First Thoughts: In retreat  —  Dems in retreat... They draw another line in the sand, but will we see another concession?... Democrats reply: They might be losing this negotiating battle, but they could end up winning the larger war... Today's House vote on the Boehner bill is expected early this evening …

Rep. Joe Walsh Defends Not Paying $117,000 In Child Support: ‘This Is Where Real America Is’  —  Last night the Chicago Sun-Times broke the story that Tea Party freshman Rep. Joe Walsh (R-IL), who has spent months lecturing President Obama and Democrats on fiscal responsibility …

Why the Tea Party is unyielding on the debt ceiling  —  The liberal media have gone to warp speed in their defense of President Obama and their attacks on the Tea Party.  We are “extreme” and “dangerous.”  Republicans are “afraid of” the Tea Party.  And more.

EXCLUSIVE: AWOL Soldier Arrested Over Concerns of Possible Second Attack On Fort Hood  —  At least one U.S. military serviceman has been arrested after raising concerns over another possible attack on Fort Hood, Fox News has learned exclusively.  —  Pvt. Nasser Jason Abdo …

New NASA Data Blow Gaping Hole In Global Warming Alarmism  —  NASA satellite data from the years 2000 through 2011 show the Earth's atmosphere is allowing far more heat to be released into space than alarmist computer models have predicted, reports a new study in the peer-reviewed science journal Remote Sensing.

Gov. Christie is taken to hospital after having difficulty breathing  —  SOMERVILLE — Gov. Chris Christie was hospitalized this morning after he complained of having trouble breathing, according to the governor's office.  —  A spokesman, Michael Drewniak, said Christie suffers from asthma …

Bachmann Dodges Question On Ex-Gay Therapy: My Clinics Are ‘Not Running For The Presidency’  —  Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN) dodged a question about reports that her family's Christian counseling clinics practice “pray away the gay” reparative therapy during an appearance this afternoon at the National Press Club.

Health care law won't rein in costs, study says  —  Critics of Affordable Care Act cite government's own forecast  —  Despite President Obama's promises to rein in health care costs as part of his reform bill, health spending nationwide is expected to rise more than if the sweeping legislation had never become law.

APNewsBreak: Arctic scientist under investigation  —  JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — A federal wildlife biologist whose observation in 2004 of presumably drowned polar bears in the Arctic helped to galvanize the global warming movement has been placed on administrative leave and is being investigated …

Texas Gov. Rick Perry: “Obviously gay marriage is not fine with me...”  —  Last week in Aspen, Colorado, Gov. Rick Perry of Texas addressed New York's new same-sex marriage law by saying “That's New York, and that's their business, and that's fine with me...”

Whatever The Outcome Of The Debt Vote, The Age Of Austerity Is Here  —  Whatever the outcome of Thursday's projected House vote on Speaker Boehner's debt plan, this process has already ended the political life of one prominent member of the Washington establishment: John Maynard Keynes.

3 ways Obama could bypass Congress  —  Editor's note: Jack M. Balkin is Knight Professor of Constitutional Law at Yale Law School.  His latest book is “Constitutional Redemption: Political Faith in an Unjust World” (Harvard University Press 2011).  —  New Haven, Connecticut (CNN) — Very soon, Congress will raise the debt ceiling.

Cataracts, hips, knees and tonsils: NHS begins rationing operations  —  Almost two-thirds of trusts affected as cuts bite  —  Hip replacements, cataract surgery and tonsil removal are among operations now being rationed in a bid to save the NHS money.  —  Two-thirds of health trusts …

Remember World War I  —  Like most American spectators watching this slow-motion train wreck of a budget disaster, I have assumed that at the last minute the damsel would be pulled off the track of the oncoming train.  Somehow, the Republicans would appreciate the stakes, a compromise …

An un-American response to the Oslo attack  —  Over the last decade, virtually every Terrorist plot aimed at the U.S. — whether successful or failed — has provoked greater security and surveillance measures.  Within a matter of mere weeks, the 9/11 attacks infamously spawned a vast new surveillance statute …