Obama pleads for $50 billion in state, local aid  —  President Obama urged reluctant lawmakers Saturday to quickly approve nearly $50 billion in emergency aid to state and local governments, saying the money is needed to avoid “massive layoffs of teachers, police and firefighters” and to support the still-fragile economic recovery.

“I am a Muslim,” Obama Tells Egyptian Foreign Minister Gheit Islamic Coup on the White House … Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit said he had a one-on-one meeting with Obama, in which President Obama told him that he was still a Muslim, the son of a Muslim father …

Paypal Cuts Off Atlas: Truth is the New Hate Speech  —  The little money that Atlas generates (I have no large donors) is about to be cut off.  Apparently the jihad is hard at work trying to kill free speech (and the bus ads and the 911 no mosque movement), preventing it from making its way to those in pursuit of truth.

The President's Moment  —  If ever there was a test of President Obama's vision of government — one that cannot solve all problems, but does what people cannot do for themselves — it is this nerve-racking early summer of 2010, with oil spewing into the Gulf of Mexico and far too many Americans out of work for far too long.

Alabama governor: Unified command structure is a drag on fast oil cleanup  —  Alabama Gov. Bob Riley (R) said Sunday that the cacophony of voices with authority in the BP spill cleanup is stymying efforts to get things done quickly.  —  Riley said that putting a unified command in charge …

Revealed: Japan's bribes on whaling  —  A SUNDAY TIMES investigation has exposed Japan for bribing small nations with cash and prostitutes to gain their support for the mass slaughter of whales.  —  The undercover investigation found officials from six countries were willing to consider selling …

Abbas to Obama: I'm against lifting the Gaza naval blockade  —  The Palestinian president reportedly told Obama that lifting the naval blockade of Gaza would bolster Hamas, a move that shouldn't be done at this stage.  —  Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas is opposed to lifting …

Goalkeeper blunder hands U.S. precious point vs. England  —  RUSTENBURG, South Africa — England's players couldn't get off the field fast enough.  The Americans lingered to savor the night.  —  They walked to the end of Royal Bafokeng Stadium where thousands of red, white and blue-clad fans …

Son ‘stupid kid’ but not a terrorist, mom says  —  New York (CNN) — The mother of one of the two New Jersey men arrested last week at a New York airport allegedly on their way to fight with an al Qaeda-affiliated group in Somalia says the two men are guilty of stupidity — but not of the sinister plan described by authorities.

Days After BP Denies Blocking The Media From Covering The Spill, Reporter Is Harrassed On A Public Beach  —  In response to numerous media reports that BP has been blocking journalists from covering the oil spill and speaking with clean-up workers, BP CEO Doug Suttles issued a letter …

YouTube silences Latma, removes We Con the World  —  As Israel went offline for the Jewish sabbath, YouTube removed most versions of Latma's hit parody song We Con the World.  If you try to access the song on YouTube you receive the notification:  —  This video is no longer available due …