Michele Bachmann's Moment: Can She Sustain It?  —  Republican presidential hopeful Michele Bachmann, riding a wave of Tea Party excitement over her strong showing in a new Iowa caucus poll and a round of national media appearances, has conspicuously altered the early race for the GOP nomination.

House Democrats feel jilted by the president in budget, debt talks  —  House Democrats feel like jilted lovers.  —  They're looking down Pennsylvania Avenue for some sign of affection from President Obama in the White House.  But all they feel they're getting in return is the back of his hand.

Weiner horning in on successor race  —  His ego has no bounds.  —  In a dazzling display of arrogance, disgraced former Congressman Anthony Weiner is trying to insert himself back into politics — calling power brokers and would-be candidates for his old seat, hoping they'll let him play …

Michele Bachmann's thin legislative résumé  —  Rep. Michele Bachmann is surging in the GOP presidential polls and barnstorming Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina, but as she sprints toward the front of the Republican pack, there's a major hole in her political résumé: legislation.

Rep. Gabrielle Giffords Appears, Stands Before Houston Crowd  —  This, most recent photo of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords since she was shot, was posted to her public Facebook page by her aides Sunday morning June 12, 2011.  The photo was taken May 17, 2011 at TIRR Memorial Hermann Hospital …

Greece protest against austerity package turns violent  —  Thousands of protesters have gathered outside parliament in the capital where public transport has ground to a halt.  —  PM George Papandreou has said that only his 28bn-euro (£25bn) austerity plan would get Greece back on its feet.

President, GOP hopefuls descend on Iowa as pivotal straw poll draws near  —  With a key test of the GOP presidential field just over a month and a half away, candidates are descending on Iowa this week to sharpen their appeal to voters in the first caucus state.

Bristol Palin says her mom has decided whether to run for president  —  The daughter of former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin (R) said Tuesday that her mother had made up her mind already about whether to run for president in 2012.  —  Bristol Palin, the eldest daughter of the 2008 Republican vice …

QUOTES:  —  Deepak Bhargava, Executive Director, Center for Community Change  —  “Our families are struggling to make ends meet and our communities are suffering from record levels of unemployment and increasing poverty.  It's time to get the country back on track and that means focusing on job creation and supporting our families.

Pakistan, Afghan, Sudan Presidents Attend Tehran-Sponsored Counterterrorism Conference; U.N. Sec.-Gen. Praises Conference; Conference Defines U.S., Israel as Source of Global Terrorism  —  Introduction  —  On June 25-26, 2011, the Iranian regime hosted the first “World Without Terrorism Conference” in Tehran.

On Obama, Wall St. Shows a Reluctance to Commit  —  President Obama's $35,800-a-plate fund-raising dinner was the talk of Wall Street last week.  —  Held at Daniel, the Michelin three-star restaurant of Daniel Boulud on the Upper East Side, the event was seen as a test of the president's popularity among …

Supreme Court strikes down ban on sale of violent video games to minors  —  The Supreme Court on Monday struck down a California law that banned the sale of violent video games to minors, ruling video games are protected under the First Amendment as free speech.

Convener in Chief  —  This is a column about management styles.  What sort of leader can get things done in an age of austerity?  —  Our first case study is what you might call the Straight Up the Middle Approach.  When Chris Christie ran for governor of New Jersey, he campaigned bluntly on the need to reduce the state's debt.

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