Biden Visits Iraq, Offering Diplomacy Amid Impasse  —  BAGHDAD — Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. landed here on Saturday evening for a visit that signaled a desire by the United States to step deeper into a four-month political stalemate that has become a backdrop to the drawdown of American forces this summer.

EXCLUSIVE: GOP prepares as calls for Steele's resignation grows  —  With Republican National Committee Chairman Michael S. Steele facing a barrage of calls to resign, North Dakota Republican Party Chairman Gary Emineth, a social conservative, told The Washington Times on Friday he is quitting …

Illinois Stops Paying Its Bills, but Can't Stop Digging Hole  —  CHICAGO — Even by the standards of this deficit-ridden state, Illinois's comptroller, Daniel W. Hynes, faces an ugly balance sheet.  Precisely how ugly becomes clear when he beckons you into his office to examine his daily briefing memo.

Following up on ‘the first female president’  —  In the days since I suggested that President Obama's rhetorical style mimics feminine tropes, I've been informed of the following:  —  One, a black man cannot show anger in public lest he be considered an Angry Black Man.

Spend or Scrimp?  Two Sides in White House Debate  —  WASHINGTON — Not since the first years of the Clinton administration has a White House had to debate whether to give precedence to stimulating the economy or reducing budget deficits.  Now, as the recovery shows signs of faltering …

Utah radio station dumps Sean Hannity … SALT LAKE CITY (ABC 4 News) - KSL Radio announced that they will no longer air Sean Hannity's syndicated national talk show.  —  The last KSL broadcast of the Sean Hannity show will air on October 1, 2010.  —  The announcement comes after speculation …

Congo: UN says at least 220 dead in oil explosion  —  KINSHASA, Congo - A fuel tanker overturned and burst into flames in eastern Congo, sparking a massive fire that killed at least 220 villagers and wounded more than 200 — some of whom had rushed to siphon leaking liquid from the vehicle illegally …

An Apology to Maradona, a Rollicking Genius  —  Dear Diego: It is high time that we critics say sorry, and thank you.  —  We misjudged your appointment as coach.  We believed that Julio Grondona, the 78-year-old president of Argentina's soccer federation, had lost all sense of reason in asking you …

Jefferson changed ‘subjects’ to ‘citizens’ in Declaration of Independence  —  “Subjects.”  —  That's what Thomas Jefferson first wrote in an early draft of the Declaration of Independence to describe the people of the 13 colonies.  —  But in a moment when history took a sharp turn …

Gates Tightens Rules for Military and the Press  —  WASHINGTON — Nine days after a four-star general was relieved of command for comments made to Rolling Stone magazine, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates issued orders on Friday tightening the reins on officials dealing with the news media.

Live Chat: Blue America Welcomes State Senator Jim Wilson (D-OK)  —  A labor union president once told me that the worst Democrat in Congress, at least from the point of view of ordinary working families, is Oklahoma reactionary Dan Boren.  I've never been able to find anyone to persuade me that he was wrong.

West Va. Secretary of State pushes for Senate special election change  —  West Virginia Secretary of State Natalie Tennant (D) is calling on Gov. Joe Manchin (D) and the state Legislature to decide in a special session whether West Virginia law allows for the special election to succeed …

NOAA Models Long-Term Oil Threat to Gulf and East Coast Shoreline  —  NOAA has used modeling of historical wind and ocean currents to project the likelihood that surface oil from the Deepwater Horizon/BP oil spill will impact additional U.S. coastline.  This modeling, part of NOAA's comprehensive response …

Clinton announces U.S. pledge of $15M for Auschwitz preservation  —  The Obama administration has pledged $15 million to the foundation created to preserve the Auschwitz concentration camp.  —  Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton announced the grant Saturday that will go to the Auschwitz …