Dominique Strauss-Kahn Resigns From I.M.F.  —  Dominique Strauss-Kahn resigned Wednesday as head of the International Monetary Fund after explosive allegations that he had sexually attacked a cleaning lady in a midtown Manhattan hotel room.  —  “It is with infinite sadness that I feel compelled today …

Arab Spring Spurs Israel to Ice Peace Plan Before Obama Meeting  —  Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had been preparing to greet President Barack Obama at the White House tomorrow with a proposal to resurrect Middle East peace talks, advisers said.  —  That was until Palestinian …

First Thoughts: Now this is change  —  Previewing Obama's speech on the Middle East and North Africa at 11:40 am ET... Change cannot happen overnight, but sometimes it occurs faster than anyone might think... The speech will likely have three planks: 1) an economic carrot …

MESpeech: President to back democratic reform with economic incentives — Huntsman focuses on U.S. competitiveness; doesn't hit Obama or rivals - Dick Cheney takes gloves off in book - Rummy's sequel  —  TWITTER AS THE NEW DIAL GROUP — TIME magazine “White House Memo: To spread the Gospel of Barack …

Romney, Daniels feel ‘death hug’ on their healthcare records  —  President Obama and his liberal allies tried to kill some of the Republicans' top presidential candidates with kindness on Thursday.  —  The president had fun at former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney's (R) …

Cornel West on Obama is no better than a birther  —  Anyone who knows me, and knows me well, knows that I have little patience for the “Blacker than thou” crowd.  These are the self-appointed guardians of what it means to be black — a decidedly limited and ignorant perspective …

Rogue tweet by Secret Service!  —  How embarrassing, Secret Service!  (Gawker image)  —  Courtesy  —  Oh, the dangers of social media!  Those instant, regrettable outbursts of unvarnished truth and scantily clad photos.  Today's victim: the Secret Service!

9th Circuit nominee Goodwin Liu deserves a vote  —  Goodwin Liu's nomination has unfairly languished for more than a year.  The U.S. Senate should give him a straight up-or-down vote.  —  The Senate is expected to vote Thursday on whether to debate the judicial appointment of UC Berkeley professor Goodwin Liu.

McConnell leaves House GOP budget twisting in the wind  —  Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (Ky.) is leaving Rep. Paul Ryan's (R-Wis.) budget plan to its own fate in the Senate by not whipping his GOP colleagues on the vote.  —  Republican senators say McConnell has made it clear …

Peter Fonda calls Obama ‘traitor’ at Cannes  —  CANNES, France — Peter Fonda launched a four-letter attack on US President Barack Obama at the Cannes film festival on Wednesday, calling him a traitor over the handling of the aftermath of the Gulf oil spill.

Maria Shriver Hires a Divorce Attorney  —  Maria Shriver, who has split from husband Arnold Schwarzenegger amid a love-child scandal, has hired a divorce lawyer, sources tell PEOPLE.  —  Prominent Los Angeles family law attorney Laura Wasser is now representing California's former first lady, according to sources close to Shriver.

Disability-Claim Judge Has Trouble Saying ‘No’  —  Near-Perfect Approval Record; Social-Security Program Strained  —  HUNTINGTON, W.Va.—Americans seeking Social Security disability benefits will often appeal to one of 1,500 judges who help administer the program, where the odds of winning are slightly better than even.

The Debt Ceiling Fiasco  —  Fights over the budget are normal and proper in a democracy.  But threatening to default could have dire consequences for the dollar, interest rates and the economy.  —  The debt ceiling “crisis” started on Monday when the U.S. government reached the legal limit …

Senate rejects GOP bill to expand, speed up offshore drilling  —  The Senate on Wednesday rejected Republican-backed legislation intended to speed up and expand offshore oil and gas drilling.  —  In a 42-57 vote, the Senate failed to move forward with the bill, which was opposed by the White House and most Senate Democrats.

Private Prisons Found to Offer Little in Savings  —  PHOENIX — The conviction that private prisons save money helped drive more than 30 states to turn to them for housing inmates.  But Arizona shows that popular wisdom might be wrong: Data there suggest that privately operated prisons …