Giant Mecca clock seeks to call time on Greenwich  —  For more than a century, a point on the top of a hill in south-east London has been recognised as the centre of world time and the official starting point of each new day.  —  But now the supremacy of Greenwich Mean Time is being challenged …

Gibbs returns to press podium after battle with ‘professional left’  —  White House press secretary Robert Gibbs, under fire from liberals, made it clear Wednesday he has no plans to resign.  —  Gibbs returned to the daily White House briefing on Wednesday a day after his criticism of the …

The Point of No Return  —  For the Obama administration, the prospect of a nuclearized Iran is dismal to contemplate— it would create major new national-security challenges and crush the president's dream of ending nuclear proliferation.  But the view from Jerusalem is still more dire …

Exclusive: Rand Paul's accuser clarifies “kidnapping”  —  The woman who sparked a national firestorm by recounting Rand Paul's  —  youthful indiscretions to GQ magazine is now clarifying her account: She says she was not kidnapped nor forced to do drugs by Paul.

Daily Presidential Tracking Poll  —  The Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll for Tuesday shows that 26% of the nation's voters Strongly Approve of the way that Barack Obama is performing his role as president.  Forty-five percent (45%) Strongly Disapprove …

Former U.S. Representative Dan Rostenkowsi has died  —  Dan Rostenkowski was the most important congressman ever to represent Chicago, “Mr. Chairman” of the powerful House Ways and Means Committee, confidante of presidents, pride of the Polish community and bringer of millions upon millions …

Sen. Harry Reid doubles down on Hispanic comment  —  Harry Reid's campaign is not shying away from the Senate Majority Leader's questioning of why “anyone with Hispanic heritage could be a Republican,” instead using it to attack GOP Senate nominee Sharron Angle's relationships with the Hispanic community.

Primary night yields good news for President Obama and Democrats  —  The headline victory of the primaries belonged to Sen. Michael Bennet, who gallops to a surprisingly wide nine-point victory over challenger Andrew Romanoff.  AP  —  President Barack Obama and the Democratic Party …

Americans split evenly on gay marriage  —  Americans are split on the issue of same-sex marriage, according to a new CNN poll.  —  (CNN) - Nearly half of all Americans think the Constitution provides same-sex couples the right to marry, according to a new CNN/Opinion Research Corporation Poll.

Handel concedes GOP nomination for governor to Deal  —  Update 2:49 p.m.: Gov. Sonny Perdue has now weighed in as well.  While it was long rumored that he would support Karen Handel for the nomination, the outgoing governor stayed cautiously on the sidelines in the primary and the runoff.

JetBlue flight attendant Steven Slater emerges from jail, basks in new status as celebrity  —  Fired-up flight attendant Steven Slater was walking on air as he emerged from jail Tuesday night as a folk hero.  —  “I knew there was a brouhaha about this, but while I was on the inside …

The Obsolescence of Barack Obama  —  The magic of 2008 can't be recreated, and good riddance to it.  —  Not long ago Barack Obama, for those who were spellbound by him, had the stylishness of JFK and the historic mission of FDR riding to the nation's rescue.

Kerry: McMahon ‘roid rage attacks’ need to be stopped  —  Connecticut Senate nominee Linda McMahon's “GOP/WWE roid rage attacks” need to be stopped, Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) said Wednesday.  —  Kerry took a shot at McMahon's past as CEO of the wrestling outfit a day after she won …

Why the GOP really wants to alter the 14th Amendment  —  As Lindsey Graham and his fellow Republicans explain it, their sudden turn against conferring citizenship on anyone born in the United States was prompted by the mortal threat of “anchor babies” — the children of foreigners who scurry …

34% - Was TARP Passed Under Bush or Obama?  —  In numerous polls, the public has voiced their displeasure at the much maligned bank bailout, but most don't know which president signed the controversial act into law.  Only a third of Americans (34%) correctly say the Troubled Asset Relief Program …

Unauthorized Immigrants and Their U.S.-Born Children  —  An estimated 340,000 of the 4.3 million babies born in the United States in 2008 were the offspring of unauthorized immigrants, according to a new analysis of Census Bureau data by the Pew Hispanic Center.

Crowd waiting for housing vouchers gets rowdy  —  A crowd of people hoping to get federal housing assistance became unruly Wednesday morning with reports of fights breaking out in the crowd.  —  Thousands of people were lined up at the Tri-Cities Plaza shopping center …

Thoughtcrime: D.C. Reporter Suspended for Accurate Report on BP's Donations to Obama  —  WJLA-TV, a Washington, D.C. ABC affiliate, suspended reporter Doug McKelway following his alleged “partisan” comments at a liberal rally on Capitol Hill marking the three-month anniversary of the Gulf oil spill.

Hamp - it's worse than we thought  —  So the US Treasury's centrepiece mortgage modification programme — Hamp — is something of a failure.  That much we knew already.  —  But Laurie Goodman over at Amherst Securities brings up another point.  —  The programme actually has a lower success rate …

Elite Isolation  —  It seems to me that this chart is the key to understanding today's political economy:  —  Virtually every single member of congress, every senator, every Capitol Hill staffer, every White House advisor, every Fed governor, and every major political reporter is a college graduate.