Apocalypse not right now: ‘Rapture’ end of world fails to materialise  —  Reports of the end of the world appeared to have been exaggerated today.  —  Inhabitants of New Zealand, scheduled to be among the first to meet the apocalypse according to a US fundamentalist preacher …

Obama's Peace Tack Contrasts With Key Aide, Friend of Israel  —  WASHINGTON — Five days ago, during a closed-door meeting with a group of Middle East experts, administration officials, and journalists, King Abdullah II of Jordan gave his assessment of how Arabs view the debate within …

Prosser wins recount in Wisconsin Supreme Court race  —  Vote margin still at 7,000 plus; Kloppenburg camp considers legal challenge  —  By Patrick Marley, Larry Sandler and Mike Johnson of the Journal Sentinel  —  With the weeks-long recount complete, unofficial numbers confirm …

Tucson SWAT Team Defends Shooting Iraq Vet 60 Times  —  A Tucson, Ariz., SWAT team defends shooting an Iraq War veteran 60 times during a drug raid, although it declines to say whether it found any drugs in the house and has had to retract its claim that the veteran shot first.

Tough week for Tea Party ends with fizzling rally  —  The Columbia Tea Party went from Donald Trump to jilted chump after the celebrity businessman canceled his appearance at Thursday's State House rally, and state legislators approved tax breaks and spending that the group opposed.

Krauthammer: C'mon, Herman Cain's candidacy is for entertainment purposes only  —  Via the Right Scoop, I'm not nearly as sure as Kraut is that this is true.  If Palin surprises everyone by staying out, Iowa will be wide open for a “true conservative” to emerge.

White House on War Powers Deadline: ‘Limited’ US Role in Libya Means No Need to Get Congressional Authorization  —  In an effort to satisfy those arguing he needs to seek congressional authorization to continue US military activity in accordance with the War Powers Resolution …

GOP Response To Town Hall Backlash: Ban Recording Devices And Censor Citizen Journalists  —  The premier political story of the past few months has been the Republican plan to dismantle Medicare and the resulting voter backlash.  In town halls across the country, voters are expressing …

Harry Reid: ‘Foolish’ for Democrats to offer budget plan  —  Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid speaks on Capitol Hill Tuesday.  (Brendan Smialowski / Getty Images)  —  Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said it would be “foolish” for Democrats to propose their own federal budget for 2012 …

Islands in the stream: The extraordinary homemade dams holding back the Mississippi as desperate residents try to save their homes  —  We've all undertaken home improvements but these residents in flood-stricken Mississippi have had to embark on major construction projects just to protect their houses and livelihoods.

Profiling CEOs and Their Sociopathic Paychecks  —  The Wall Street Journal reported last week that “Executives and other highly compensated employees now receive more than one-third of all pay in the US.  Highly paid employees received nearly $2.1 trillion of the $6.4 trillion in total US pay in 2007, the latest figures available.”

Ann Coulter explains why she will never use the ‘n-word’  —  As an outspoken commentator, Ann Coulter has received her share of criticism for using language deemed off-limits by the political correctness police.  In 2007, she took heat for using the word “faggot” when talking …

Mayor Is Criticized for Comments on Parents at Poor Schools  —  Responding to a lawsuit filed on Wednesday seeking to prevent the city from closing 22 poor-performing schools, Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg made a comment that has sparked outrage among some community leaders.