernie Madoff, Free at Last  —  In prison he doesn't have to hide his lack of conscience.  In fact, he's a hero for it.  —  Last August, shortly after his arrival at the federal correctional complex in Butner, North Carolina, Bernard L. Madoff was waiting on the evening pill line …

The Tea Party and the Drug War  —  Voter dissatisfaction with Republicans and Democrats is at historic levels, and the tea-party movement is hoping to play kingmaker in the November elections.  The country's current breed of discontent is ideal for the tea parties, because economic concerns are foremost …

Can the astonishing popularity of Indiana's penny-pinching governor carry him to the White House in 2012?  —  When Mitch Daniels ran for governor of Indiana in 2004, a friend and videographer got the idea of filming the candidate in vidéo vérité style as he traveled around the state in his Indiana-made RV.

The No-Stimulus Economy  —  If fiscal stimulus is so great, then why hasn't the Obama administration's massive stimulus program helped improve the economy?  Well, via Mark Thoma, the answer is that there hasn't been any net fiscal stimulus, all the Obama administration's efforts plus …

Our hard-core, adversarial press corps  —  On Friday, CNN's Ed Henry posted a series of giggly, adolescent updates on his Twitter feed, describing the events that took place at a “beach” party thrown by Joe Biden, at the Vice President's mansion, for various “reporters” and White House officials.

49% Say Pro-Palestinian Activists To Blame in Gaza Ship Incident  —  Forty-nine percent (49%) of U.S. voters believe pro-Palestinian activists on the Gaza-bound aid ships raided by Israeli forces are to blame for the deaths that resulted in the high-profile incident.

McCain, Giuliani cut robocalls for McMaster in S.C. race  —  Columbia, South Carolina (CNN) - Former presidential candidates Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) and Rudy Giuliani have recorded robocalls for South Carolina gubernatorial hopeful Henry McMaster in a last minute get-out-the-vote effort ahead of Tuesday's four-way Republican primary.

It's useful to have geniuses around  —  A neat anecdote from inside the administration's response to the oil spill: … Graphic credit: XKCD  —  Environment - Xkcd - Energy - Oil spill - United States

Democrats Skip Town Halls to Avoid Voter Rage  —  BEL AIR, Md. — The reception that Representative Frank Kratovil Jr., a Democrat, received here one night last week as he faced a small group of constituents was far more pleasant than his encounters during a Congressional recess last summer.

Tax Hikes and the 2011 Economic Collapse  —  Today's corporate profits reflect an income shift into 2010.  These profits will tumble next year, preceded most likely by the stock market.  —  People can change the volume, the location and the composition of their income, and they can do so in response to changes in government policies.

Howard Kurtz on Newsweek bidders, Helen Thomas gaffe, Gore breakup coverage  —  While journalists get into the business for various reasons — vicarious thrills, investigative zeal, outsize ego — ultimately they're at the mercy of the marketplace.  And that marketplace seems to have sent a very discouraging message to Newsweek.

Stop the Mosque at Ground Zero Rally - Part I  —  New York City, Sunday, June 6, 2010, - by El Marco  —  Pamela Geller, the co-founder of Stop Islamization of America, speaks passionately about jihad, sharia, and why the idea of a mosque in this spot is so wrong.  —  The crowd gathers.