The due-process-free assassination of U.S. citizens is now reality  —  It was first reported in January of last year that the Obama administration had compiled a hit list of American citizens whom the President had ordered assassinated without any due process, and one of those Americans was Anwar al-Awlaki.

Requiem for a Governor Before He's in the Ring  —  Look, I'm sorry, but New Jersey Governor Chris Christie cannot be president: He is just too fat.  Maybe, if he runs for president and we get to know him, we will overlook this awkward issue because we are so impressed with the way he stands up to teachers' unions.

Wait, Is Malaise French for “Soft”?  —  Obama speaking in Orlando: … Interesting perspective.  I wonder where America could have lost its competitive edge.  It couldn't possibly have anything to do with a government that blows billions on green energy boondoggles while making it harder …

Veteran agitators flock to Occupy Wall Street  —  The city's most experienced agitators—the labor and community groups that typically organize local marches, rallies and sit-ins—have been largely missing from the Occupy Wall Street protest that is in its 13th day at Zuccotti Park in lower Manhattan.

90 percent of Americans say economy stinks  —  New York (CNNMoney) - Three years after a financial crisis pushed the country deep into recession, an overwhelming number of Americans - 90% - say that economic conditions remain poor.  —  The number, reported Friday in a new CNN/ORC International Poll …

Durbin says Democrats don't currently have the votes for Obama jobs bill  —  Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) said, at the moment, Democrats in Congress don't have the votes to pass President Obama's jobs bill, but Durbin added that that situation would change.

Morgan Stanley Seen as Risky as Italian Banks  —  Morgan Stanley (MS), which owns the world's largest retail brokerage, is being priced in the credit- default swaps market as less creditworthy than most U.S., U.K. and French banks and as risky as Italy's biggest lenders.

Phony Fear Factor  —  The good news: After spending a year and a half talking about deficits, deficits, deficits when we should have been talking about jobs, job, jobs we're finally back to discussing the right issue.  —  The bad news: Republicans, aided and abetted by many conservative policy intellectuals …

Time to think the unthinkable and start printing again  —  It is the policy that dare not speak its name: the printing press.  The time has come to employ this nuclear option on a grand scale.  The alternative is likely to be a lost decade.  The waste is more than unnecessary; it is cruel.

Michelle Obama shops incognito at Target (Photo)  —  AP photographer Charles Dharapak told CBS News he took pictures of the first lady at the Target on Route 1 in Alexandria, Virginia.  —  The first lady's office confirmed that the pictures showed Mrs. Obama, though it did not immediately respond when asked if it tipped off Dharapak.

Investigation clears gay Fort Worth teacher  —  Kristopher Franks set to return to work Friday after 4-day leave stemming from allegations of improper behavior  —  nash@dallasvoice.com  —  FORT WORTH — Gay Western Hills High School teacher Kristopher Franks, put on paid administrative leave on Monday …

With historic losses looming, Postal Service launches new ad campaign  —  Video: On the verge of losing billions of dollars in revenue, the U.S. Postal Service this week is launching a new TV ad campaign designed to promote the security and reliability of snail mail.

Turns out, the South is a pretty nice place to live  —  When I first moved to Washington D.C., my dad jokingly warned me not to hype home too much.  “If they find out just how nice we have it down here, all your new East Coast friends will want to move to the South and our cost of living will go up,” he teased.

Outsize Severance Continues for Executives, Even After Failed Tenures  —  The golden goodbye has not gone away.  —  Just last week, Léo Apotheker was shown the door after a tumultuous 11-month run atop Hewlett-Packard.  His reward?  $13.2 million in cash and stock severance …