Dominique Strauss-Kahn Resigns From I.M.F.  —  Dominique Strauss-Kahn resigned Wednesday as head of the International Monetary Fund after explosive allegations that he had sexually attacked a cleaning lady in a midtown Manhattan hotel room.  —  “It is with infinite sadness that I feel compelled today …

Arab Spring Spurs Israel to Ice Peace Plan Before Obama Meeting  —  Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had been preparing to greet President Barack Obama at the White House tomorrow with a proposal to resurrect Middle East peace talks, advisers said.  —  That was until Palestinian …

Moderate Jon Huntsman, possible 2012 candidate, tests the waters in today's GOP  —  View Photo Gallery — Who's in and who's out?:   Republicans are beginning to announce whether they will pursue a bid for the presidency.  —  Jon Huntsman Jr. sets off Thursday on his first campaign …

NBC's David Gregory Defends Medicare Question As Newt Gingrich Spokesman Blasts Media ‘Minions’ … NEW YORK — When Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) sits down on “Meet the Press” this Sunday, he can expect to be asked about former House Speaker Newt Gingrich comparing his Medicare voucher plan to “right-wing social engineering.”

Cornel West on Obama is no better than a birther  —  Anyone who knows me, and knows me well, knows that I have little patience for the “Blacker than thou” crowd.  These are the self-appointed guardians of what it means to be black — a decidedly limited and ignorant perspective …

The Year of Living Adulterously  —  What is it with Republicans lately?  —  Nobody wants to run for the presidential nomination.  Mike Huckabee said God told him to stay on Fox News.  NBC told Donald Trump to stay on “Celebrity Apprentice.”  —  Whatever happened to putting your country first?

McConnell leaves House GOP budget twisting in the wind  —  Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (Ky.) is leaving Rep. Paul Ryan's (R-Wis.) budget plan to its own fate in the Senate by not whipping his GOP colleagues on the vote.  —  Republican senators say McConnell has made it clear …

Dick Cheney's memoir will have ‘very strong views,’ daughter Liz says  —  NEW YORK — Dick Cheney has finished his memoir, according to his daughter, and the book is scheduled to come out on Aug. 30.  —  Liz Cheney said that the former vice president's manuscript was turned in at the beginning of the month.

Senate rejects GOP bill to expand, speed up offshore drilling  —  The Senate on Wednesday rejected Republican-backed legislation intended to speed up and expand offshore oil and gas drilling.  —  In a 42-57 vote, the Senate failed to move forward with the bill, which was opposed by the White House and most Senate Democrats.

Peter Fonda calls Obama ‘traitor’ at Cannes  —  CANNES, France — Peter Fonda launched a four-letter attack on US President Barack Obama at the Cannes film festival on Wednesday, calling him a traitor over the handling of the aftermath of the Gulf oil spill.

Rogue tweet by Secret Service!  —  How embarrassing, Secret Service!  (Gawker image)  —  Courtesy  —  Oh, the dangers of social media!  Those instant, regrettable outbursts of unvarnished truth and scantily clad photos.  Today's victim: the Secret Service!

Maria Shriver Hires a Divorce Attorney  —  Maria Shriver, who has split from husband Arnold Schwarzenegger amid a love-child scandal, has hired a divorce lawyer, sources tell PEOPLE.  —  Prominent Los Angeles family law attorney Laura Wasser is now representing California's former first lady, according to sources close to Shriver.

Many With New College Degree Find the Job Market Humbling  —  The individual stories are familiar.  The chemistry major tending bar.  The classics major answering phones.  The Italian studies major sweeping aisles at Wal-Mart.  —  Now evidence is emerging that the damage wrought …

Private Prisons Found to Offer Little in Savings  —  PHOENIX — The conviction that private prisons save money helped drive more than 30 states to turn to them for housing inmates.  But Arizona shows that popular wisdom might be wrong: Data there suggest that privately operated prisons …

The Debt Ceiling Fiasco  —  Fights over the budget are normal and proper in a democracy.  But threatening to default could have dire consequences for the dollar, interest rates and the economy.  —  The debt ceiling “crisis” started on Monday when the U.S. government reached the legal limit …

Disability-Claim Judge Has Trouble Saying ‘No’  —  Near-Perfect Approval Record; Social-Security Program Strained  —  HUNTINGTON, W.Va.—Americans seeking Social Security disability benefits will often appeal to one of 1,500 judges who help administer the program, where the odds of winning are slightly better than even.