Emanuel defended Blagojevich, then sought grant  —  SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — President Barack Obama's chief of staff, then a congressman in Illinois, apparently attempted to trade favors with embattled Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich while he was in office, according to newly disclosed e-mails obtained by The Associated Press.

White House dismisses critics, defends Obama's golf outings  —  The White House is dismissing criticism that President Barack Obama shouldn't play golf during the Gulf oil spill.  —  White House spokesman Bill Burton on Monday said the president deserves some time to relax, and he doesn't …

Zombies Have Already Killed The Deficit Commission  —  It must have sounded like a good idea (although not to me): establish a bipartisan commission of Serious People to develop plans to bring the federal budget under control.  —  But the commission is already dead — and zombies did it.

Hayworth pitched ‘free money’ seminars in 2007 infomercial  —  Republican Senate challenger J.D. Hayworth appeared in a 2007 television infomercial in which he helped convince viewers that they could rake in big bucks by attending seminars that would teach them how to apply for federal grants that they wouldn't have to pay back.

PRODIGAL SON  —  Is the wayward Republican Mike Huckabee now his party's best hope?  —  Sun was bouncing off the miles of Jerusalem stone and the black hats of the Hasidim on the afternoon when Mike Huckabee went to visit the Wailing Wall, earlier this year.

Doctors limit new Medicare patients  —  WASHINGTON — The number of doctors refusing new Medicare patients because of low government payment rates is setting a new high, just six months before millions of Baby Boomers begin enrolling in the government health care program.

Tried to Boycott Israeli Ship, Blocked Chinese Ship Instead  —  Follow Israel news on and .  —  Some 500 anti-Israel protestors arrived at the Oakland, California port early Sunday morning, hoping to block an Israeli ship from unloading its cargo.  However, the ship did not arrive …

Republicans' Midterm Voting Enthusiasm Tops Prior Years  —  Relative enthusiasm advantage for GOP over Democrats largest in Gallup history dating to 1994  —  PRINCETON, NJ — An average of 59% of Republicans and Republican-leaning independents have said they are more enthusiastic than usual …

W.H. says Kyl story not true  —  The White House on Monday denied Arizona Sen. Jon Kyl's claim that President Barack Obama told him privately that he would not work to secure the border unless it was part of a comprehensive immigration reform package.  —  In a video that started circulating …

Angela Merkel Lucky the Bar for “Worst German Leader” is Very High  —  The government of Germany has taken a consistently unhelpful attitude since the outbreak of the financial crisis, and today is no exception: … I would categorically dispute that excessive public debts are one of the main causes of the crisis.

Supreme Court Affirms Ban on Aiding Groups Tied to Terror  —  WASHINGTON — In a case pitting free speech against national security, the Supreme Court on Monday upheld a federal law that makes it a crime to provide “material support” to foreign terrorist organizations, even if the help takes …

Times Square Car Bomb Suspect Pleads Guilty in NYC  —  Times Square car bomb suspect pleads guilty in NYC, says ‘we will be attacking US’  —  A Pakistan-born U.S. citizen pleaded guilty Monday to carrying out the failed Times Square car bombing, saying he wanted it known that unless …

Bork to publicly oppose Kagan for Supreme Court  —  WASHINGTON (AP) — Failed conservative Supreme Court nominee Robert Bork is joining anti-abortion activists to publicly oppose confirming Elena Kagan as a justice.  —  Bork plans to detail his criticisms of Kagan during …

Lax Oversight Cited in Failure of Oil Rig's Failsafe Device  —  It was the last line of defense, the final barrier between the rushing volcanic fury of oil and gas and one of the worst environmental disasters in United States history.  —  Its very name — the blind shear ram — suggested its blunt purpose.

The Quiet Coup  —  The crash has laid bare many unpleasant truths about the United States.  One of the most alarming, says a former chief economist of the International Monetary Fund, is that the finance industry has effectively captured our government—a state of affairs …

EXCLUSIVE: KAGAN: Bork Hearings ‘Best Thing to Ever Happen to Constitutional Democracy’  —  Dateline:  —  From speech at Case Western Reserve, 1997: “And I, like Professor Toulouse, I loved what happened in the Bork hearings.  I wrote a review of Stephen Carter's book recently where I said, “no, he has it all wrong.

WH moves ahead on IL prison purchase  —  The Obama administration will purchase the Thomson prison in rural western Illinois even if Congress doesn't approve the president's plan to lock up terror suspects there, a key official at the Justice Department said Monday.

Op-Ed Columnist: Budget Deficits: Spend Now, Save Later  —  Spend now, while the economy remains depressed; save later, once it has recovered.  How hard is that to understand?  —  Very hard, if the current state of political debate is any indication.  All around the world, politicians seem determined to do the reverse.

Top Catholic Priest Accused of Sexually Abusing His Own Sons  —  Lawsuit Claims Pope, Vatican Covered Up Sordid Life of Legion of Christ Founder  —  A prominent Catholic priest, praised by Pope John Paul II as “an efficacious guide to youth,” Father Marcial Maciel, sexually abused …

O'Reilly Grills Bachmann On BP's $20B Gulf Spill Fund: 'You're Dodging My Question' (VIDEO)  —  You know Rep. Michele Bachmann has crossed a line when Bill O'Reilly grills her, and even says: “You're dodging my question.”  —  That's what happened on O'Reilly's Fox News show Friday when Bachmann …

Saudi Arabia Beheads and Nails Murderer's Body to Cross  —  Saudi Arabia executed two murderers including a Yemeni whose body was nailed to a cross after he was convicted of killing a fellow countryman and his daughter, the interior ministry said on Monday.  —  Shaaban al-Nasheri was beheaded …