Gas prices sink Obama's ratings on economy, bring parity to race for White House  —  Disapproval of President Obama's handling of the economy is heading higher — alongside gasoline prices — as a record number of Americans now give the president “strongly” negative reviews …

Justice Dept opposes Texas voter ID law  —  WASHINGTON (AP) — The Justice Department's civil rights division on Monday objected to a new photo ID requirement for voters in Texas because many Hispanic voters lack state-issued identification.  —  Texas follows South Carolina as the second state …

Bill introduced to regulate men's reproductive health  —  Part of a trend, she likens the bill to men legislating 'a woman's womb.'  —  COLUMBUS - Before getting a prescription for Viagra or other erectile dysfunction drugs, men would have to see a sex therapist, receive a cardiac stress test …

Santorum on Afghan shooting: Someone ‘lost it’  —  Ocean Springs, Mississippi (CNN) - Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum called Sunday's shooting rampage in Afghanistan that resulted in the death of 16 civilians “obviously horrific” and “very tragic.”

The 1990s Roots of the Contraception Battle  —  In January 1998, in the run-up to the twenty-fifth anniversary of Roe v. Wade, then-First Lady Hillary Clinton held a meeting in the Map Room of the White House with leaders of women's groups ranging from Planned Parenthood to the National Women's Law Center.

Barack Obama is Such a Traditional Jew Sometimes  —  Two weeks ago, after I finished interviewing President Obama on the subject of Iran and Israel, I handed him a copy of the New American Haggadah, the Passover user's guide edited by Jonathan Safran Foer, which includes commentary by Goldblog.

Fox News Commenters React to Afghan Killings: ‘A Dead Muslim Is a Good Muslim’  —  It's no longer surprising, but the right wing blogs are full of comments today praising the soldier who allegedly committed mass murder in Kandahar, killing men, women, and children asleep in their beds.  —  Gateway Pundit:

‘Doonesbury’ creator Garry Trudeau discusses divisive strips about abortion  —  Only once in the long history of “Doonesbury” has Garry Trudeau's syndicate ever intensely objected to one of his story arcs.  It was 1985, and the subject was abortion.  —  Starting Monday, amid heated debate …

Nicky Larkin: Israel is a refuge, but a refuge under siege  —  Through making a film about the Israeli-Arab conflict, artist Nicky Larkin found his allegiances swaying  —  I used to hate Israel.  I used to think the Left was always right.  Not any more.  Now I loathe Palestinian terrorists.

Blagojevich will find life inside a jolt, ex-inmates say  —  This week, Rod Blagojevich becomes federal prisoner number 40892-424.  —  The former Illinois governor is expected on Thursday to arrive at Englewood, a low-security facility in Littleton, Colo., located 15 miles southwest of Denver …

What Greece Means  —  So Greece has officially defaulted on its debt to private lenders.  It was an “orderly” default, negotiated rather than simply announced, which I guess is a good thing.  Still, the story is far from over.  Even with this debt relief, Greece — like other European nations forced …

Michelle Obama defends anti-obesity initiative as not ‘government tell[ing] people what to do’  —  In a new interview made available Monday, first lady Michelle Obama defended her “Let's Move!” anti-obesity program against critics who call it a government intrusion.

Fewer Americans Say U.S. Is No. 1 Military Power  —  Fifty-four percent hold this view, down from 64% in 2010  —  PRINCETON, NJ — A slim majority of Americans (54%) say the United States is the No. 1 military power in the world, down from 64% in 2010, with an average of 59% since 1993.