Jobs Plan Stalled, Obama to Try New Economic Drive  —  WASHINGTON — With his jobs plan stymied in Congress by Republican opposition, President Obama on Monday will begin a series of executive-branch actions to confront housing, education and other economic problems over the coming months …

Libya's liberation: interim ruler unveils more radical than expected plans for Islamic law  —  Libya's interim leader outlined more radical plans to introduce Islamic law than expected as he declared the official liberation of the country.  —  Mustafa Abdul-Jalil, the chairman …

The Hole in Europe's Bucket  —  If it weren't so tragic, the current European crisis would be funny, in a gallows-humor sort of way.  For as one rescue plan after another falls flat, Europe's Very Serious People — who are, if such a thing is possible, even more pompous and self-regarding …

Democrats duck Obama  —  Despite President Barack Obama's sagging poll ratings, top Democratic leaders from around the country insist they'd love for him to visit.  From state party chairmen to House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, the message remains remarkably consistent: No one views the president as a political liability.

Google Speaks Truth to Power  —  About the growing regulatory state, even Google's Eric Schmidt—a big supporter of the Obama administration—now feels the need to tell it like it is.  —  Eric Schmidt, executive chairman of Google, gave a remarkable interview this month to the Washington Post.

Medical help for illegal immigrants could haunt Mitt Romney  —  On the Republican campaign trail, he derides any such public aid.  But the healthcare law he signed as Massachusetts governor allows it.  —  Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney sharply criticizes public aid for illegal immigrants.

The Hill Poll: Most voters say the United States is in decline  —  More than two-thirds of voters say the United States is declining, and a clear majority think the next generation will be worse off than this one, according to the results of a new poll commissioned by The Hill.

U.S. rating likely to be downgraded again: Merrill  —  NEW YORK (Reuters) - The United States will likely suffer the loss of its triple-A credit rating from another major rating agency by the end of this year due to concerns over the deficit, Bank of America Merrill Lynch forecasts.

STATE OF THE UNION WITH CANDY CROWLEY  —  Interview With Secretary Clinton; Interview With Vice President Biden; Interview With Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell  —  THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT.  THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

Jindal: Four.  More.  Years  —  Say, did you hear about the big election yesterday?  Well, if you're like the majority of the country, you probably weren't even aware anyone was voting on Saturday.  But for the politically addicted, you might have known that Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal was up for another term.

Chemical bomb tossed into Occupy Maine encampment  —  PORTLAND — Portland police are looking for the person who threw a chemical bomb at the Occupy Maine encampment in Portland during the early morning hours today.  —  Sgt. Glen McGary said police responded around 4 a.m. today to an explosion …

Shootings way up in two weeks  —  Bullets are flying over Broadway — and everywhere else in the city.  —  The number of people shot surged 154 percent two weeks ago — to 56 from 22 over the same week last year — and spiked 28 percent in the last month.  —  Last week tallied another increase …

More Jobs Predicted for Machines, Not People  —  A faltering economy explains much of the job shortage in America, but advancing technology has sharply magnified the effect, more so than is generally understood, according to two researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.