White House official: ‘Organized labor just flushed $10 million down the toilet’  —  A senior White House official just called me with a very pointed message for the administration's sometime allies in organized labor, who invested heavily in beating Blanche Lincoln, Obama's candidate, in Arkanas.

Palin's backing pays off for pals  —  Some of Sarah Palin's riskiest endorsements scored major victories Tuesday for the former Alaska governor, showing off her power in Republican primaries.  —  Palin had four primary endorsements in play - Carly Fiorina, Nikki Haley, Terry Branstad and Cecile Bledsoe …

U.N. Security Council Passes New Sanctions Against Iran  —  UNITED NATIONS — The United States, moving firmly away from the Obama administration's previous emphasis on wooing Iran, pushed through a new round of United Nations sanctions against the nation on Wednesday, taking aim at its military …

Who Is Alvin Greene?  —  An unemployed 32-year-old black Army veteran with no campaign funds, no signs, and no website shocked South Carolina on Tuesday night by winning the Democratic Senate primary to oppose Sen. Jim DeMint (R-SC).  Alvin Greene, who currently lives in his family's home …

The Alien in the White House  —  The distance between the president and the people is beginning to be revealed.  —  The deepening notes of disenchantment with Barack Obama now issuing from commentators across the political spectrum were predictable.  So, too, were the charges …

John Cornyn: I won't be talking policy with Sharron Angle  —  National Republican Senatorial Committee Chairman John Cornyn on Wednesday downplayed the importance of new Nevada Senate nominee Sharron Angle's conservative issue positions, saying the race will continue to be a “referendum” on Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid.

Reuters Admits Cropping Photos of Ship Clash, Denies Political Motive  —  On the left, the uncropped photo.  On the right, Reuters' released photo.  (Reuters)  —  The British-based Reuters news agency has been stung for the second time by charges that it edited politically sensitive photos in a way that casts Israel in a bad light.

TRENDING: Gore daughter separates from husband  —  Karenna Gore Schiff, the oldest daughter of former Vice President Al Gore and Tipper Gore.  —  (CNN) - Karenna Gore Schiff, the oldest daughter of former Vice President Al Gore and Tipper Gore, has separated from her husband, Dr. Andrew Schiff …

‘Lying face to face’  —  NEW BRITAIN — A member of Attorney General Richard Blumenthal's staff, himself a former major and judge advocate in the U.S. Marines, is calling Blumenthal a liar and disgrace to the Marine Corps for representing himself repeatedly as having served in Vietnam.

Was Israel A Mistake?  —  So far, no luck on anti-Zionist columnists.  And being critical of Israel does not mean you're an anti-Zionist.  But a reader did note this 2006 column by Richard Cohen.  Money quote: … I was thinking recently how a Burkean could defend the establishment of the state of Israel in 1948.

Team Obama to Abbas: “direct talks”  —  If you want to boil down to a single talking point the Obama administration message to Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, who meets with President Barack Obama at the White House today, one Washington Middle East hand summarized it as: “direct talks, direct talks, direct talks.”

Lindsey Graham and the failure of the ‘lone Republican’ theory  —  With Lindsey Graham bolting a bill he helped draft, efforts to address climate change in this Congress look likely to fail.  And because the next Congress is likely to have more Republicans, and because the House's approval …

The Spill, The Scandal and the President  —  The inside story of how Obama failed to crack down on the corruption of the Bush years - and let the world's most dangerous oil company get away with murder  —  On May 27th, more than a month into the worst environmental disaster in U.S. history …

The Climate Majority  —  ON Thursday, the Senate will vote on a resolution proposed by Lisa Murkowski, Republican of Alaska, that would scuttle the Environmental Protection Agency's plans to limit emissions of greenhouse gases by American businesses.  —  Passing the resolution might seem to be exactly what Americans want.

The 25 hardest working lawmakers  —  Senate Finance Committee leaders Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and Max Baucus (D-Mont.) are the hardest working members of Congress, according to the people who work with them on Capitol Hill — their fellow lawmakers, aides and other officials.

Nancy Pelosi, the liberal House speaker, is heckled by liberals  —  For 17 months, anger at President Obama and congressional Democrats has been pooling on the left.  On Tuesday morning, it spilled onto the floor of an Omni Shoreham ballroom and splashed all over House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

Why Obama doesn't dare become the angry black man  —  (CNN) — Here's proof that President Obama has indeed ushered in a new era in race relations.  —  Who would have ever expected some white Americans to demand that an African-American man show more rage?

Barrett strikes first on TV in South Carolina runoff  —  Columbia, South Carolina (CNN) - Despite pressure from national Republicans, Gresham Barrett vowed Wednesday to remain in the runoff race against Nikki Haley for South Carolina's GOP gubernatorial nomination.

Democrat in Chief?  —  A year and a half after they sat, shivering and awestruck, on a January morning and listened to the sounds of a million cheers careering off the marble walls of the Capitol, the Democrats who work under the dome can feel those same walls closing in fast.

Poll: With Higher Visibility, Less Disapproval For Gays  —  CBS News Poll analysis by the CBS News Polling Unit: Sarah Dutton, Jennifer De Pinto, Fred Backus and Anthony Salvanto.  —  Seventy-seven percent of Americans now say they know someone who is gay or lesbian, a new CBS News poll finds …

The GOP Is Blowing It  —  Blogs and Stories  —  Republicans are poised for a landslide this fall.  But as Tuesday's primary results show, the party's fetish for ideological purity is hurting their chances of winning elections.  —  For the Republican Party, Tuesday's primaries contain good news and bad news.

Why aren't banks lending?  —  Because bureaucrats and politicians won't let them  —  Despite constant urging by Washington for banks to increase their lending, credit conditions remain tight.  Small-business lending continues to lag, and credit card issuers have slashed credit lines and canceled thousands of accounts.