Sarah Palin's bus tour treats reporters like paparazzi  —  Sarah Palin and her advisers are refusing to tell members of the media where she is going on her current bus tour - and the former Alaska governor seems to be enjoying the cat and mouse game that's resulted.

Too many coincidences in Weiner's tale  —  In the New York of the late 1800s, Boss Tweed famously complained about Thomas Nast cartoons: Though many immigrants in the city couldn't read, even the illiterate could understand “those damn pictures.”  Rep. Anthony Weiner and his staff now face a similar problem.

Hoyer urges House Dems to vote no on clean debt-ceiling hike  —  The House Democrats' top vote-counter is advising rank-and-file members to vote against an unconditional increase in the federal debt limit to avoid political attacks from Republicans.  —  Rep. Steny Hoyer (Md.) …

‘Birther’ book soars  —  (CNN) - A new book, now number six on the New York Times' Best Sellers list, is putting the so-called “birther” issue back on the national stage.  —  “Where's the Birth Certificate?” by Jerome Corsi, which debuted on the list out Sunday, argues President Obama …

Egyptian general admits ‘virginity checks’ conducted on protesters  —  Cairo (CNN) — A senior Egyptian general admits that “virginity checks” were performed on women arrested at a demonstration this spring, the first such admission after previous denials by military authorities.

Kloppenburg concedes election to Prosser  —  Assistant Attorney General JoAnne Kloppenburg said Tuesday that she was conceding the Supreme Court race to Justice David Prosser, ending what had been a contentious campaign that culminated in a rare statewide recount.

Issa blasts Commerce nominee as ‘green evangelist’  —  House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) blasted President Obama Tuesday for nominating John Bryson to be the next Commerce secretary, calling the decision “deeply out-of-touch with our current energy challenge.”

Are Taxes in the U.S. High or Low?  —  Bruce Bartlett has served as an economic adviser in the White House, the Treasury Department and Congress.  —  Historically, the term “tax rate” has meant the average or effective tax rate — that is, taxes as a share of income.

‘Double-Dip’ in Housing Prices Even Worse Than Expected  —  U.S. single-family home prices dropped in March, dipping below their 2009 low, as the housing market remained bogged down by inventory and weak demand, a closely watched survey said Tuesday.  —  The S&P/Case Shiller composite index …

Book by Mayor's Daughter Is Fiction, With Tell-All References  —  Those who inhabit the rarefied world of Michael R. Bloomberg, with all its perks and payouts, have long adhered to a strict code of silence about his personal life: jaunts to Bermuda are cloaked in secrecy …

Bangladeshi Woman Takes Attacker's Penis To Police  —  DHAKA, Bangladesh - A 40-year-old Bangladeshi woman cut off a man's penis during an alleged attempted rape and took it to a police station as evidence, police in a remote part of the country said Monday.

IMMEDIATE RELEASE  —  DOD Announces Charges Sworn Against Five Detainees Allegedly Responsible for 9/11 Attacks  —  The Department of Defense announced today the office of military commissions prosecutors have sworn charges against five individuals detained at Guantanamo Bay …

The Numbers Are Grim  —  A month ago, when an initial gauge of first-quarter economic growth came in surprisingly weak, many policy makers and economists expected the bad news to prove fleeting.  But when revised data were released last week, the growth estimate remained stuck at an annual rate …

Doctor-Assisted Suicide Is Moral Issue Dividing Americans Most  —  Pornography, gay relations produce biggest generational gaps  —  PRINCETON, NJ — Doctor-assisted suicide emerges as the most controversial cultural issue in Gallup's 2011 Values and Beliefs poll, with Americans divided 45% vs. 48% …

Newt Gingrich's Image Slides Among Republicans  —  Herman Cain and Michele Bachmann continue to lead in positive intensity  —  PRINCETON, NJ — Former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich's Positive Intensity Score dropped to 6 in the two weeks spanning May 16-29, down from 11 for May 9-22.

Cyber Combat: Act of War  —  Pentagon Sets Stage for U.S. to Respond to Computer Sabotage With Military Force  —  WASHINGTON—The Pentagon has concluded that computer sabotage coming from another country can constitute an act of war, a finding that for the first time opens the door for the U.S …

It's Not About You  —  Over the past few weeks, America's colleges have sent another class of graduates off into the world.  These graduates possess something of inestimable value.  Nearly every sensible middle-aged person would give away all their money to be able to go back to age 22 and begin adulthood anew.

‘Mediscare’ Works Because The Consequences of Privatizing Medicare Are Scary  —  Ruth Marcus has many virtues as a political pundit, but her weekend remarks on Medicare (flagged by Steve Benen) reveal that the right is having some success in its plan to cry “mediscare” in an effort …

Barack Obama's decision to play golf on Memorial Day was disrespectful and hardly presidential  —  Can you imagine David Cameron enjoying a round of golf on Remembrance Sunday?  It would be inconceivable for the British Prime Minister to do so, and not just because of the usually dire weather at that time of the year.

Sociology and Other ‘Meathead’ Majors  —  Archie Bunker was right to be skeptical of his son-in-law's opinions.  —  In this happy season of college graduations, students and parents will probably not be reflecting on the poor choices those students made in selecting their courses and majors.

SI investigation reveals eight-year pattern of violations under Tressel … The character traits that have made Jim Tressel a successful football coach and a beloved figure in Ohio are numerous and frequently cited.  Former NFL coach Tony Dungy has praised Tressel's “integrity” …

Rep. Price: Medicare Push Not ‘Smart Thing Politically,’ But ‘Right Thing to Do’  —  ABC News' Rick Klein reports: Republican House leaders are continuing to stand by House Budget Chairman Paul Ryan's Medicare plan, even as Democrats vow to make it an issue in races nationwide next year.

PSST: The end of economics as we know it  —  (Note: I wrote this post quite a while ago, and never published it.  Since I'll be mostly too busy to blog for a few weeks, I've decided to publish some of these old “backup posts”...)  —  Since the recession began, Arnold Kling has been trumpeting …