Why I don't back Ryan Medicare plan  —  As part of the 2012 budget discussions, Congress is dealing with Medicare reform.  This debate is long overdue, since its increasing cost must be addressed if we are serious about the nation's growing $14 trillion debt and $1.6 trillion annual deficit.

FACT CHECK: Not the whole truth in Pawlenty claims  —  WASHINGTON (AP) — “Truth” was Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty's buzzword Monday when he announced his campaign for the Republican presidential nomination.  He said he will tell the truth about hard choices facing the nation while others …

Supreme Court orders California to release tens of thousands of prison inmates  —  The 5-4 decision represents one of the largest prison release orders in U.S. history.  The court majority says overcrowding has caused ‘suffering and death.’ In a sharp dissent, Justice Antonin Scalia warns ‘terrible things are sure to happen.’

EXCLUSIVE: Strauss-Kahn Told Maid 'Don't You Know Who I Am?'  During Alleged Sex Attack  —  Dominique Strauss-Kahn told a New York City hotel maid, “Don't you know who I am!  Don't you know who I am?” while pinning her down during the alleged sexual assault, law enforcement sources close to the investigation told FoxNews.com.

Codename ‘smart alec’: British police label Obama with ‘mildly offensive’ Punjabi word for visit to UK  —  More than one person has wanted to call Barack Obama a ‘smart alec’, and now British police will get the chance to do so without getting reprimanded.  —  That's because Scotland Yard …

White House Adds New Position to Deal with Unfavorable Online Media  —  The White House has named Jesse Lee to a new position within its communications department titled Director of Progressive Media & Online Response.  According to The Huffington Post, Lee will essentially be responsible …

Biden tells donors: Keep me in mind for 2016  —  Vice President Joe Biden surprised a gathering of donors in Cincinnati last week when he floated the prospect of his succeeding President Barack Obama in the White House.  —  Biden, who started in the Senate young and would be just 70 in 2012 …

Wisconsin Orders Recall Election For Three GOP State Senators  —  Despite massive protests, procedural obstacles, and restraining orders, the Wisconsin GOP hustled Gov. Scott Walker's (R) anti-union bill into law in March.  Now, they're paying a steep political price.

‘Blind Allegiance to Sarah Palin,’ by former staffer Frank Bailey  —  By Frank Bailey with Ken Morris & Jeanne Devon  —  Howard.  383 pp.  $26  —  Frank Bailey joined Sarah Palin's campaign for governor of Alaska in its earliest days, showing up at her shabby headquarters in Anchorage with a paintbrush …

Americans Still Split Along “Pro-Choice,” “Pro-Life” Lines  —  Majorities believe abortion is morally wrong, legal access to it should be restricted  —  PRINCETON, NJ — Americans are closely divided between those calling themselves “pro-choice” and those who are “pro-life,” now 49% and 45% …

The Next President Isn't Currently Running (Updated)  —  There's no GOP operative for whom I have higher regard than former RNC chair and senior Bush advisor Ed Gillespie.  He deserves to be taken seriously when he says (according to Politico): “For all intents and purposes, the field is set.

More Severe Weather Expected Today  —  The area will have little time to clean up as another round of severe weather is expected again today.  —  A complex of severe thunderstorms tracked across Joplin and southwestern Missouri this morning producing gusty winds and hail.

Kucinich, Losing District, Looks Very Far Afield  —  SEATTLE — Representative Dennis Kucinich, the liberal Democrat from Cleveland, was a long way from home — 2,000 miles give or take.  But he found plenty of political admirers in this stronghold of progressive political thought.

Bibi Netanyahu's Victory  —  To further the weekend pushback against the idea that Bibi Netanyahu is somehow blundering by showing Barack Obama the back of his hand, read this article in the Hill: … It's noteworthy that these attacks not only involve misrepresenting what Obama said …