Pakistani Militant Leader Reported Killed by U.S. Strike  —  ISLAMABAD, Pakistan — One of Pakistan's most wanted militant commanders, Ilyas Kashmiri, has been killed in an American drone strike in the tribal territory of South Waziristan, residents and a militant member in the area said Saturday.

Lawrence Eagleburger, a Top Diplomat, Dies at 80  —  Lawrence S. Eagleburger, a troubleshooting diplomat and senior foreign policy adviser to presidents who served the country for more than 40 years, including 42 days as secretary of state at the close of President George Bush's term, died on Saturday in Charlottesville, Va. He was 80.

Yes, Medicare Is Sustainable In Its Current Form  —  I keep seeing people say that Medicare in its current form is not sustainable, as if that were an established fact.  It's anything but.  —  What is Medicare?  It's single-payer coverage for the elderly.

Religious Leaders: GOP's ‘Ayn Rand’ Budget Targets Poor, Goes Against Religious Values  —  While religious conservatives and Republican political leaders gathered at the Faith and Freedom Conference in Washington this weekend, another group of religious leaders held a small gathering across …

The Dark Past Of The “Weinergate” Co-Pilot  —  Twitter avenger Mike Stack not your typical conservative agitator … The Twitter user who first floated the rumor that a lewd photo scandal was brewing for Representative Anthony Weiner is not your typical conservative avenger, an investigation by The Smoking Gun has determined.

Bachmann: ‘This Is The Time’ For States To Outlaw Same-Sex Marriage  —  Yesterday, during a speech before the Faith and Freedom Coalition conference in Washington DC, potential presidential candidate Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN) recounted her unsuccessful efforts to pass a constitutional …

Where Prisoners Can Do Anything, Except Leave  —  PORLAMAR, Venezuela — On the outside, the San Antonio prison on Margarita Island looks like any other Venezuelan penitentiary.  Soldiers in green fatigues stand at its gates.  Sharpshooters squint from watchtowers.

‘Sign of the apocalypse’: Kucinich's GOP support on Libya  —  One Democrat called it the “sign of the apocalypse.”  —  An anti-war resolution authored by Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-Ohio), who spent years trying to impeach the last Republican president for prosecuting an illegal war …

Expert: Edwards case difficult one to prosecute  —  Legal analyst Jan Crawford says ex-Senator smart in fronting issue of doing “terrible things”; Witnesses' credibility poses problem for feds  —  It is a long fall for John Edwards, from former Senator and presidential candidate to an indictment on felony charges.

The Lost Villages  —  Saying goodbye to a once-friendly land, now taken without a fight by the Taliban.  —  BALKH PROVINCE, Afghanistan — The villages fell without a battle.  —  Armed men on motorcycles simply showed up at orangeade dusk, summoned the elders, and announced the new laws.

China Has Divested 97 Percent of Its Holdings in U.S. Treasury Bills  —  (CNSNews.com) - China has dropped 97 percent of its holdings in U.S. Treasury bills, decreasing its ownership of the short-term U.S. government securities from a peak of $210.4 billion in May 2009 to $5.69 billion in March 2011 …

Hartzler: Gay Marriage Is Like Incest, Letting Three-Year Old Children Drive  —  Congresswoman Vicky Hartzler (R-MO) built her political career on opposing gay rights: she spearheaded the Missouri campaign to enshrine discrimination in the state constitution and since her election to Congress …

Proof that S.F.'s circumcision ban Is anti-Semitic  —  As you may have heard by now, San Francisco will be voting this November on whether or not to ban circumcision in the city.  —  Defenders of the measure say it's all about “human rights” and “protecting babies” from unnecessary procedures.

Donald Trump: I Could Win The Presidency As An Independent  —  So much for dropping out — Donald Trump tells TPM he believes he can win the White House as an independent candidate, keeping his name in the presidential game despite declaring last month he would not run for the GOP nomination.