Obama, Gates and the American Black Man  —  Providence, R.I.  —  IN a speech delivered earlier this year, during Black History Month, Attorney General Eric Holder drew headlines by criticizing the tenor of public discourse on race.  “Though this nation has proudly thought of itself as an ethnic melting pot …

Joltin' Joe whiffs on his own curveball  —  After watching their stimulus package fail to stimulate and an increasing number of Americans wondering whether President Barack Obama has the first clue on economics, Vice President Joe Biden steps back into the fray to rescue his partner.

Obama plays golf....again  —  President Obama has become quite the golf fanatic since he began his presidency.  —  The commander in chief is out on the links again today, playing a round at Andrews Air Force Base.  This is the 10th time in as many weeks that Obama has found time to squeeze in some golf …

The Health Care Reform the People Don't Want  —  David Leonhardt has another in a growing series of great David Leonhardt pieces on the nutty and dysfunctional nature of “fee-for-service” medicine in which doctors are paid for doing stuff rather than for treating illness.

Whale wedged on cruise ship bow  —  A rare whale was discovered wedged on to the bow of a cruise ship when it docked in a Canadian port.  —  The 70ft fin whale, a threatened species in Canada, was found when the Sapphire Princess docked at the Port of Vancouver, the cruise company said.

Axelrod: I'm not thinking about Palin's next move  —  WASHINGTON (CNN) - David Axelrod, one of President Obama's most trusted political advisers, said Sunday that he does not spend time thinking about what Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin might do next.  —  “I can tell you with absolutely honesty …

White House: CBO ‘overstepped’ in its analysis  —  WASHINGTON (CNN) — The White House has criticized the Congressional Budget Office's findings that the Obama administration's proposal to control Medicare costs would yield a moderate savings of $2 billion over the next decade.

The evidence Bush tried to hide  —  Photos from US spy satellites declassified by the Obama White House provide the first graphic images of how the polar ice sheets are retreating in the summer.  The effects on the world's weather, environments and wildlife could be devastating

As Health-Care Quality Rises, So Does Price  —  With Heart Attack Treatments, as Quality Rises, So Does Cost  —  Two decades ago, a famous clinical experiment showed that if a patient in the throes of a heart attack chewed and swallowed an aspirin tablet, the risk of dying fell from 13.2 percent to 10.2 percent.

Clinton: Iran's pursuit of nukes ‘futile’  —  Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said on NBC's “Meet the Press” on Sunday that Iran will never achieve its goal of obtaining a nuclear weapon, declaring to Tehran: “Your pursuit is futile.”  —  “What we want to do is to send a message to whoever …

Conrad: Democrats Alone Can't Pass Health Care  —  Despite their 60-vote majority in the Senate, a top Democrat argued today that Democrats alone can't pull health care reform through Congress.  —  “There are not the votes for Democrats to do this just on our side of the aisle,” Sen. Kent Conrad …

U.S. Command Considering Private Security on Afghan Front Lines  —  Firm Could Have Broad Protection Authority in Afghanistan  —  The U.S. military command is considering contracting a private firm to manage security on the front lines of the war in Afghanistan, even as Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates …