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 …

Be Careful What You Wish For Department: Federal District Court Strikes Down DOMA  —  Today Judge Joseph Tauro in the federal district court in Massachusetts struck down section 3 of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) in two opinions, Gill v. Office of Personnel Management, and Massachusetts v. HHS.

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.

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.

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 …

LeBron: Obama could hold his own in one-on-one matchup  —  Newly minted Miami Heat star LeBron James said Thursday night that he thinks President Barack Obama could hold his own in a one-on-one game of hoops.  —  James, after announcing a highly anticipated decision to leave the Cleveland Cavaliers …

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 …

Election 2010: West Virginia Senate Special Election  —  West Virginia Senate: Manchin (D) 53%, Capito (R) 39%  —  A special Senate election this November to replace the late Robert Byrd is still awaiting the green light from West Virginia's attorney general, but popular Democratic Governor Joe Manchin …

‘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 …

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

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.

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.

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.

Pentagon allows banned reporter to return to Guantánamo  —  WASHINGTON — The Pentagon on Thursday reversed its ban on a Miami Herald reporter from covering military commissions at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, and said the reporter can return to the naval base there to cover a hearing next week.

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.

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 …

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.

Russian sub ‘could stop oil leak’  —  The subs have started their third season of exploration at Lake Baikal  —  Russian-built submersibles would be able to cap the oil leak in the Gulf of Mexico, the captain of one of the vessels has said.  —  The skipper was speaking as two of the subs …

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.

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 …