Trump collapses  —  Donald Trump has had one of the quickest rises and falls in the history of Presidential politics.  Last month we found him leading the Republican field with 26%.  In the space of just four weeks he's dropped all the way down to 8%, putting him in a tie for fifth place with Ron Paul.

Osama Bin Laden Son Missing From SEAL Raid, Pakistan Says  —  One of Osama bin Laden's sons went missing in the midst of the Navy SEAL raid that took the life of the al Qaeda leader more than a week ago, Pakistani security officials told ABC News today.  —  The officials said bin Laden's three wives …

Speeches and Summits Won't Secure the Border  —  President Obama's immigration speech in El Paso today is a poor substitute for the real border security the country still desperately needs.  And it was a transparent attempt to keep using illegal immigration as a campaign issue …

Billionaire's role in hiring decisions at Florida State University raises questions  —  A conservative billionaire who opposes government meddling in business has bought a rare commodity: the right to interfere in faculty hiring at a publicly funded university.

Gingrich Run Reflects His Sense of History  —  Whatever can Newt Gingrich be thinking?  —  That's the question a lot of political handicappers are asking now that Newt, as he is universally known in Washington, has decided to enter the 2012 campaign, with an announcement expected on Wednesday.

The Tragedy of Sarah Palin  —  From the moment Sarah Palin's acceptance speech electrified the Republican convention, she was seen as an unbending, hard-charging, red-meat ideologue—to which soon was added “thin-skinned” and “vindictive.”  But a look at what Palin did while in office in Alaska …

Republican rift widens on Medicare  —  A deep rift is opening wider and wider in the Republican Party over controversial proposals to cut Medicare.  —  Senate Republicans have decided to avoid jeopardizing their chances of capturing the upper chamber in next year's elections and will not echo …

GOP Sen. Rand Paul questions whether White House has ‘enemies list’  —  Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) asked Tuesday if the White House had an “enemies list” in light of the National Labor Relations Board's complaint against Boeing for moving some of its operations to South Carolina.

“Very Positive”: Fox News' Smear Of “Vile Rapper” Common Debunked By Own Reporting  —  Conservatives such as Fox News, the Daily Caller and Sarah Palin are criticizing the White House's invitation to rapper Common for a poetry event over the purported vulgarity of his lyrics.

Arnold Schwarzenegger, Maria Shriver announce separation  —  The former first lady has moved out after 25 years of marriage.  Maria Shriver helped bolster Arnold Schwarzenegger's campaign against charges that he groped women during his movie career.  —  Arnold Schwarzenegger and Maria Shriver …

Liberals in southern Arizona seek to form new state  —  TUCSON, Arizona (Reuters) - A long-simmering movement by liberal stalwarts in southern Arizona to break away from the rest of the largely conservative state is at a boiling point as secession backers press to bring their longshot ambition to the forefront of Arizona politics.

The Missing Fifth  —  In 1910, Henry Van Dyke wrote a book called “The Spirit of America,” which opened with this sentence: “The Spirit of America is best known in Europe by one of its qualities — energy.”  —  This has always been true.  Americans have always been known for their manic dynamism.

Budget chief wants 50-50 split between spending cuts, tax hikes  —  Sen. Kent Conrad (D-N.D.) on Tuesday presented a budget proposal to Senate Democrats that calls for an even balance — 50 percent to 50 percent — of spending cuts and tax increases to reduce the deficit.

Texas House restricts cities aiding illegal immigrants  —  (Reuters) - The Texas House of Representatives late on Monday approved a measure that seeks to crack down on cities that provide sanctuary to illegal immigrants.  —  The measure would prohibit local governments from banning law …

Wonkbook: Boehner's debt-ceiling demands  —  (Kathy Willens - AP) In a speech before a Wall Street crowd on Monday, John Boehner laid out the three legs of the GOP's opening bid on the debt ceiling.  They are:  —  1) “Without significant spending cuts and reforms to reduce our debt, there will be no debt limit increase.

Lawn sign advances feud between mosque, neighbor  —  A feud between two Transit Road neighbors — a homeowner and a mosque — turned ugly this weekend when the homeowner staked a sign on his front lawn insinuating that the new 11,600-square-foot Islamic worship site is home to a “bomb making” operation.

Report: Up to 44m more uninsured under GOP budget  —  WASHINGTON - The House Republican budget would leave up to 44 million more low-income people uninsured as the federal government cuts states' Medicaid funding by about one-third over the next 10 years, nonpartisan groups said in a report issued Tuesday.

Hillary Clinton: Chinese System Is Doomed, Leaders on a 'Fool's Errand'  —  In an exclusive interview, the secretary of state says Beijing's human rights record is “deplorable” and it is “trying to stop history” by opposing the advance of democracy  —  In my latest Atlantic cover story …