Obama's Original Sin  —  The president's failure to demand a reckoning from the moneyed interests who brought the economy down has cursed his first term, and could prevent a second.  —  After 9/11, Rudy Giuliani went on Saturday Night Live to give New Yorkers permission to laugh again.

The Mother of All No-Brainers  —  The Republicans have changed American politics since they took control of the House of Representatives.  They have put spending restraint and debt reduction at the top of the national agenda.  They have sparked a discussion on entitlement reform.

Boat People  —  Some questions for the “activists” aboard the Gaza flotilla.  —  The tale of the Gaza “flotilla” seems set to become a regular summer feature, bobbing along happily on the inside pages with an occasional update.  A nice sidebar for reporters covering the Greek debt crisis …

New breed of ‘super PACs,’ other independent groups could define 2012 campaign  —  View Photo Gallery — Who's in and who's out?:   Republicans are beginning to announce who will pursue a bid for the presidency.  —  One commercial accuses President Obama of worsening the deficit and says …

Pakistan's Spies Tied to Slaying of a Journalist  —  ISLAMABAD, Pakistan — Obama administration officials believe that Pakistan's powerful spy agency ordered the killing of a Pakistani journalist who had written scathing reports about the infiltration of militants in the country's military, according to American officials.

Administration Offers Health Care Cuts as Part of Budget Negotiations  —  WASHINGTON — Obama administration officials are offering to cut tens of billions of dollars from Medicare and Medicaid in negotiations to reduce the federal budget deficit, but the depth of the cuts depends …

Op-Ed: Jews becoming commonplace in conservative ‘new media’  —  PHILADELPHIA (JTA) — Many reviews already have appeared of “The Undefeated,” the soon-to-be-released documentary about Sarah Palin's tenure in Alaska.Yet none of them — even in The Los Angeles Times, Huffington Post or The Washington Post …

Traffic cases settled, but deportations loom  —  Minor offenders snared in immigration program aimed at serious crimes  —  One early evening in May, a Boston police officer arrested Lizandra DeMoura for traffic violations and driving without a license.  In another city, she might have been booked and released for a court hearing.

New York Rider Dies Protesting Motorcycle Helmet Law  —  A New York man died Sunday while participating in a ride with 550 other motorcyclists to protest the state's mandatory helmet law.  —  Police said Philip A. Contos, 55, hit his brakes and his motorcycle fishtailed.

How the Complete Meaning of July Fourth Is Slipping Away  —  At least one of the Founders thought that Independence Day would become important.  When the Continental Congress voted for independence on July 2, 1776, John Adams, who more than any other single Founder was responsible for that vote, was ecstatic.

S.&P. Warns Bank Plan Would Cause Greek Default  —  PARIS — Greece risks being judged in default on its debt obligations if banks are forced to bear part of the pain, Standard & Poor's said Monday, suggesting that current proposals for rescuing the euro zone's weakest member may have to be reconsidered.

Global race on to match U.S. drone capabilities  —  At the most recent Zhuhai Air Show, the premier event for China's aviation industry, crowds swarmed around a model of an armed, jet-propelled drone and marveled at the accompanying display of its purported martial prowess.

Fort Carson Soldiers Targeted In Anti-Gay Attack  —  2 Gay Soldiers, Friends Allegely Beaten By Men Shouting Anti-Homosexual Slurs  —  COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — Police are investigating a suspected hate crime after a group of men beat two gay Fort Carson soldiers and others while shouting anti-homosexual and racial slurs.