Oil Companies Reap Billions From Subsidies  —  When the Deepwater Horizon drilling platform set off the worst oil spill at sea in American history, it was flying the flag of the Marshall Islands.  Registering there allowed the rig's owner to significantly reduce its American taxes.

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.

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 …

Dems in a jam as economy slows  —  President Barack Obama and the Democrats head into the summer campaign season with the economy slowing, unemployment flirting with double-digits - and few options for a quick fix.  —  Obama's economic stimulus plan is winding down, right when Democrats need it most.

U.S. spill panel to hold public meeting July 12-13  —  (Reuters) - A U.S. presidential panel to probe the cause of the massive oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico and recommend new rules to prevent future disasters will hold its first public meeting in New Orleans on July 12 and 13, its co-chairs said on Saturday.

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.

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.

‘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 …

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.

Gates wants military interviews with press cleared  —  WASHINGTON - Military officials will need Pentagon clearance for interviews and other dealings with reporters, according to an order from Defense Secretary Robert Gates not long after the top general in Afghanistan was fired for his comments in a magazine article.

NRA on firing line over Reid  —  The National Rifle Association is in unfamiliar terrain on the conservative firing range this election year: It's the target.  —  The conservative Netroots are abuzz over the possibility that the NRA may endorse Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.).

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.