What to Do in Iraq  —  It's widely agreed that the collapse of Iraq would be a disaster for American interests and security in the Middle East and around the world.  It also seems to be widely assumed either that there's nothing we can now do to avert that disaster, or that our best bet is supporting Iran against al Qaeda.

Is Obama done with Washington?  —  Is President Obama done with Washington?  —  The 44th president has never been the capital's biggest fan, but his frustration with life in D.C. is bubbling to the surface in ways both casual and substantive.  —  The president twice went for unscheduled walkabouts …

The Unelectable Whiteness of Scott Walker  —  A journey through the poisonous, racially divided world that produced a Republican star  —  In early August of 2011, a few days after Congress passed a deal to end the debt-ceiling showdown that brought the nation to the brink of credit default …

Key Midterm Election Indicators at or Near Historical Lows  —  Approval of Congress at 16%; national satisfaction at 23%  —  PRINCETON, NJ — The election environment for congressional incumbents in 2014 will be challenging, with several key public opinion indicators as negative or nearly …

Malia Obama Works on Set of Halle Berry's ‘Extant’ During Pilot Reshoots (Exclusive)  —  The first daughter was spotted working as a production assistant, an insider tells TheWrap  —  President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama's oldest daughter Malia could be setting her sights on Hollywood.

CNBC Anchor Confronts Rick Perry About Remark Comparing Gays To Alcoholics (VIDEO)  —  A CNBC anchor pressed Texas Gov. Rick Perry (R) on Monday to explain his remark that compared being gay to being an alcoholic.  —  “Whether or not you feel compelled to follow a particular lifestyle or not …

Political Animal Declares, “Another Clinton in the White House is Nuts!”  —  @HRCSquirrel Stars In “It's Nuts” Video  —  WASHINGTON - The Republican National Committee released a new web video, “It's Nuts,” starring the HRC Squirrel, who has been tailing Hillary Clinton and the Ready …

Population Shifts Turning All Politics National  —  SOUTHAVEN, Miss. — When William E. Davis was growing up here in DeSoto County, just across the state line from Memphis, there were more than 300 dairy farms, and he was raised on one of them.  —  “Now there are zero,” said Mr. Davis, 66 …

Health Care and Climate: President Obama's Big Deals  —  Several times in recent weeks I've found myself in conversations with liberals who shake their heads sadly and express their disappointment with President Obama.  Why?  I suspect that they're being influenced, often without realizing it, by the prevailing media narrative.

The Hillary Tapes  —  Newly discovered audio recordings of Hillary Clinton from the early 1980s include the former first lady's frank and detailed assessment of the most significant criminal case of her legal career: defending a man accused of raping a 12-year-old girl.

SCOTUS Rules On ‘Straw Purchaser’ Gun Law  —  WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court says federal law does not allow a “straw” purchaser to buy a gun for someone else, even if both are legally eligible to own firearms.  —  The justices ruled Monday that the federal background check law applied …

A Piketty Protégé's Theory on Tax Havens  —  GABRIEL ZUCMAN is a 27-year-old French economist who decided to solve a puzzle: Why do international balance sheets each year show more liabilities than assets, as if the world is in debt to itself?  —  Over the last couple of decades …

Dean Baquet, Top Times Editor, Has Tumor Removed  —  Dean Baquet, the executive editor of The New York Times, had a malignant tumor removed from his kidney on Saturday and will spend about a week away from the office while recovering, he said in an email to the newspaper's staff on Monday morning.