Palin Bus Tour Takes Extended Pit Stop  —  Less than a month after she appeared poised to shake up the Republican presidential campaign, former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin has once again receded from the 2012 limelight.  —  When Palin launched her “One Nation” bus tour on Memorial Day amid …

The Note: Where's The Beef?  Jon Huntsman Serves Up Tofu To GOP Base  —  By MICHAEL FALCONE (@michaelpfalcone) and AMY WALTER (@amyewalter)  —  As President Obama prepares to tell the American people tonight about his plan for the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan …

My Life as an Undocumented Immigrant  —  One August morning nearly two decades ago, my mother woke me and put me in a cab.  She handed me a jacket.  “Baka malamig doon” were among the few words she said.  ("It might be cold there.")  When I arrived at the Philippines' Ninoy Aquino International Airport …

CBO'S 2011 LONG-TERM BUDGET OUTLOOK  —  ABSTRACT  —  This Congressional Budget Office (CBO) report presents the agency's projections of federal spending and revenues over the coming decades.  Under current law, an aging population and rapidly rising health care costs will sharply increase federal spending …

Climate of Denial  —  Can science and the truth withstand the merchants of poison?  —  AL GORE  —  The first time I remember hearing the question “is it real?” was when I went as a young boy to see a traveling show put on by “professional wrestlers” one summer evening in the gym …

Americans Worse Now Than When Obama Inaugurated by 44%-34% Margin in Poll  —  Two years after the official start of the recovery, the American people remain pessimistic about their current economic circumstances and longer-term prospects.  —  Fewer than a quarter of people see signs …

Michele Bachmann's Holy War  —  The Tea Party contender may seem like a goofball, but be warned: Her presidential campaign is no laughing matter  —  Close your eyes, take a deep breath, and, as you consider the career and future presidential prospects of an incredible American phenomenon named Michele Bachmann, do one more thing.

Staff quit because “I'm different,” Gingrich says  —  (Reuters) - Republican presidential candidate Newt Gingrich on Wednesday attributed the mass resignations among his campaign staff to the fact that he is “very different” from mainstream politicians.  —  “Philosophically …

Tobey Maguire Sued Over Multi-Million Dollar Illegal Poker Game; DiCaprio, Affleck & Damon Involved  —  Spider-Man star Tobey Maguire is among more than a dozen high-profile Hollywood celebrities being sued in connection with a mega-millions illegal gambling ring that ran high-stakes underground poker games …

CAIR Loses IRS Status  —  Donations to the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) no longer are tax deductible after the organization was among 275,000 tax-exempt organizations purged earlier this month by the Internal Revenue Service.  —  The groups failed to file required annual reports …

NBC gives Donald a Trump-sized raise to $160M  —  Playing the presidential card has paid off for Donald Trump.  —  The real-estate mogul and reality-TV host — who kept viewers and the NBC network guessing until the last minute whether he would make a serious run at the Oval Office …

Left Party  —  Related articles, background features and opinions about this topic.  —  A Map without Israel  —  Germany's Left Party Faces Charges of Anti-Semitism  —  Left Party floor leader Gregor Gysi is concerned that the term “anti-Semitism” is used too often.

For immediate release  —  Information received since the Federal Open Market Committee met in April indicates that the economic recovery is continuing at a moderate pace, though somewhat more slowly than the Committee had expected.  Also, recent labor market indicators have been weaker than anticipated.

Six GLAAD board members resign amid AT&T flap  —  Six board members of the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation have resigned amid the fallout over the organization's letter in support of AT&T's proposed bid for wireless rival T-Mobile, a person familiar with the matter told POLITICO.

John Boehner not swayed by John McCain  —  Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) isn't swayed by movement in the Senate to back U.S. military involvement in Libya, saying Wednesday that the House is leaning against authorizing President Barack Obama's actions in the North African dictatorship.

Florida Lawmaker Faces Ethics Review  —  WASHINGTON—A congressional ethics panel is investigating allegations that Florida Democratic Rep. Alcee Hastings sexually harassed a member of his staff, according to people familiar with the matter.  —  The investigation of Mr. Hastings is being conducted …

100 Days  —  There is something crazy about what is going on in our country today.  Our fiscal condition continues on an unsustainable path, the European currency is heading for a crackup, the Arab world is in the midst of a crackup, unemployment is creeping upward and basically our two parties …

GRAPH: Obama ‘Withdrawal’ Plan Would Leave More Troops In Afghanistan Than When He Began His Presidency  —  Today, President Obama is expected to announce the withdrawal of as many as 33,000 troops from the war in Afghanistan by the end of 2012.  While this announcement is largely being portrayed …

Dems lost the argument over the deficit, because they never engaged it  —  In case you need further evidence that the Dem decision to effectively endorse the right's austerity/cut-cut-cut frame is only harming themselves, check out the internals of the new Bloomberg News poll.

Reverend Wright brings his anti-American crusade to Baltimore  —  Marta Mossburg writes that Obama's former pastor urges blacks to disavow their country  —  Forget hope and change; victimization is in.  Dropped by the president and dismissed as a racist by many Americans …