Obama donors net government jobs  —  Telecom executive Donald H. Gips raised a big bundle of cash to help finance his friend Barack Obama's run for the presidency.  —  Gips, a vice president of Colorado-based Level 3 Communications, delivered more than $500,000 in contributions for the Obama war chest …

Candidates Show G.O.P. Less United on Goals of War  —  DERRY, N.H. — The hawkish consensus on national security that has dominated Republican foreign policy for the last decade is giving way to a more nuanced view, with some presidential candidates expressing a desire to withdraw from Afghanistan …

Judgement day: Weiner's wife returns home to confront errant husband as new images emerge showing congressman cross dressing and ‘oiled up’  —  Beleaguered congressman Anthony Weiner is set to face his humiliated wife Huma Abedin after she arrived at the family home in Washington home earlier today.

Pakistan Arrests C.I.A. Informants in Bin Laden Raid  —  WASHINGTON — Pakistan's top military spy agency has arrested some of the Pakistani informants who fed information to the Central Intelligence Agency in the months leading up to the raid that led to the death of Osama bin Laden, according to American officials.

Earth may be headed into a mini Ice Age within a decade  —  Physicists say sunspot cycle is ‘going into hibernation’  —  What may be the science story of the century is breaking this evening, as heavyweight US solar physicists announce that the Sun appears to be headed into a lengthy spell of low activity …

Topless Newt Gingrich — On a Rock, In a Hard Place  —  TMZ has obtained a photo of a glistening Presidential candidate Newt Gingrich laying topless on a beach in Greece ... days before his campaign staff quit over the timing of his two-week vacation.  —  The photo was taken on June 2 …

In CA-36, Democrat Calls For Blanket Condemnation Of Stunning New Web Ad (VIDEO)  —  The special election to replace the retired Rep. Jane Harman (D-CA) just took a turn for the spectacular.  A new web video aimed at boosting the Republican chances for an upset win is

Grover Norquist Rebuked By GOP … WASHINGTON — Grover Norquist's grip on the Republican Party's tax policy slipped dramatically on Tuesday, a development that is likely to have significant repercussions on the debate over spending, revenue and the federal deficit.

Supreme Court reinstates collective bargaining law  —  By Patrick Marley of the Journal Sentinel  —  Madison - Acting with unusual speed, the state Supreme Court on Tuesday reinstated Gov. Scott Walker's plan to all but end collective bargaining for tens of thousands of public workers.

Glenn Beck's Jerusalem rally program unveiled  —  TV star's solidarity event is expected to draw thousands of Israelis, Americans with music, pyrotechnics.  Sarah Palin, republican presidential candidates set to drop by  —  Tzvika Brot  —  Tens of thousands of excited Israelis and Americans …

GOP senator from Saratoga becomes 31st vote for same-sex marriage bill  —  GOP Sen. Roy McDonald becomes 31st vote for same-sex marriage bill  —  New York Rangers player Sean Avery, left, and ?  Sex and The City? star Cynthia Nixon make their way to a news conference calling on the state legislature …

“your comments about spiking footballs seem distinctly un-professorial”  —  In my post yesterday about the Wisconsin Supreme Court overturning Judge Sumi, I opined: … In response, I received this email (emphasis mine): … Reaction?  —  Here's mine:  —  Ya see, this is what blogging does to the mind.

In Which I Become a Republican  —  At least for purposes of admiring the panache and “a dish best served cold” gleeful nastiness of today's proclamation by Gov. John Kasich, Republican of Ohio, that the Dallas Mavericks and their friends, family, and fans are all Honorary Ohioans.

A nominee already?  Romney skips ahead  —  Mitt Romney did a good job at Monday night's Republican presidential debate.  But not that good.  —  The former Massachusetts governor used his previous presidential campaign experience to come across as polished and presidential in the debate.

Students Stumble Again on the Basics of History  —  National Test Shows Little Progress in Grasping Democracy, U.S. Role in World  —  WSJ's Stephanie Banchero has details of a National Assessment of Educational Progress study showing students at the fourth, eighth and twelfth grade levels struggle with basic history questions.

Life expectancy in most US counties falls behind world's healthiest nations  —  The most current county-level analysis finds large disparities nationwide.  Women fare worse than men, and people in Appalachia, the Deep South, and Northern Texas live the shortest lives.