Helen Thomas retires ‘effective immediately’ after 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.

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.

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 …

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 …

More Obama change to believe in: Americans now see him as a partisan Democrat  —  One of the 2007-08 Obama presidential campaign's changes that Americans believed in by the many millions was his oft-repeated promise to work with all sides no matter what and change the harsh political tone of Washington.

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 …

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.

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.

White House and Allies Set to Build Up Health Law  —  WASHINGTON — President Obama and his allies, concerned about deep skepticism over his landmark health care overhaul, are orchestrating an elaborate campaign to sell the public on the law, including a new tax-exempt group that will spend millions …

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.

Pols turn on labor unions  —  Spurred by state budget crunches and an angry public mood, Republican and some Democratic leaders are focusing with increasing intensity on public workers and the unions that represent them, casting them as overpaid obstacles to good government and demanding cuts in their often-generous benefits.

Hot Men 2010: The Hottest Conservative Men  —  Well, it's that time of year.  —  Primaries, you ask?  Uh, no.  —  Priorities people!  Today is the day when we focus, laser-like, on the hottest conservative men for 2010.  Unlike last year, the judges this year are out and proud and gorgeous in their own right.

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.

Also see:  —  Slideshow: “A Google-Eye View of the Newspaper Business”  —  A presentation by the company's chief economist, Hal Varian  —  EVERYONE KNOWS THAT Google is killing the news business.  Few people know how hard Google is trying to bring it back to life, or why the company …

Barack Obama Ignores D-Day Anniversary - Goes to Theatre Party Instead  —  On June 6, 1944, the D-Day invasion of Europe took place during World War II as Allied forces stormed the beaches of Normandy, France.  America lost 2,499 of its finest men that day.  —  (Enterprise News)

Elton John Sings at Rush Limbaugh's 4th Wedding  —  Talk about an odd couple: conservative radio commentator Rush Limbaugh and outspoken gay-marriage advocate Elton John.  —  But, according to a News Corporation (which owns Fox News) wire report, the Rocket Man, 63, serenaded the 400 guests …

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 …

Apple's Magic Trackpad revealed?  —  Of all the surprises we expected to hear about in the WWDC keynote, a multitouch trackpad peripheral didn't exactly pop into our brains.  But — whoomp — here it is.  What we appear to be looking at is a brand new input device that Apple has dreamed …