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 …

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 …

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.

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 …

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.

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 …

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.

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 …

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

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.

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.

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 …

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.

Silver sees session end today, ready for SSM tweaks  —  After spending 90 minutes meeting with Gov. Andrew Cuomo, legislative leaders emerged to say they have not fully ironed out details of the “big ugly” framework containing a property tax cap, rent regulation renewal and relief of some local government mandates.

Tipping their hand: In last ditch effort, NY's chief lobby group pushes ‘ex-gay’ therapy  —  The New Yorkers for Constitutional Freedoms is the big anti-equality lobby group in Albany.  A big NOM ally too, appearing alongside Gallagher and Brown at this week's “protect marriage” press conference.

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 …

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.

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 …

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.

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.

Profiles in Fed Cowardice  —  Not really a surprise, but still shocking.  The Fed predicts disastrously high unemployment as far as the eye can see (pdf):  —  Fed forecast of the unemployment rate  —  And in response to this dire prospect, it declares its work done.

Inside the Koch Brothers' Expensive Echo Chamber  —  Documents and interviews unearthed in recent months by Brave New Foundation researchers illustrate a $28.4 million Koch business that has manufactured 297 commentaries, 200 reports, 56 studies and six books distorting Social Security's effectiveness and purpose.