Weiner's Wife Is Pregnant  —  Their marriage has become the subject of intense speculation and scrutiny amid an embarrassing online sex scandal.  —  Now, Representative Anthony D. Weiner and Huma Abedin are about to make news of a different kind: they are expecting their first child.

Obama Team Eyes Payroll Tax Break for Employers  —  President Barack Obama's advisers have discussed seeking a temporary cut in the payroll taxes businesses pay on wages as they debate ways to spur hiring amid signs that the recovery is slowing, according to people familiar with the matter.

U.S. Is Intensifying a Secret Campaign of Yemen Airstrikes  —  WASHINGTON — The Obama administration has intensified the American covert war in Yemen, exploiting a growing power vacuum in the country to strike at militant suspects with armed drones and fighter jets, according to American officials.

Mitt Romney: No apologies on climate change stance  —  Mitt Romney won't be doing any apology tours on climate change.  —  The early GOP presidential front-runner has broken with his party's conservative ranks to declare global warming a real threat to the planet that merits some sort of action to curb heat-trapping emissions.

Jobless Claims Unexpectedly Climb in the U.S.  —  U.S. initial jobless claims unexpectedly rose last week, a sign that the labor market is struggling to gain traction.  —  Jobless claims increased by 1,000 to 427,000 in the week ended June 4, Labor Department figures showed today in Washington.

Joe Wilson endorses Pawlenty in South Carolina  —  Washington (CNN) - Republican presidential hopeful Tim Pawlenty secured a major endorsement in the early primary state of South Carolina on Wednesday, picking up the support of U.S. Rep. Joe Wilson.  —  Wilson will serve as co-chairman …

Jon Huntsman's no-names strategy  —  Jon Huntsman is trying out a novel strategy: running for president without criticizing the incumbent by name.  —  Since returning from his post as ambassador to China last month, Huntsman has made scant mention of the man who appointed him in May 2009—President Barack Obama.

Leon Panetta: Stay the course  —  If confirmed, Panetta says he will work to ensure that ‘we remain protected.’  —  Stay the course — that was the message CIA Director Leon Panetta, President Barack Obama's nominee for defense secretary, brought to the Senate Armed Services Committee at his confirmation hearing Thursday.

You Left Out the Part About ...  Last weekend, like seemingly half the country, I took my son to see “X-Men: First Class,” the latest, and best, big-screen incarnation of the popular comic book franchise.  —  My son and I represent two generations of X-fans.

Fitch warns US would endanger AAA rating with even ‘technical’ default  —  The United States would endanger its coveted AAA credit rating if Congress allows even a short-term “technical default” to occur, according to the Fitch credit rating agency.  —  Fitch said Wednesday it would put …

ExxonMobil Announces Three Discoveries in Deepwater Gulf of Mexico  —  IRVING, Texas—(BUSINESS WIRE)—Exxon Mobil Corporation (NYSE:XOM) today announced two major oil discoveries and a gas discovery in the deepwater Gulf of Mexico after drilling the company's first post-moratorium deepwater exploration well.

Is The Phony War Ending?  —  It's not clear whether the recent bad economic numbers signal an ominous trend or a blip in a generally anemic recovery.  But they have focused opinion-makers attention on a signal fact: the US economy, while improved from the near catastrophic state of the winter of 2008-09 …

Obama Eyes Ex-Banker for Consumer Chief  —  President Barack Obama is considering nominating Raj Date, a former banker with Capital One Financial Corp. (COF) and Deutsche Bank AG, as head of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, according to a person briefed on the process.

Ann Coulter's book gets Matt Drudge's touch  —  Coulter is promoting her book ‘Demonic: How the LIberal Mob is Endangering America.’  —  There's a flattering photo of Ann Coulter in a form-fitting white dress and pointy red shoes on the cover of her new book — the back cover, that is.

Leona Helmsley's pampered Maltese ‘Trouble,’ one of the world's richest dogs, dies at age 12  —  Leona Helmsley's pampered pooch “Trouble,” who inherited $12 million from the real estate mogul, has died at the age of 12.  —  That's 84 in dog years.  —  Like many Americans …

President Obama's campaign expands its 2012 map  —  CHICAGO — President Barack Obama's campaign team is gaming out complex state-by-state scenarios for 2012 that anticipate uphill battles in recession-ravaged blue states — and new opportunities in Arizona and Georgia.

Confirmed: The Nomination Process Is Broken  —  Even Senate Republicans want to help speed up the presidential appointment process.  —  Dawn Johnsen doesn't want to complain.  It's been one year and two months since she withdrew her nomination to lead the Office of Legal Counsel at the Justice Department.

Rudy's Running  —  I'm told by two reliable sources that Rudy Giuliani intends to run for the GOP nomination for president in 2012.  He may throw his hat in the ring soon.  —  Rudy's theory of the race: In the fall of 2007, he decided he couldn't compete with both Mitt Romney and John McCain …

Citizens United's Outrageous Offspring  —  Judge James Cacheris gave the impression last week that he was considering putting right what he got wrong when he ruled in May that corporations are free to make direct donations to federal candidates.  That first judgment directly contravened …