Obama Opts for Faster Afghan Pullout  —  WASHINGTON — President Obama plans to announce Wednesday evening that he will order the withdrawal of 10,000 American troops from Afghanistan this year, and another 20,000 troops, the remainder of the 2009 “surge,” by the end of next summer …

Famed crime boss James ‘Whitey’ Bulger arrested in Santa Monica  —  Legendary Boston crime boss James “Whitey” Bulger, who has been on the run for more than a decade, was arrested Wednesday in Santa Monica, multiple law enforcement sources told The Times.  —  Bulger, 81, has been the subject …

Palin cancels trip to Sudan  —  Former Alaska governor Sarah Palin has canceled a trip next month to war-ravaged Sudan, one of the most unstable nations in the world and the focus of passionate advocacy within the U.S. evangelical community.  —  Palin scrapped her visit to the North African country …

Economic Trouble Puzzles Fed Chief, Too  —  The economy's continuing struggles aren't just confounding ordinary Americans.  They've also stumped the head of the Federal Reserve.  —  Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke told reporters Wednesday that the central bank had been caught off guard by recent signs of deterioration in the economy.

Has O.J. Simpson confessed murder to Oprah?  Huge TV interview planned in which convict ‘will admit he killed Nicole in self-defence as she pulled a knife on him’  —  O.J Simpson has confessed to Oprah Winfrey that he murdered his former wife, it has been reported.

My (Legal) Editor's Dream  —  Last week, at 11:54 p.m. on Monday night, June 13, an e-mail from Jose Antonio Vargas landed in my inbox.  “Hi Chris,” Jose wrote.  “Hope you are well.  Any chance we can chat on the phone tomorrow?  It's rather urgent and personal — and a possible story for you.”

Why Obama Is Likely to Lose in 2012  —  Even a small drop in the share of black voters would wipe out his winning margin in North Carolina.  —  President Barack Obama is likely to be defeated in 2012.  The reason is that he faces four serious threats.  The economy is very weak and unlikely …

Ryan Medicare Plan Would Make Americans Worse by 57%-34%, Poll Shows  —  Representative Paul Ryan, the House Budget Committee chairman who has become a star in the Republican Party with his plan to overhaul Medicare, is emerging as a polarizing figure among Americans.

Private emails detail Obama admin involvement in cutting non-union worker pensions post-GM bailout  —  New emails obtained by The Daily Caller contradict claims by the Obama administration that the Treasury Department would avoid “intervening in the day-to-day management” of General Motors post-auto bailout.

Some of Tim Pawlenty's top aides working for little or no pay, source says  —  At least five top advisers to former Minnesota governor Tim Pawlenty have been working for little or no pay for several months, a campaign source said Wednesday.  —  The news establishes with more certainty …

Self publishing writer becomes million seller  —  An entrepreneur has turned the writing world upside down by becoming the first author to sell more than a million electronic books without a publishing deal.  —  In the last year John has had four of the top 10 books on Amazon/Kindle at the same time, including number one and two

Democrats Explicitly Call Out GOP For Sabotaging The Economic Recovery  —  They've made it explicit.  Democrats are accusing Republicans of trying to sabotage the recovery — or at least stall it — by blocking all short-term measures to boost the economy, even ones they previously supported.

Andrew Sullivan Has No Idea What He's Talking about, but I Agree with His Conclusion  —  Even though he's become rather partisan in recent years, I still enjoy an occasional visit to Andrew Sullivan's blog.  But I was rather amused last night when I read one of his posts …

Barney Frank and Ron Paul will Introduce Legislation on Thursday to Fully Legalize Marijuana  —  Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA) and Rep. Ron Paul (R-TX) will introduce “bi-partisan legislation tomorrow ending the federal war on marijuana and letting states legalize, regulate, tax …

Reid says candidate misled him, questions fitness for Senate  —  WASHINGTON — Simmering tension in the still-young 2012 Nevada race for U.S. Senate burst into the open Tuesday when Sen. Harry Reid unloaded on upstart candidate Byron Georgiou, a Democratic lawyer and entrepreneur from Las Vegas.

Planned Parenthood stops seeing Medicaid patients  —  INDIANAPOLIS - Thousands of low-income Planned Parenthood of Indiana patients were left fending for themselves Tuesday to pay for birth control, breast exams, Pap tests and other medical services while a court battle continued over a new state law …

Amendments to Marriage Bill Taking Shape, Vote Uncertain  —  Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver said he has seen the proposed changes to the same-sex marriage bill that could address Republicans demands to protect religiously affiliated organizations from discrimination lawsuits and financial penalties if they deny services to gay couples.

Study: Cost high to fix public pensions  —  (CNN) — American taxpayers would have to pay anywhere from $329 to $2,475 annually per household for 30 years, depending on what state they live in, to remedy the crises in their public employee pensions, a new study said Wednesday.

The Surprising Roots of Liberal Nostalgia  —  World War II created confidence in large institutions and big government.  But few would want the cultural conformity of the mid-20th century back.  —  There's a longing on the left for the golden years of the 1940s, '50s and early '60s.

James Ray found guilty of negligent homicide in sweat lodge case  —  (CNN) — Self-help guru James Ray has been convicted of negligent homicide in the deaths of three participants in an Arizona sweat lodge ceremony, but he was found not guilty of manslaughter charges.

NASA Scientist Accused of Using Celeb Status Among Environmental Groups to Enrich Himself  —  The NASA scientist who once claimed the Bush administration tried to “silence” his global warming claims is now accused of receiving more than $1.2 million from the very environmental organizations whose agenda he advocated.

Jerome A. Cohen Responds to Ai Weiwei's release  —  The news that Ai Weiwei () has been released on qubao houshen (literally ‘obtaining a guarantee pending trial’, but commonly referred to in English as ‘bail’ despite substantial conceptual and procedural differences) …