Walking Away From Million-Dollar Mortgages  —  LOS ALTOS, Calif. — No need for tears, but the well-off are losing their master suites and saying goodbye to their wine cellars.  —  The housing bust that began among the working class in remote subdivisions and quickly progressed …

Judge: Federal gay marriage ban unconstitutional  —  BOSTON — A U.S. judge in Boston has ruled that a federal gay marriage ban is unconstitutional because it interferes with the right of a state to define marriage.  —  U.S. District Judge Joseph Tauro on Thursday ruled in favor …

Mehserle convicted of involuntary manslaughter  —  (07-08) 16:22 PDT LOS ANGELES — A jury found former BART police Officer Johannes Mehserle guilty today of involuntary manslaughter in connection with the New Year's Day 2009 shooting of an unarmed train rider, finding that he had acted …

Emanuel: Business should be thanking this president - Palin video was shot by a single videographer - Dem. donors pressured by tally of GOP plans — Ask Matt Rhoades — P.K., Drew Hammill b'days  —  EXCLUSIVE: Peter Orszag, director of the Office of Management and Budget …

How LeBron's Move Helps the Tea Party  —  So LeBron James is abandoning Cleveland for sunny Miami.  That's a tough break for Ohio sports fans.  But what effect might LeBron's departure have on Ohio's politics?  I think it helps the Tea Party, for reasons I'll lay out.

How I Learned to Stop Worrying & Love Sarah Palin (Kinda)  —  I hailed the cab outside the offices of The Huffington Post around 10:30 P.M., bone-tired, slumping into my seat.  Five seconds later, the call came in from a number I didn't recognize.  At that moment, I knew I was screwed.

The Beholden State  —  How public-sector unions broke California  —  The camera focuses on an official of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), California's largest public-employee union, sitting in a legislative chamber and speaking into a microphone.

The Obama-Pelosi Lame Duck Strategy  —  Union ‘card-check,’ cap and trade, and so much more.  —  Democratic House members are so worried about the fall elections they're leaving Washington on July 30, a full week earlier than normal—and they won't return until mid-September.

Obama: Israelis suspicious of me because my middle name is Hussein  —  U.S. president tells Channel 2 Israel is unlikely to attack Iran without coordinating with the U.S.  —  U.S. President Barack Obama told Channel 2 News on Wednesday that he believed Israel would not try to surprise the U.S. with a unilateral attack on Iran.

LeGone: LeBron James announces he's leaving Cleveland Cavaliers for Miami Heat  —  CLEVELAND, Ohio — The witnesses have been excused.  —  LeBron James crushed Cavaliers fans Thursday night when he announced live on national television that he was leaving Cleveland and will sign with the Miami Heat.

Kabuki Democracy: Why a Progressive Presidency Is Impossible, for Now  —  Few progressives would take issue with the argument that, significant accomplishments notwithstanding, the Obama presidency has been a big disappointment.  As Mario Cuomo famously observed, candidates campaign in poetry but govern in prose.

‘Tan tax’ discussions include allegations of reverse racism  —  Mention the new “tan tax” in a major news outlet and cries of discrimination and reverse racism often follow.  —  The complaint surfaced on reader comment boards to blogs and news Web sites back in December …

Democrats battle independents' weakening support of Obama and Congress  —  Of all the problems Democrats face this fall, none may be more challenging than trying to win back the support of independent voters.  —  President Obama has been going backward with independents for more than a year …

RNC still hasn't been reimbursed for bondage-themed nightclub expense  —  In March, when The Daily Caller reported that the Republican National Committee (RNC) had spent $1,946 at Voyeur West Hollywood, a bondage-themed nightclub, RNC spokesman Doug Heye vowed on national television that the RNC would get its money back.

Gibbs Evades Question of Whether Obama Agrees With His Medicare Director That Health-Care System Must Redistribute Wealth  —  (CNSNews.com) - White House Spokesman Robert Gibbs has evaded answering the question of whether President Barack Obama agrees with Dr. Donald Berwick …

Pity the Poor C.E.O.'s  —  Job creation has been disappointing, but first-quarter corporate profits were up 44 percent from a year earlier.  Consumers are nervous, but the Dow, which was below 8,000 on the day President Obama was inaugurated, is now over 10,000.

Hamas Sends Patients to Israel for Care  —  Follow Israel news on and .  —  Ichilov hospital in Tel Aviv treats up to 100 patients a month from Gaza, and often Hamas takes the role of middleman between Gaza residents and the Israeli hospital, Ichilov Director Professor Gabi Barabash said Thursday.

Obama is convinced of his own magnificence, and hardly any of his own country's.

With video, Palin goes pro  —  It was nothing more than a two-minute self-promotional spot, a campaign-style production that any candidate with a little cash and a capable consultant could splice together, yet Sarah Palin's newly-released video managed to drive cable news television chatter and blazed across the blogosphere Thursday.

Angle: Rape victims should use their pregnancies as a way to turn lemons into lemonade.  —  In her campaign to capture the Nevada Senate seat from Harry Reid (D), Tea Party maven Sharron Angle (R) has maintained a hardline view on abortion.  Earlier this year, Angle insisted that women …

Washington and Russia agree to swap intelligence gatherers  —  New York (CNN) — Ten Russians allegedly involved in intelligence gathering will be expelled from the United States in short order, in exchange for Russia's release of four Russian prisoners accused of spying for the United States …

Ontario police set to charge Muslim extremist  —  Over the past three years, Salman Hossain has openly called for terrorist attacks in Canada, cheered the killing of Canadian troops in Afghanistan and urged fellow Muslims to “exterminate” Canada's Jewish population.