Murdoch Aides Long Tried to Blunt Scandal Over Hacking  —  LONDON — Two days before it emerged that The News of the World had hacked the cellphone of a murdered schoolgirl, igniting a scandal that has shaken Rupert Murdoch's media empire, his son James told friends that he thought the worst of the troubles were behind him.

News and Its Critics  —  A tabloid's excesses don't tarnish thousands of other journalists.  —  When News Corp. and CEO Rupert Murdoch secured enough shares to buy Dow Jones & Co. four years ago, these columns welcomed our new owner and promised to stand by the same standards and principles we always had.

Obama officially threatens to veto Republicans' ‘cut, cap and balance’ bill  —  The White House on Monday warned President Obama will veto GOP legislation to “cut, cap and balance” spending and the budget.  —  In a statement of administration policy, the White House Office of Management …

Priebus says Obama video a ‘crime’  —  Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus is accusing President Barack Obama of committing “an apparent crime” when he recorded a video in the White House as part of a raffle to raise money for his reelection campaign.

The Republican Retreat  —  In the negotiations over the debt ceiling, the Republican Party had everything mapped out except the endgame.  —  For months, Republican leaders used all the tools at their disposal — the anti-spending intensity of their base, the White House's desire for a deal …

Default could ‘sink the whole boat’  —  The warnings are apocalyptic.  “Armageddon,” President Barack Obama intones.  “Catastrophic,” Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner insists.  “Calamitous,” Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke admonishes.  —  But suppose — just suppose …