Romney Support Up; Widens Advantage in 2012 Preferences  —  PRINCETON, NJ — Republicans' support for Mitt Romney as their party's 2012 presidential nominee has increased significantly to 24%, compared with 17% in late May.  As a result, Romney has widened his advantage over Sarah Palin …

Rep. Anthony Weiner finally considering he may have to resign amid sexting scandal, says source  —  WASHINGTON - As a cache of embarrassing new photos appeared Sunday, Rep. Anthony Weiner finally began considering the possibility that he may have to resign.  —  A source close to the congressman told …

Obama Seeks to Win Back Wall St. Cash  —  WASHINGTON — A few weeks before announcing his re-election campaign, President Obama convened two dozen Wall Street executives, many of them longtime donors, in the White House's Blue Room.  —  The guests were asked for their thoughts on how to speed …

‘A Gay Girl in Damascus’ comes clean  —  In recent days, the world has followed closely the saga of Amina Araff, the blogger who presented herself online as “A Gay Girl in Damascus” and who drew attention with her passionate writings about the Syrian government's crackdown on Arab Spring protesters.

F.B.I. Agents Get Leeway to Push Privacy Bounds  —  WASHINGTON — The Federal Bureau of Investigation is giving significant new powers to its roughly 14,000 agents, allowing them more leeway to search databases, go through household trash or use surveillance teams to scrutinize the lives of people who have attracted their attention.

U.S. pressuring Netanyahu to accept Obama's peace plan  —  Israeli source says Americans frustrated with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for hampering U.S. efforts to stop Palestinians trying UN route to statehood in September.  —  Washington is pressuring Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu …

Medicare Saves Money  —  Every once in a while a politician comes up with an idea that's so bad, so wrongheaded, that you're almost grateful.  For really bad ideas can help illustrate the extent to which policy discourse has gone off the rails.  —  And so it was with Senator Joseph Lieberman's proposal …

Missing Iraq money may have been stolen, auditors say  —  U.S. Defense officials still cannot say what happened to $6.6 billion, sent by the planeload in cash and intended for Iraq's reconstruction after the start of the war.  —  Rep. Henry A. Waxman (D-Beverly Hills, pictured last month, has held hearings on waste and fraud in Iraq.

The EPA's War on Jobs  —  Coal is from Earth, Lisa Jackson is from mercury.  —  President Obama's jobs council will make its first recommendations today on lifting hiring and strengthening the economy.  Too bad the message doesn't seem to be reaching the Administration's regulators, in particular the Environmental Protection Agency.

E Street Band Saxophonist Clarence Clemons has Suffered a Stroke  —  His condition remains uncertain  —  Rolling Stone can confirm reports that Clarence Clemons has had a stroke.  The news broke this evening at 411.com, which reported that Clemons is “seriously ill after a stroke at his home in Florida.”

UK faces job losses as businesses threaten to flee abroad to escape green energy levies  —  British industry's ability to compete with companies overseas is under threat from punitive green energy costs, the new president of the CBI has told The Sunday Telegraph.  —  The new president of the CBI Sir Roger Carr

Dole misses being ‘in the eye’ of politics  —  RUSSELL — Decades after retiring from office, commanding the U.S. Senate and twice pursuing a promotion to the White House, former Sen. Bob Dole said he still craves politics.  —  “I miss being in the eye of the storm, trying to work out compromises …

Same-Sex Vote Unlikely in California  —  SAN FRANCISCO — It was three years ago this month that thousands of gay couples began to wed in California after the state's highest court legalized same-sex marriage, setting off a joyous — if short-lived — period for supporters.

How We're Meeting the Job Creation Challenge  —  The President's Jobs and Competitiveness Council, comprised of 26 private-sector leaders, is developing ideas that will accelerate job growth and improve America's competitiveness.  —  The U.S. economy is resilient, but the inescapable truth …

Syrian army ‘cracking’ amid crackdown  —  Testimonies from defected soldiers give a dramatic insight into the split apparently emerging in the security forces.  —  The escalating military offensive in northwest Syria began after what corroborating accounts said was a shoot-out between members …