Millionaire owner of Segway firm dies in freak accident after riding one of his two-wheel machines off a cliff  —  The multi-millionaire owner of the Segway company died in a freak accident yesterday when he rode one of the high-tech two-wheel machines off a cliff and into a river.

Poll: Rocky road seen ahead for Obama  —  A significant majority of voters are considering voting against President Barack Obama in the 2012 election, expressing sour views of his new health care law and deep skepticism about his ability to create jobs and grow the sluggish economy …

U.S. Wants to Make It Easier to Wiretap the Internet  —  WASHINGTON — Federal law enforcement and national security officials are preparing to seek sweeping new regulations for the Internet, arguing that their ability to wiretap criminal and terrorism suspects is “going dark” …

Senate Democrats not backing down on push for filibuster reform  —  Despite expected losses this fall, Senate Democrats are not backing down on their commitment to filibuster reform.  —  In the wake of two failed procedural votes last week, some Democrats in the upper chamber say reform is necessary.

The Seduction of the Tea Partiers  —  On the surface, the Pledge to America that House Republicans unveiled last week, in obvious imitation of Newt Gingrich's famous Contract With America, feels like a triumph for the Tea Party.  —  Whereas the Gingrich-era contract was a terse …

Structure of Excuses  —  What can be done about mass unemployment?  All the wise heads agree: there are no quick or easy answers.  There is work to be done, but workers aren't ready to do it — they're in the wrong places, or they have the wrong skills.  Our problems are “structural,” and will take many years to solve.

Weekend at Fidel's  —  Jeffrey Goldberg is not the first American journalist to cuddle up to Castro.  —  At most marine parks in the world the animals provide the entertainment.  But at the Havana aquarium last month, Fidel Castro had a couple of humans eating out of his hand and clapping like trained seals.

What's Eating David Axelrod?  —  The disillusionment of Obama's guru.  —  Among the many distinctions David Axelrod has achieved in his career, there is one that requires special elaboration: He is, it turns out, one of the few customers to have ever run a tab at Manny's, the Chicago cafeteria and deli.

Liberal Groups Planning to Rally on National Mall  —  Hoping to overshadow last month's rally led by Glenn Beck that drew thousands of Tea Party advocates and other conservatives, a coalition of liberal groups plan to descend on Washington on Saturday to make the case that they …

Illegal Immigration is No Joke (Video)  —  Last Friday, Congressman Zoe Lofgren, chairman of the immigration subcommittee, invited comedian Stephen Colbert to Congress to testify on the subject of illegal immigration.  —  Colbert testified in character, a parody of Fox News Bill O'Reilly.

Obama looks to reenergize youth vote, get late Democratic surge for midterms  —  MADISON, WIS. - President Obama will swoop into the heartland this week in a high-stakes bid to boost enthusiasm for Democrats by reigniting the coalition of young and minority voters who were critical to his success two years ago.

Military thwarted president seeking choice in Afghanistan  —  The first of three articles adapted from “Obama's Wars” by Bob Woodward.  —  President Obama was on edge.  —  For two exhausting months, he had been asking military advisers to give him a range of options for the war in Afghanistan.

Manchin Calls for Partial Repeal of Health Reform  —  ROANOKE, W.V. — In Democratic Gov. Joe Manchin's quest to strike a bipartisan chord as he campaigns to fill the late Democratic Sen. Robert Byrd's seat, he's joining the GOP's call to repeal pieces of health care reform.

WHEN TECHNOLOGY MAKES HEADLINES  —  THE MEDIA'S DOUBLE VISION ABOUT THE DIGITAL AGE  —  The mainstream news media have offered the American public a divided view of how information technology influences society, according to a new study by the Pew Research Center's Project for Excellence in Journalism.

Report: Fla. adds 2 seats, N.Y. loses  —  A new estimate of House reapportionment gains and losses resulting from this year's Census reveals a larger-than-expected impact on Florida and New York.  According to Washington-based Election Data Services, which reviewed new Census data …

Obama Justice Department Rocked  —  The former head of the Justice Department's New Black Panther trial team, Chris Coates, testified Friday before the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights.  See here and here and here (subscription required).  Before Coates broke his silence, the commission's critics …

Free Speech Tested Anew in Digital Age  —  Supreme Court Will Consider First Amendment Rights as They Apply to Two Cases Involving the Internet and Videogames  —  WASHINGTON—Free speech stands front and center in the Supreme Court term beginning next week, in a pair of cases testing the First Amendment's reach in the digital age.

President Obama: Fire failing teachers  —  President Barack Obama took aim at the nation's failing schools Monday, saying bad teachers should be fired if they're not cutting it and that students should stay in school longer each year.  —  Obama also leveled a critique of the Washington …