Why sex-scarred pols keep coming back for more  —  Another week and there goes another fallen officeholder trying to claw his way back from tabloid purgatory—another chance for some people to marvel about the power of forgiveness and redemption, and other people to marvel about the power of egomania and pure chutzpah.

U.S. Considers Faster Pullout In Afghanistan  —  WASHINGTON — Increasingly frustrated by his dealings with President Hamid Karzai, President Obama is giving serious consideration to speeding up the withdrawal of United States forces from Afghanistan and to a “zero option” …

Perry Says He Won't Seek Governorship Again in Texas  —  SAN ANTONIO — Rick Perry, the longest-serving governor of Texas and an unsuccessful Republican presidential candidate last year, announced on Monday that he would not seek another term but would instead “pray and reflect and work to determine my own future path.”

Edward Snowden: ‘The US government will say I aided our enemies’ - video interview  —  In the second part of an exclusive interview with Glenn Greenwald and Laura Poitras, former NSA contractor Edward Snowden contemplates the reaction from the US government to his revelations …

Obama is faulted on leadership  —  Supporters and critics of President Obama are looking for leadership on many pressing issues from the White House, but many believe they are not getting it.  —  On Monday, Obama held a Cabinet meeting and spoke about his effort to modernize government databases.

The IRS Mistakenly Exposed Thousands of Social Security Numbers  —  Another day, another slipup by the Internal Revenue Service.  —  The incident involves the unwitting exposure of “tens of thousands” of Social Security numbers, according to a recent audit by the independent transparency and public-domain group Public.Resource.org.

Egypt braced for more killings after ‘massacre’  —  Muslim Brotherhood condemns killings in Cairo, which came hours before interim president set out election timetable  —  Egyptians are braced for new violence after at least 51 supporters of the deposed president Mohamed Morsi were killed …

Leaked report shows Bin Laden's ‘hidden life’  —  Government report obtained exclusively by Al Jazeera reveals results of investigation into AQ chief's life on the run.  —  Former al-Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden was able to hide in Pakistan for nine years due to the “collective failure” …

White House Has Known For Months Obamacare Implementation Wouldn't Work  —  Last week, it scaled back several required provisions.  They aren't the first.  And probably won't be the last.  —  If you've been reading all the Obamacare stories lately, you might get the impression …

Michael McConnell: Obama Suspends the Law  —  Like King James II, the president decides not to enforce laws he doesn't like.  That's an abuse of power.  —  President Obama's decision last week to suspend the employer mandate of the Affordable Care Act may be welcome relief to businesses affected …

The Koch brothers' $1 million campaign to kill ObamaCare  —  A massive ad campaign aims to heighten uncertainty about the law before it goes into full effect  —  More than three years after President Obama signed the Affordable Care Act into law, the heated debate over whether the health-care reforms …

Criticizing CNN: Goodbye to that  —  I used to say: I criticize because I care.  But I no longer do. … As of today, I have retired from criticism of CNN for falling short of some sort of journalistic standard that news providers should maintain.  That activity no longer makes sense.

Crucial nuclear option decision arrives for Majority Leader Reid  —  The Nevada Democrat must decide whether to trigger a controversial tactic known as the nuclear option to strip from Republicans the power to endlessly debate presidential nominees.  —  The maneuver entails changing …

“Why did you shoot me?  I was reading a book”: The new warrior cop is out of control  —  Overwhelming paramilitary force is on the rise  —  Sal Culosi is dead because he bet on a football game — but it wasn't a bookie or a loan shark who killed him.  His local government killed him …

Recovery woes: America's second-largest employer is a temp agency  —  Behind Wal-Mart, the second-largest employer in America is Kelly Services, a temporary work provider.  —  Friday's disappointing jobs report showed that part-time jobs are at an all-time high, with 28 million Americans now working part-time.