Changing Stance, Administration Now Defends Insurance Mandate as a Tax  —  WASHINGTON — When Congress required most Americans to obtain health insurance or pay a penalty, Democrats denied that they were creating a new tax.  But in court, the Obama administration and its allies now defend …

Republican lawmakers gird for rowdy tea party  —  So who wants to join Rand Paul's “tea-party” caucus?  —  “I don't know about that,” Sen. Bob Corker (R-Tenn.) replied with a nervous laugh.  “I'm not sure I should be participating in this story.”  —  Republican lawmakers see plenty …

A nice new shopping mall opened today in Gaza: Will the media report on it?  —  [Please link to and credit this website if writing on this.]  —  Will the Western media show these images?  —  All notes below by Tom Gross  —  Please scroll down below for photos of the new shopping mall that opened today in Gaza.

Biden: GOP forced smaller stimulus  —  Vice President Joe Biden said that the Recovery Act was undersized because the White House shrunk the economic stimulus package to win Republican votes in Congress to pass it.  —  “I think it would have been bigger,” he told ABC's Jake Tapper in an interview airing Sunday.

Obama's the “most” racial president  —  While President Obama has touted himself as a post-racial president, he has built a record demonstrating precisely the opposite.  Is it Obama's bitterness, or is the incessant playing of the race card by him and many of his supporters merely calculated political exploitation — or both?

Margaret Thatcher's family are ‘appalled’ at Meryl Streep film  —  Film about Margaret Thatcher's life, which is expected to star Meryl Streep, shows the former prime minister as a dementia-sufferer looking back at her life with sadness.  —  Tim Walker.  —  Although the prospect …

The Day The Controversy Over The New Black Panther Case Fell Apart.  —  So, a number of things have happened in the past few hours that should really discredit the entire conservative conspiracy theory behind the New Black Panther Party case.  —  Earlier today, I reported that J. Christian Adams …

Muslims Riot, Mayhem in France, Fire On Police UPDATE: After Islamic Cleric's Fiery Speech  —  Mayhem in Grenoble (Photo: AFP) (hat tip woolie)  —  The imprimatur of an Islamic cleric: … UPDATE: The police were fired on by automatic gunfire, a fact that strangely was only reported on by al jazeera.

Vitter: Obama avoiding oil spill  —  Sen. David Vitter (R-La.) criticized President Obama for not visiting the Gulf Coast since June.  —  Speaking on “Fox News Sunday” with Chris Wallace, Vitter said the president is trying move the Gulf oil spill out of the media spotlight by not returning to the region to oversee cleanup operations.

McConnell ‘not interested’ in weighing in on debate over racism in Tea Party  —  Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) stayed out of the debate over whether there are racist elements in the Tea Party movement, saying he had better things to worry about — namely, GOP efforts in the midterm elections.

Cash crisis in NHS leaves patients lying on operating tables  —  A cash crisis in the NHS has left patients lying on the operating table before doctors realised vital equipment had not been ordered, according to a leaked report.  —  Women in labour have been forced to wait while epidural equipment …

Keith Olbermann To Take “Couple Weeks Vacation Off” - Lawrence O'Donnell Fills In  —  Keith Olbermann announced during last night's Countdown he would be taking a “couple weeks vacation off.”  —  The opportunity to guest host MSNBC's top-rated program has often led to other roles at the network …

Biden's 2008 campaign fined $219K for violations  —  WASHINGTON — Election watchdogs have fined Joe Biden's 2008 presidential campaign more than $219,000 for sloppy bookkeeping and accepting excessive contributions, including a discounted flight on a private jet.

Obama's Anti-Business Policies Are Our Economic Katrina  —  His gratuitous and overstated demonization of business is exactly the wrong approach  —  The growing divide and tension between the Obama administration and the business world is a cause for national concern.