Rahm Emanuel expected to quit White House  —  Rahm Emanuel, the White House chief of staff, is expected to leave his job later this year after growing tired of the “idealism” of Barack Obama's inner circle.  —  Washington insiders say he will quit within six to eight months in frustration …

Lax Oversight Cited in Failure of Oil Rig's Failsafe Device  —  It was the last line of defense, the final barrier between the rushing volcanic fury of oil and gas and one of the worst environmental disasters in United States history.  —  Its very name — the blind shear ram — suggested its blunt purpose.

Op-Ed Columnist: Budget Deficits: Spend Now, Save Later  —  Spend now, while the economy remains depressed; save later, once it has recovered.  How hard is that to understand?  —  Very hard, if the current state of political debate is any indication.  All around the world, politicians seem determined to do the reverse.

Republicans' Midterm Voting Enthusiasm Tops Prior Years  —  Relative enthusiasm advantage for GOP over Democrats largest in Gallup history dating to 1994  —  PRINCETON, NJ — An average of 59% of Republicans and Republican-leaning independents have said they are more enthusiastic than usual …

Can Obama's Spine Be Stiffened?  —  Iran, moving steadily forward on its march toward nuclear status, has once again brazenly defied the International Atomic Energy Agency, barring two of its inspectors from touring its sites.  How will the West respond?  —  So many previous provocations …

Doctors limit new Medicare patients  —  WASHINGTON — The number of doctors refusing new Medicare patients because of low government payment rates is setting a new high, just six months before millions of Baby Boomers begin enrolling in the government health care program.

Mika Admits: I'm ‘Working With White House’ On Oil Spill Talking Points  —  Cut out the middle-woman and install Obama's teleprompter on the Morning Joe set . . .  Give her high marks for candor: on today's show, Mika Brzezinski admitted that she has been “working with the White House” on oil spill talking points.

Israeli Easing of Blockade of Gaza Draws Praise of U.S.  —  JERUSALEM — Bowing to worldwide pressure and condemnation, Israel on Sunday formally announced an eased blockade of Gaza that could significantly expand the flow of goods overland into the impoverished coastal Palestinian enclave, isolated by the Israelis for three years.

Radicals, Islamists and Longshoremen blockade Israeli ship in Oakland  —  An Israeli cargo ship arriving in Oakland today was forced to sit idle and not offload its containers when longshoremen joined forces with a coalition of communist and Islamist groups who picketed the port in protest …

Banking Lobbyists Make Final Run at Reform Bill  —  As Congress rushes this week to complete the most far-reaching financial reform plan in decades, the banking industry is mounting an 11th-hour end run.  —  Industry lobbyists — and sympathetic members of Congress — are pushing for provisions …

PRODIGAL SON  —  Is the wayward Republican Mike Huckabee now his party's best hope?  —  Sun was bouncing off the miles of Jerusalem stone and the black hats of the Hasidim on the afternoon when Mike Huckabee went to visit the Wailing Wall, earlier this year.

BARBOUR: MORATORIUM WORSE THAN SPILL.... As part of the federal response to the BP oil spill disaster, the administration imposed a six-month moratorium on drilling new deepwater wells.  The point, of course, was to prevent another crisis — Deepwater Horizon had undermined confidence in the industry and its practices.

62% Say Politicians Want Government to Have More Power and Money  —  When it comes to money and power, politicians want the government to have more of it, while voters want the government to have less.  At least that's what most Americans think.  —  The latest Rasmussen Reports national …

Colleagues cool to Kerry on energy  —  John Kerry has been the most aggressive advocate of climate change legislation in the Senate this year — so aggressive that it's rubbed some of his colleagues the wrong way.  —  The Massachusetts Democrat is making his pitch with an almost religious fervor …

French prisoner ‘killed cellmate and ate his lung’  —  A French prisoner killed his cellmate then sliced open his chest to remove and eat his heart, a court has heard.  —  However, the man removed the wrong organ, and ate his lung by mistake.  —  Nicolas Cocaign, 39 …

Ron Paul says GOP will be more open to libertarian-minded nominee in 2012  —  Ron Paul says he hasn't decided if he'll challenge President Obama for re-election in 2012, but he does predict that Republicans will be more open than they were in 2008 to nominating a libertarian-minded candidate.