Obama Limits When U.S. Would Use Nuclear Arms  —  WASHINGTON — President Obama said Monday that he was revamping American nuclear strategy to substantially narrow the conditions under which the United States would use nuclear weapons, even in self defense.  —  But the president …

A Top GOP Conservative Defends Pelosi, Slams Fox  —  Tom Coburn fiercely opposed Nancy Pelosi on the Health Bill but praised her as a “nice person.”  —  WASHINGTON, D.C. — An Oklahoma town hall meeting with colorful characters and a lot of populist anger brought out an often glossed over side …

25 killed in West Virginia mine blast  —  Montcoal, West Virginia (CNN) — The death toll from the massive explosion at a sprawling coal mine in West Virginia rose to 25 early Tuesday, making it the deadliest U.S. mining disaster in 25 years.  —  Crews halted their efforts …

McMillen: I Was Sent to Fake Prom  —  To avoid Constance McMillen bringing a female date to her prom, the teen was sent to a “fake prom” while the rest of her class partied at a secret location at an event organized by parents.  —  McMillen tells The Advocate that a parent-organized prom happened behind …

Video Shows 2007 Air Attack in Baghdad That Killed Photographer  —  WASHINGTON — The Web site WikiLeaks.org released a graphic video on Monday showing an American helicopter shooting and killing a Reuters photographer and driver in a July 2007 attack in Baghdad.

Young Eagles: Life in the fast lane  —  The big fundraising event at the Philadelphia Phillies home opener is canceled.  So is the one at the steeplechase race in Virginia horse country and the weekend at the North Carolina paramilitary training compound.  No definite word on the professional …

Relax, We'll Be Fine  —  According to recent polls, 60 percent of Americans think the country is heading in the wrong direction.  The same percentage believe that the U.S. is in long-term decline.  The political system is dysfunctional.  A fiscal crisis looks unavoidable.  There are plenty of reasons to be gloomy.

ExxonMobil paid no federal income tax in 2009.  —  Last week, Forbes magazine published what the top U.S. corporations paid in taxes last year.  “Most egregious,” Forbes notes, is General Electric, which “generated $10.3 billion in pretax income, but ended up owing nothing to Uncle Sam.

IRS chief: Buy health insurance or lose your tax refund  —  Individuals who don't purchase health insurance may lose their tax refunds according to IRS Commissioner Doug Shulman.  After acknowledging the recently passed health-care bill limits the agency's options for enforcing the individual mandate …

Americans Prioritize Energy Over Environment for First Time  —  Data represent a continuing shift in opinion toward energy production  —  PRINCETON, NJ — Americans are more likely to say the U.S. should prioritize development of energy supplies than to say it should prioritize protecting the environment …

Dems' special-election scramble  —  The prospect of losing two House seats in back-to-back special elections next month has sparked a vigorous, behind-the-scenes Democratic effort, designed to avoid an outcome that could lead to panic among the rank and file and stall the momentum generated …

Five stumbling blocks that could wipe out Democrats in November  —  Democrats feel they have grabbed political momentum, but the party still faces several dangers that could wipe it out in November.  —  Democratic strategists and independent political experts identify roughly five stumbling blocks …

White House Correspondents' dinner just got harder for party crashers  —  Bad news for Washington's junior varsity Salahis: The most crashable (yet crash-worthy) party in town is taking new measures to keep you out.  —  For years, it has been an open secret in D.C. media-political circles …

Toomey has small lead on Specter  —  More Pennsylvania voters are unhappy with Barack Obama's job performance than content with it, and that's a big part of why Pat Toomey currently holds a 46-43 lead over Arlen Specter in his bid to be the state's next Senator.

A Congressional Panel, Hobbled in Its Financial Inquiry  —  WASHINGTON — The panel established by Congress to investigate the causes of the financial crisis has been hobbled by delays and internal disagreements and a lack of focus, according to interviews with a majority of its members and government officials briefed on its work.

Obama to meet at the White House with black church leaders  —  President Obama will sit down Tuesday with about 20 black religious leaders, including representatives of the major African American denominations, in the second White House meeting in three months to discuss the needs of the black community.

Health insurers sue to raise rates  —  Say state's veto will cause huge losses; Showdown near on regulatory power  —  A half-dozen health insurers yesterday filed a lawsuit against the state seeking to reverse last week's decision by the insurance commissioner to block double-digit premium increases …

What are you worth to your bank?  —  Let's take a breather from shadow banking to discuss commercial banking.  (We play both kinds here, country *and* western.)  Specifically you, as a customer: How much does your commercial bank make off of you?  —  I recently went out for drinks in Greenpoint with the creators of Bank Simple.