Barack Obama's Dangerous Embrace Of Economic Fatalism  —  Even as the Obama administration continues to defend the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act from its critics, the White House appears to have sincerely pivoted away from the idea that a higher level of aggregate demand …

What became of ‘repeal and replace’?  —  When they took control of the House, Republicans could barely stop talking about their plans to “repeal and replace” the health care reform law.  —  Six months later, they hardly talk publicly about those plans at all.  And they're nowhere close to “replacing” the law.

Worse Than O.J.!  —  While the stunning Casey Anthony acquittal defied logic, O.J. Simpson prosecutor Marcia Clark details how juries often delude themselves—and why this verdict trumps even her case.  —  Sick, shaken, in disbelief.  As I listened to the verdicts in the Casey Anthony case …

Mitt Romney raises $18.25 million  —  Republican presidential candidate and former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney talks with reporters outside Allentown Metal Works in Allentown, Pa., last week.  (AP Photo/Rich Schultz)Former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney raised $18.25 million …

WHY CLIMATE CHANGE HAS BECOME THE “DEAD PARROT SKETCH” OF AMERICAN POLITICS  —  For years now the climate campaign and the politicized science community has been complaining that it has a “communications problem,” which can be solved if only they shout louder, or get the human car alarm former …

Pawlenty's Homespun Tale  —  SOUTH ST. PAUL, Minn.—Former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty brings a biographical peculiarity to his quest for the White House.  Were he to win, he'd be the first president who had never lived outside his home state.  —  In fact, Mr. Pawlenty has lived …

Better Lives for Mexicans Cut Allure of Going North  —  AGUA NEGRA, Mexico — The extraordinary Mexican migration that delivered millions of illegal immigrants to the United States over the past 30 years has sputtered to a trickle, and research points to a surprising cause …

Watch a 50-Mile Wide Dust Storm Devour Phoenix  —  Now, we have a new reason to compare the Great Recession to the Great Depression: Steinbeck-style dust storms.  Tuesday evening, a massive cloud of darkness known as a “habub” overtook Phoenix.  The National Weather Service reports that the wall …

Accused Fort Hood shooter could face death penalty  —  Army Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan will stand trial by court-martial and face a possible death penalty if convicted in the Nov. 5, 2009, shooting at Fort Hood, Texas, that killed 13 and wounded 30, the Army announced Wednesday.

Jeff Sessions: Saying Millionaires Should Share Pain Is ‘Rather Pathetic’ … WASHINGTON — Having the Senate declare that millionaires should share more of the pain involved in putting America's financial house in order is “rather pathetic,” Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.) declared Tuesday.

Investigation Finds ‘Widespread’ Cheating in Atlanta Schools  —  At least 178 teachers and principals at nearly four dozen schools in Atlanta have been implicated in what is likely the largest cheating scandal in U.S. history to date.  —  The report found that teachers …

Obama will send condolence letters for military suicides  —  President Obama will start sending condolence letters to the families of service members who commit suicide while deployed, a reversal of longstanding but unwritten government policy.  The news was first reported late Tuesday by CBS News.

Invoke the 14th — and end the debt standoff  —  On its current course, the United States is four weeks away from defaulting on its debt for the first time in its history.  If that happens, businesses will fail.  Financial institutions will fail.  Home values will decline.  Mortgage rates will skyrocket.

Michele Bachmann's husband shares her strong conservative values  —  Lake Elmo, Minn. — In an interview last year with a Christian-  —  radio talk show, Marcus Bachmann, a therapist who runs a faith-infused counseling center here, compared homosexuals to “barbarians” who “need to be educated, need to be disciplined.”

CNN Cancels ‘In the Arena’ With Eliot Spitzer  —  1:30 p.m. |  Updated CNN on Wednesday cancelled Eliot Spitzer's 8 p.m. political talk show, “In The Arena,” and said it would shift Anderson Cooper's 10 p.m. nightly newscast into the time slot.  —  The cable news channel also said that Erin Burnett …

The 2012 Horse Whisperers  —  Who's giving foreign-policy advice to the crop of GOP front-runners?  —  Michele Bachmann: The Tea Party's new hawk  —  Despite all of Bachmann's Tea Party credentials, she's not looking like an isolationist when it comes to foreign policy.

The jobs  —  Even the union goons are unhappy with Obama's failed economic strategy!  —  Posted By: RyanT.  This republican congress is too busy breaking up unions and planned parenthoods to worry about job creation.  Obama has some work projects he has offered up, but no one is biting.

Obama Summons G.O.P. and Democratic Leaders for Deficit Reduction Talks  —  WASHINGTON — President Obama stepped up pressure on Congressional Republicans on Tuesday to agree to a broad deficit-cutting deal, pledging to put popular entitlement programs like Medicare on the table in return …

Antitax Extremism in Minnesota  —  How far will Republican lawmakers go to protect millionaires?  Those who think a default on the federal government's credit seems implausible should take a sobering look at the “closed” signs dotting Minnesota.  The Republican Party there readily shut …

Despite White House Protests, Stimulus Still Cost Taxpayers $278,000 Per Job  —  Why does the White House have a problem with basic math?  —  On Sunday, I noted that an estimate from President Obama's own economists shows that the economic “stimulus” has cost taxpayers $278,000 per job and that …

Supreme Court to decide on Mexican's execution  —  The U.S. Supreme Court has until Thursday to intervene before Texas is scheduled to put to death a convicted murderer and rapist from Mexico whose execution could place the U.S. in violation of a 38-year international treaty.

Is Jiang Zemin Dead?  Real-time Illustration of News Control in China  —  For the past 24+ hours, anyone following various social-media feeds* about China has seen rumors, then official denials, then silence, about the possible demise of former president Jiang Zemin, shown in his prime at right.

Apple Preparing For New iPhone in Third Quarter  —  TAIPEI—Apple Inc. has placed orders for key components used in a next-generation iPhone it is preparing to launch sometime in the third quarter, according to people familiar with the situation.  —  According to some suppliers of components to Apple …