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 …

Newt Gingrich had second line of credit at Tiffany and Co.  —  Former House speaker Newt Gingrich had a second line of credit at the high-end jewelry store Tiffany and Co. for as much as $1 million dollars, his presidential campaign acknowledged Tuesday.  —  Joe DeSantis, a spokesman for Gingrich …

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 …

Tim Pawlenty says he won't let up on ‘Robamacare’  —  Last week, presidential contender Tim Pawlenty called the health reform law “Obamneycare.”  On Tuesday, he called it “Robamacare.”  —  The names may switch, but there's one thing Pawlenty says he won't change: He won't let up his attacks …

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.

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 …

Congress Divides on Libya, Moves Toward Key Votes  —  The Senate may authorize the war, even as the House turns against it  —  Senators John McCain and John Kerry are from different political parties, but the former presidential candidates have a lot in common: both men fought in Vietnam …

Barack Obama and Pentagon split on Afghanistan pullout  —  US president set to reject military advice by withdrawing more troops from Afghanistan  —  Barack Obama is set to reject the advice of the Pentagon by announcing on Wednesday night the withdrawal of up to 30,000 troops from Afghanistan …

Huntsman Finishes Opening Day with Big Money Haul  —  Jon M. Huntsman Jr. opened his day on Tuesday by formally declaring his candidacy for the Republican presidential nomination.  He closed it by accomplishing an equally important task: collecting $1.2 million for his campaign.

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 …

Jon Huntsman: ‘Redefining Marriage Is Something That Would Be Impossible’  —  One day after saying he would respect New York's decision to pass a law legalizing same-sex marriage, former Utah Gov. and Ambassador to China Jon Huntsman told MSNBC's Morning Joe that “redefining marriage” is …

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 …

Critic of ATF gun-trafficking program raised no objection when briefed last year  —  A chief Republican critic of a controversial U.S. gun-trafficking operation was briefed on the ATF's “Fast and Furious” program last year and did not express any opposition, sources familiar with the classified briefing said Tuesday.

Feds crack down on campus flirting and sex jokes  — TAGS: - 1950s - colleges - Department of Education - Duke lacrosse team - foundation for individual rights in education - greg lukianoff - Iowa State University - Kangaroo courts - Kentucky - Marsupial justice - Michael Barone …

How did Obamacare get so screwed up?  —  The Democrats' “historic achievement,” shocking as it seems, turns out to be an expensive, jobs-crippling monstrosity that is filled with unintended consequences.  Employers are likely to dump employees into highly subsidized exchanges.

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 …

F.B.I. Seizes Web Servers, Knocking Sites Offline  —  Updated Adding that the F.B.I. did not comment.  —  Updated Adding comments from Curbed Network and Instapaper.  —  The F.B.I. seized Web servers in a raid on a data center early Tuesday, causing several Web sites …

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 …

W.H. flags Drudge-mocked transcript  —  When laughter turns to applause: Welcome to the White House  —  The Drudge Report Tuesday morning cheekily linked to an official White House transcript of President Obama's remarks from a fundraiser the night before, which noted the audience laughing at his jobs claims.

New Report : How Private Prisons “Game the System”  —  The Justice Policy Institute has released a new report on how private prisons game the system, creating a perceived need for their services.  How they do it: Lots of money spent on lobbying and campaign contributions.  —  You can read the full report here.

Keeping It Classy at the NRSC … Fox News F**kery, I Heart Ye, Kick Ass, Politics and Culture

God and damage control at Yale  —  Having just killed its interdisciplinary program for the study of anti-Semitism, Yale University announced on Monday that it is launching a new program for the study of anti-Semitism.  JTA reports that Monday's announcement of the creation of the Yale Program …

Obama vs. ATMs: Why Technology Doesn't Destroy Jobs  —  Doing more with less is what economic growth is all about.  —  The story goes that Milton Friedman was once taken to see a massive government project somewhere in Asia.  Thousands of workers using shovels were building a canal.  Friedman was puzzled.