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 …

Nobody's Candidate  —  The media might love Jon Huntsman, but it's less clear that Republicans do.  —  The media create and the media destroy.  Jon Huntsman announced his presidential bid to the kind of hype once reserved for a Pink Floyd reunion or a LeBron James signing …

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 …

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 …

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.

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 …

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 …

House Opens New Challenge to Obama Over Libya Mission  —  WASHINGTON — Republican leaders in the House of Representatives are moving to address head on the escalating tensions over President Obama's authority to continue the military mission in Libya, unveiling two proposals …

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 …

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.

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.

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.

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 …

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.

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 Can Get 5% Growth (But He Needs Immigrants to Help)  —  On April 20, 1980, Fidel Castro made an important contribution to the social sciences.  His unexpected declaration that the port of Mariel would be temporarily open to any Cubans seeking to flee the island served …

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 …

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 …