Democrats Retrench as GOP Pulls Away  —  Democratic strategists acknowledged they are abandoning a dozen House seats the party now holds, as they try to salvage their majority in the chamber by shoring up candidates with better chances.  —  With Republicans expanding their advertising …

Merkel says German multicultural society has failed  —  Angela Merkel said Germany had “kidded itself” multiculturalism was working  —  Attempts to build a multicultural society in Germany have “utterly failed”, Chancellor Angela Merkel says.  —  In a speech in Potsdam, she said the so-called …

Fired up?  Not so much  —  If President Barack Obama needed any more reminders that it's not 2008, he got another one Thursday night in a town hall with young voters.  —  Back when he was a candidate, Obama inspired legions of young people who responded to his message of hope …

2 Top Candidates Skip G.O.P. Rally  —  ANAHEIM, Calif. — What if you held a voter turnout rally and the top candidates on the ballot didn't show up?  —  Michael Steele, the Republican National Committee chairman, and Sarah Palin, arguably the biggest draw in the Republican Party …

You've Gotta See This Ad  —  Jack Conway's trailing Rand Paul down in Kentucky.  But he's not out of it yet.  And there are some signs he's starting to turn the corner.  (The current TPM Poll Average is Paul 46.9%, Conway 41.7%.)  But this ad ... man, this ad.  Whew.

Barbara Billingsley of ‘Leave it to Beaver’ fame dies  —  (CNN) — Barbara Billingsley, who wore a classy pearl necklace and dispensed pearls of wisdom as America's quintessential mom on “Leave it to Beaver,” has died at age 94, a family spokeswoman said Saturday.

Why Liberals Don't Get the Tea Party Movement  —  Our universities haven't taught much political history for decades.  No wonder so many progressives have disdain for the principles that animated the Federalist debates.  —  Highly educated people say the darndest things, these days particularly about the tea party movement.

Don't Stay the 'Don't Ask' Ruling  —  The Obama administration has conjured up some inflated fears to justify its decision to appeal an injunction that brought a screeching halt to investigations and discharges of gay men and women serving in the military.  —  To hear the administration tell it …

Playing All the Angles  —  As I sat above the Hoover Dam under the broiling sun, I was getting jittery.  —  There was Gov. Jan Brewer of Arizona, speaking at the dedication of a bridge linking Arizona and Nevada 890 feet above the Colorado River.  —  As the politicians droned …

Fort Hood soldier ordered to delete video of rampage  —  FORT HOOD, Texas — A US soldier who captured a deadly 2009 rampage at Fort Hood with his cell phone camera testified Friday that he was ordered to erase the video by his commanders.  —  The video could have provided key evidence …