Biden Offers Diplomacy Amid Impasse in Iraq  —  BAGHDAD — Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. landed here on Saturday evening for a visit that signaled a desire by the United States to step deeper into a four-month political stalemate that has become a backdrop to the drawdown of American forces this summer.

EXCLUSIVE: GOP prepares as calls for Steele's resignation grows  —  With Republican National Committee Chairman Michael S. Steele facing a barrage of calls to resign, North Dakota Republican Party Chairman Gary Emineth, a social conservative, told The Washington Times on Friday he is quitting …

Illinois Stops Paying Its Bills, but Can't Stop Digging Hole  —  CHICAGO — Even by the standards of this deficit-ridden state, Illinois's comptroller, Daniel W. Hynes, faces an ugly balance sheet.  Precisely how ugly becomes clear when he beckons you into his office to examine his daily briefing memo.

Utah radio station dumps Sean Hannity … SALT LAKE CITY (ABC 4 News) - KSL Radio announced that they will no longer air Sean Hannity's syndicated national talk show.  —  The last KSL broadcast of the Sean Hannity show will air on October 1, 2010.  —  The announcement comes after speculation …

A better welcome for our nation's immigrants  —  On our national birthday, and amid an angry debate about immigration, Americans should reflect on the lessons of our shared immigrant past.  We must recall that the challenges facing our nation today were felt as far back as the Founders' time.

Gulf oil spill likely to reach Florida Keys, Miami, report says  —  Those shorelines will probably see tar balls in the months ahead, NOAA finds.  Also, skimming boats prepare to go back to work, and efforts to help turtles and migrating birds are announced.  —  Controlled burns are conducted in the Gulf of Mexico on June 19.

Following up on ‘the first female president’  —  In the days since I suggested that President Obama's rhetorical style mimics feminine tropes, I've been informed of the following:  —  One, a black man cannot show anger in public lest he be considered an Angry Black Man.

Spend or Scrimp?  Two Sides in White House Debate  —  WASHINGTON — Not since the first years of the Clinton administration has a White House had to debate whether to give precedence to stimulating the economy or reducing budget deficits.  Now, as the recovery shows signs of faltering …

Congo: UN says at least 220 dead in oil explosion  —  KINSHASA, Congo - A fuel tanker overturned and burst into flames in eastern Congo, sparking a massive fire that killed at least 220 villagers and wounded more than 200 — some of whom had rushed to siphon leaking liquid from the vehicle illegally …

An Apology to Maradona, a Rollicking Genius  —  Dear Diego: It is high time that we critics say sorry, and thank you.  —  We misjudged your appointment as coach.  We believed that Julio Grondona, the 78-year-old president of Argentina's soccer federation, had lost all sense of reason in asking you …

Gates Tightens Rules for Military and the Press  —  WASHINGTON — Nine days after a four-star general was relieved of command for comments made to Rolling Stone magazine, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates issued orders on Friday tightening the reins on officials dealing with the news media.

Live Chat: Blue America Welcomes State Senator Jim Wilson (D-OK)  —  A labor union president once told me that the worst Democrat in Congress, at least from the point of view of ordinary working families, is Oklahoma reactionary Dan Boren.  I've never been able to find anyone to persuade me that he was wrong.

Charlie Bolden: Stealth Middle East Diplomat?  —  “Bolden: I am here in the region - its sort of the first anniversary of President Barack Obama's visit to Cairo - and his speech there when he gave what has now become known as Obama's “Cairo Initiative” where he announced that he wanted …

‘South of the Border’ Confirms Oliver Stone Is a Right-Wing Plant  —  Far be it from me to pull a Patrick Goldstein and be the cause of a fellow righty landing on the conservative Hollywood blacklist, but news is news and the fact that for decades now Oliver Stone has been a right-wing spy embedded deep …