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 …

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.

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.

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 …

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.

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.

Tried to Boycott Israeli Ship, Blocked Chinese Ship Instead  —  Follow Israel news on and .  —  Some 500 anti-Israel protestors arrived at the Oakland, California port early Sunday morning, hoping to block an Israeli ship from unloading its cargo.  However, the ship did not arrive …

Zombies Have Already Killed The Deficit Commission  —  It must have sounded like a good idea (although not to me): establish a bipartisan commission of Serious People to develop plans to bring the federal budget under control.  —  But the commission is already dead — and zombies did it.

White House jabs Hayward on attendance at yacht race  —  White House deputy press secretary Bill Burton on Monday made a pointed comment about BP CEO Tony Hayward's attendance at a yacht race in Great Britain this weekend.  —  “If Tony Hayward wants to put a skimmer on his yacht and bring …

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.

Bork to publicly oppose Kagan for Supreme Court  —  WASHINGTON (AP) — Failed conservative Supreme Court nominee Robert Bork is joining anti-abortion activists to publicly oppose confirming Elena Kagan as a justice.  —  Bork plans to detail his criticisms of Kagan during …

W.H. says Kyl story not true  —  The White House on Monday denied Arizona Sen. Jon Kyl's claim that President Barack Obama told him privately that he would not work to secure the border unless it was part of a comprehensive immigration reform package.  —  In a video that started circulating …

O'Reilly Grills Bachmann On BP's $20B Gulf Spill Fund: 'You're Dodging My Question' (VIDEO)  —  You know Rep. Michele Bachmann has crossed a line when Bill O'Reilly grills her, and even says: “You're dodging my question.”  —  That's what happened on O'Reilly's Fox News show Friday when Bachmann …

High court upholds anti-terror law  —  WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court has upheld a federal law that bars “material support” to foreign terrorist organizations, rejecting a free speech challenge from humanitarian aid groups.  —  The court ruled 6-3 Monday that the government may prohibit …

Crist's edge over Rubio appears to be growing  —  Gov. Charlie Crist, running as an independent for the U.S. Senate, is 11 points ahead of Marco Rubio, a poll says.  —  A new Florida Chamber of Commerce poll suggests Charlie Crist may be widening his lead over Republican Marco Rubio and Democrat Kendrick Meek in the U.S. Senate race.

Tuesday Primaries: Races to Follow  —  Four states will hold primaries on Tuesday, with a handful of significant races happening.  Here's your guide to the big ones.  — Utah Republican Senate primary: Mike Lee vs. Tim Bridgewater.  The two conservative candidates who bounced incumbent …

EXCLUSIVE: KAGAN: Bork Hearings ‘Best Thing to Ever Happen to Constitutional Democracy’  —  Dateline:  —  From speech at Case Western Reserve, 1997: “And I, like Professor Toulouse, I loved what happened in the Bork hearings.  I wrote a review of Stephen Carter's book recently where I said, “no, he has it all wrong.

Large majorities on Hill back Israel's flotilla raid  —  Even as Israel shows signs of loosening its blockade of Gaze, large majorities in the House and Senate have signed off on letters supporting the blockade and defending Israel's enforcement of it against a Turkish vessel.