Book: Treasury Secretary ignored Obama directive  —  NEW YORK (AP) — A new book offering an insider's account of the White House's response to the financial crisis says that U.S. Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner ignored an order from President Barack Obama calling for reconstruction of major banks.

Clinton Popularity Prompts Buyer's Remorse  —  The most popular national political figure in America today is one who was rejected by her own party three years ago: Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.  —  Nearly two-thirds of Americans hold a favorable view of her and one-third are suffering …

Perry “Ponzi Scheme” Remark Doesn't Faze Most Republicans  —  Solid majority believe Social Security should be preserved  —  PRINCETON, NJ — Texas Gov. and presidential candidate Rick Perry's comments on Social Security, which include calling it a “Ponzi scheme,” appear to be a non-issue for most Republicans.

Free to Die  —  Back in 1980, just as America was making its political turn to the right, Milton Friedman lent his voice to the change with the famous TV series “Free to Choose.”  In episode after episode, the genial economist identified laissez-faire economics with personal choice and empowerment …

Weiner gets 'brush'off  —  By S.A. MILLER in Washington and CARL CAMPANILE in NY  —  Scrub out the stench of Weiner!  —  Newly sworn-in Republican Rep. Bob Turner's family ordered a thorough cleaning of the House office space he inherited from his disgraced predecessor, Anthony Weiner …

General Reported He Was Pressured on Testimony About White House-Backed Project, Sources Say  —  Gen. William Shelton, head of the Air Force Space Command, told House members in a classified briefing earlier this month that he was pressured to change prepared congressional testimony …

Approval of Congress Matches Record Low  —  Congress faces historically low approval ratings as it wades into the debate over the $447 billion jobs package proposed by President Obama, with just 12 percent of Americans now approving of the way Congress is handling its job, matching its all-time low …

Rick Perry visits Liberty  —  For one of the first times since he announced his run for presidency, Texas Gov. Rick Perry talked about his “faith journey” today - and at no more of a fitting place than Liberty University, the world's largest Christian university.

Mayor Bloomberg predicts riots in the streets if economy doesn't create more jobs  —  Mayor Bloomberg warned Friday there would be riots in the streets if Washington doesn't get serious about generating jobs.  —  “We have a lot of kids graduating college, can't find jobs,” Bloomberg said on his weekly WOR radio show.

Living Miserably  —  Economy: What's a six-letter word that describes what you get when you combine spiking jobless claims and rising inflation?  Answer: M-I-S-E-R-Y. And as new reports show, Obama is dishing out heaping portions of it.  —  The two reports out of the Labor Department are troubling enough on their own.

Tom Ridge to endorse Huntsman at St. Anselm  —  CONCORD — Republican presidential hopeful Jon Huntsman will announce the endorsement of former U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Gov. Tom Ridge Friday in an event at St. Anselm College in Goffstown.  —  Ridge, a former governor of Pennsylvania …

John Boehner's misfire on pending federal regulations  —  “At this moment, the Executive Branch has 219 new rules in the works that will cost our economy at least $100 million.  That means under the current Washington agenda, our economy is poised to take a hit from the government of at least $100 million — 219 times.”

Dakota Meyer Is Awarded Medal of Honor  —  WASHINGTON — President Obama awarded the Medal of Honor on Thursday to a young former Marine who ignored orders to stay put and fought his way five times into an ambush in an Afghan ravine, helping to rescue three dozen comrades and to recover the remains of four dead American servicemen.

White House works to quell Dem dissent  —  Senior administration officials met with Senate Democrats for an hour and a half on Thursday to answer their complaints about President Obama's jobs bill.  —  Democratic lawmakers voiced objections to several of the president's proposals to pay …

The law and Justice Clarence Thomas  —  The Supreme Court justice's reporting of spousal income and his ties with a real estate developer who paid for some of Thomas' air travel raise disclosure questions.  —  Two liberal groups have asked the Judicial Conference of the United States …

Ford TV Ad Slams Obama Auto Bailouts  —  America is still fighting over President Obama's costly bailout of Chrysler and General Motors.  Especially the owners of Ford, the only member of Detroit's “Big Three” who rejected the government dole and emerged perfectly healthy.

Obama Signs 1st Major Patent Law Change Since 1952  —  President Barack Obama has signed into law an overhaul of the nation's patent system.  It's the first significant change in the way inventors can bring their products to market in more than two generations.

The Planning Fallacy  —  When the Nobel Prize-winning psychologist Daniel Kahneman was a young man, he led a committee to write a new part of the curriculum for Israeli high schools.  The committee worked for a year, and Kahneman asked his colleagues how long they thought the rest of the project would take.

Koch May Test His Political Voice on National Stage  —  Former Mayor Edward I. Koch's strategy seemed almost nutty at first: ask Jewish residents in Brooklyn and Queens to vote against an Israel-loving observant Jew for Congress to send a message to President Obama.

The U.S. Must Support Israel At the U.N.  —  Obama policies have encouraged the Palestinians to avoid direct negotiations with Israel.  —  The historic friendship between the United States and Israel stretches from the founding of the Jewish state in 1948 to the present day.