Statement From the Family of Osama bin Laden  —  Statement from the family of Sheikh Osama bin Laden  —  I Omar Ossama Binladin and my brothers the lawful children and heirs of the Ossama Binladin (OBL) have noted wide coverage of the news of the death of our father, but we are not convinced …

Obama hits Fox News  —  Washington (CNN) - President Barack Obama used an immigration speech Tuesday to take a jab at News Corporation CEO, Rupert Murdoch, who owns Fox News Channel.  —  Obama quoted the CEO, an Australian native, who said “Immigrants have made America great as the world leader in business …

Potential presidential candidate Jon Huntsman makes a stop in St. Petersburg  —  Jon Huntsman and his wife, Mary Kaye, met with potential donors Tuesday night in Snell Isle in St. Petersburg.  Homeowner James MacDougald introduced Huntsman.  Al Austin, standing by the chair, led Tampa's successful bid for the 2012 GOP convention.

How Perpetual War Became U.S. Ideology  —  Since the last realist president, George H.W. Bush, left office, two groups— neoconservatives and liberal interventionists—have overtaken American foreign policy  —  The United States has found itself in a seemingly endless series of wars over the past two decades.

Palin and Trump: It's complicated  —  Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin and businessman Donald Trump have formed a political bond, one united by their populist ideology and contempt for the mainstream media.  —  Their kinship grew during the height of the birther controversy.

President to Renew Muslim Outreach  —  WASHINGTON—President Barack Obama is preparing a fresh outreach to the Muslim world in coming days, senior U.S. officials say, one that will ask those in the Middle East and beyond to reject Islamic militancy in the wake of Osama bin Laden's death and embrace a new era of relations with the U.S.

Humbled Gingrich to launch 2012 bid  —  Sees strength in adviser team  —  Newt Gingrich vowed Tuesday that his 2012 run for the GOP presidential nomination will be free of the intellectual arrogance and personal disorganization that he concedes marred his tenure as speaker of the U.S. House in the 1990s.

Palin and the Curse of a Thin Skin  —  In the June Atlantic, Joshua Green has a terrific piece called “The Tragedy of Sarah Palin” that gets at the maddening aspect of Palin's gifts and strengths as a politician better than any single article has with the exception of Yuval Levin's COMMENTARY piece two years ago.

Irish Bombshell: Government Raids PRIVATE Pensions To Pay For Spending  —  The Irish government plans to institute a tax on private pensions to drive jobs growth, according to its jobs program strategy, delivered today.  —  Without the ability sell debt due to soaring interest rates …

Boeing Is Pro-Growth, Not Anti-Union  —  Washington's actions have assaulted the capitalist principles that have sustained America's competitiveness since it became the world's largest economy nearly 140 years ago.  —  Deep into the recent recession, Boeing decided to invest more than $1 billion in a new factory in South Carolina.

Neo-Nazi Father Is Killed; Son, 10, Steeped in Beliefs, Is Accused  —  RIVERSIDE, Calif. — The day before he allegedly shot his father, the sandy-haired 10-year-old boy showed off a prized possession to a visitor.  It was a thin leather belt emblazoned with a silver insignia of the Nazi SS.

House Republican Budget Plan: State-By-State Impact of Changes in Medicaid Financing  —  This analysis projects the state-by-state impact of converting Medicaid into a block grant and eliminating the planned expansion of the program by repealing the health reform law, as called for under the House Budget Plan.

Netanyahu waited too long to strike Iran  —  Aluf Benn reflects on developments in Israel's policies toward Iran, claiming Netanyahu makes ‘hollow threats’.  —  1. Barack Obama's achievement: From the day he assumed office, the president of the United States made preventing an Israeli military strike …

Trump Stumped: No Big Announcement on Celebrity Apprentice Finale  —  Reset your DVRs!  You can make that Sunday night dinner with mom after all: Contrary to his own personally advanced hype, Donald Trump will not be making any kind of announcement about his presidential plans on the Celebrity Apprentice season finale.

NJ State Police “Outraged” Over Rapper Invite to White House  —  Common at the 2011 Common Ground Foundation gala fundraiser at the Intercontinental Hotel in Chicago last month.  —  The invitation of rapper Common to the White House this week is drawing the ire of the union representing New Jersey state police.

Ryan: GOP faces messaging challenge in selling 2012 budget  —  Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) said Wednesday that Republicans are running into a “communications challenge” in selling their 2012 budget proposal to Americans.  —  Ryan, the chairman of the House Budget Committee who authored the 2012 budget …

Exclusive: Wall Street says cuts alone won't fix budget  —  (Reuters) - A majority of top Wall Street bond dealers and money managers say spending cuts alone cannot solve the U.S. budget problems and tax increases must be part of the mix.  —  In a Reuters survey conducted on Tuesday …

Uganda's anti-gay bill not on agenda after outcry  —  Below:  —  KAMPALA, Uganda — Uganda's parliament appeared Wednesday to have dropped plans to debate a controversial anti-gay bill after a global outcry from U.S. leaders, rights groups and an Internet campaign.  —  Only on msnbc.com

New to Teaching, Idealistic, at Risk for Layoff  —  Samantha Sherwood had lofty aspirations when she settled on a family-studies major at the University of Connecticut, like redrawing welfare rules or weaving together a sturdier safety net for people in need.

Southern border is more secure, but not thanks to Obama, says Cornyn  —  Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) conceded this week that security on the Mexican border has improved under the Obama administration - but not, he said, because of the president's policies.  —  “We are better than we were …

Syria tanks ‘shell’ protest city of Homs  —  A witness in Homs heard “severe and heavy” shooting for about three hours  —  Syrian army tanks have been shelling the third biggest city of Homs, as security forces continue their nationwide crackdown on weeks of anti-government protests.

Obi-Wan Kenobi Is Dead, Vader Says  —  CORUSCANT — Obi-Wan Kenobi, the mastermind of some of the most devastating attacks on the Galactic Empire and the most hunted man in the galaxy, was killed in a firefight with Imperial forces near Alderaan, Darth Vader announced on Sunday.