Expressing gratitude  —  This is Israel's hour of need and nations across the world did not disappoint.  —  Talkbacks (9)  — Facebook  — Twitter  —  Over these last few painful, shocking days, there has been a shining light through the dark, ashfilled skies elicited by the rampant fires …

All the President's Captors  —  THOSE desperate to decipher the baffling Obama presidency could do worse than consult an article titled “Understanding Stockholm Syndrome” in the online archive of The F.B.I. Law Enforcement Bulletin.  It explains that hostage takers are most successful …

State Department To Columbia University Students: DO NOT Discuss WikiLeaks On Facebook, Twitter  —  WHAT'S YOUR REACTION? … Talking about WikiLeaks on Facebook or Twitter could endanger your job prospects, a State Department official warned students at Columbia University's School of International and Public Affairs this week.

Sarah Palin is wrong about John F. Kennedy, religion and politics  —  Sarah Palin has found a new opponent to debate: John F. Kennedy.  —  In her new book, “America by Heart,” Palin objects to my uncle's famous 1960 speech to the Greater Houston Ministerial Association …

Dem: We could have let economy fall and been in majority for 40 years  —  Retiring Rep. Brian Baird (D-Wash.) said that Democrats wisely passed the 2008 financial rescue bill, but it cost them politically.  —  Addressing the economic collapse of 2008 and the subsequent passage …

What Else Would $60 Billion Buy?  —  $60 Billion: The approximate amount that extending the Bush tax cuts on income above $250,000 a year — which Congress seems on the verge of doing — will cost a year, in inflation-adjusted terms.  On average, the affluent households that benefit from these cuts will save $25,000 annually.

Mounting State Debts Stoke Fears of a Looming Crisis  —  The State of Illinois is still paying off billions in bills that it got from schools and social service providers last year.  Arizona recently stopped paying for certain organ transplants for people in its Medicaid program.

Lawmakers Weigh Deal to Extend Tax Cuts for All  —  WASHINGTON — The Senate on Saturday rejected President Obama's proposal to let tax rates rise for the highest-income Americans, as Republicans held firm in their push to continue all of the expiring Bush-era tax cuts.  —  Multimedia

It's the Big Questions That Slow Growth  —  UNCERTAINTY is frequently blamed for the sorry state of the economy — for why businesses are not investing strongly in new equipment or hiring more workers, and for why consumers are not spending freely.  On Wall Street, it's even said that government meddling …

Of Debts and Doubts: Reading the Deficit Panel's Report  —  WASHINGTON — Common wisdom here holds that the report issued by the president's fiscal commission last week is probably going nowhere, despite the endorsement of 11 of the 18 commission members.  Sure, voters like to complain about the debt …

SREC Member: “I got into politics to put Christian conservatives into office.”  —  When emails first appeared calling for dumping current Speaker Joe Straus in favor of “Christian conservative” leadership, Straus' more visible opponents initially dismissed accusations of anti-Jewish/pro-Christian bias.

Participation Rate of 25 to 54 Age Men at Record Low  —  The collapse in the labor force participation rate has been one of the key stories of the great recession.  The participation rate is the percentage of the working age population in the labor force.  —  The labor force participation rate …