Brewer vetoes birther, campus gun bills  —  Also vetoes health care compact law  —  Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer vetoed a bill Monday that would have required presidential candidates to provide their birth certificates to appear on the ballot, and another that would have allowed guns to be carried on school grounds.

Economic anxiety threatens Obama in 2012, but in poll he edges GOP rivals  —  Deepening economic pessimism has pushed down President Obama's approval rating to a near record low, but he holds an early advantage over prospective 2012 rivals in part because of widespread dissatisfaction …

Today's (Needless) Hysteria: the S&P Panic  —  I agree with Clive Crook's puzzlement about the S&P downgrade “bombshell” today: … And I like James K. Galbraith's derisive guffaw, as reported by Dave Lindorff: … I know that markets run on fear, greed, instinct, and panic as much as on logic.

Why Trump Soars  —  Very few people have the luxury of being freely obnoxious.  Most people have to watch what they say for fear of offending their bosses and colleagues.  Others resist saying anything that might make them unpopular.  —  But, in every society, there are a few rare souls …

Andres Serrano's Piss Christ destroyed by Christian protesters  —  • Intruders vandalise photo day after Christian protest  —  • Exhibitor blames Sarkozy speech for inflaming issue  —  When New York artist Andres Serrano plunged a plastic crucifix into a glass of his own urine …

Molesting kids won't win war on terror  —  Frisking tots while neglecting the border undercuts seriousness of security  —  Our government has become a serial groper.  There's no part of our lives it won't touch.  It insists on putting its insatiable hands on everything from our health care …

Krauthammer doubles down on the 'Trump is the GOP's Al Sharpton' claim  —  It turns out that George Will isn't the only conservative who isn't impressed with the Donald's effort to pump himself up for the White House.  —  On last weekend's broadcast of the syndicated weekend public affairs program …

2011 Pulitzer Prize Winners Announced  —  The New York Times won Pulitzer Prizes on Monday for its economics commentary and for its reporting on Russia in 2010, while The Los Angeles Times received the coveted public service Pulitzer.  —  The prizes, which are administered by Columbia University …

Why Did The Union Fight?  —  I've always thought there was something about the Lincoln administration's determination to fight and win the Civil War that was a bit odd.  Secession gave the regionally based Republican Party large congressional majorities that wouldn't exist if southern states had representation in congress.

Secret memos expose link between oil firms and invasion of Iraq  —  Plans to exploit Iraq's oil reserves were discussed by government ministers and the world's largest oil companies the year before Britain took a leading role in invading Iraq, government documents show.

Roger Ailes Caught Spying on the Reporters at His Small-Town Newspaper  —  The small-town newspapers in New York's Hudson Valley that Fox News chief Roger Ailes owns with his wife Elizabeth are in a staff revolt after employees caught Ailes spying on them with News Corp. security goons.  More »

President Obama and Vice President Biden's Tax Returns and Tax Receipts  —  Today, the President released his 2010 federal income and gift tax returns.  He and the First Lady filed their income tax return jointly and reported an adjusted gross income of $1,728,096.

Why P.J. Crowley went rogue  —  To friends, colleagues and even critics, there are few more unlikely candidates than P.J. Crowley to become a free speech martyr and a darling of the left.  A veteran of three decades in the Air Force public affairs division, Crowley was a notoriously tight-lipped spokesman …

Justices Decline to Hear Appeal From Chinese Detainees  —  WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court said Monday that it would not hear an appeal from five Chinese Muslims detained at Guantánamo Bay who seek to be released into the United States.  There were no noted dissents …

Classic kids games like kickball deemed unsafe by state in effort to increase summer camp regulation  —  State bureaucrats have created a list of ‘risky activities’ for kids at summer camp.  The list includes freeze tag, Wiffle Ball and kickball, among other games and activities.

Egyptians Court U.S. Foes  —  CAIRO—Iran and Egypt's new government signaled Monday they were moving quickly to thaw decades of frosty relations, worrying the U.S., Israel and Saudi Arabia that the overtures could upset the Mideast's fragile balance of power.

U.S. Hurries to Sell GM Stake  —  The U.S. government plans to sell a significant share of its remaining stake in General Motors Co. this summer despite the disappointing performance of the auto maker's stock, people familiar with the matter said.  —  A sale within the next several months …

S&P  —  OK, so Standard and Poors has warned that it might downgrade the US one of these days.  At first read, what it says doesn't seem too silly: it lays stress, rightly, on political gridlock.  The point should be that the US is perfectly capable both of running large deficits now and getting …

Obama, the Interpreter of the Message of Passover  —  Follow Israel news on and .  —  Passover recalls the bondage and suffering of Jews in Egypt and the miracle of the Exodus, but U.S. President Barack Obama says its message is reflected in Muslim uprisings.