Obama Opts for Faster Afghan Pullout  —  WASHINGTON — President Obama plans to announce Wednesday evening that he will order the withdrawal of 10,000 American troops from Afghanistan this year, and another 20,000 troops, the remainder of the 2009 “surge,” by the end of next summer …

Famed crime boss James ‘Whitey’ Bulger arrested in Santa Monica  —  Legendary Boston crime boss James “Whitey” Bulger, who has been on the run for more than a decade, was arrested Wednesday in Santa Monica, multiple law enforcement sources told The Times.  —  Bulger, 81, has been the subject …

Why Obama Is Likely to Lose in 2012  —  Even a small drop in the share of black voters would wipe out his winning margin in North Carolina.  —  President Barack Obama is likely to be defeated in 2012.  The reason is that he faces four serious threats.  The economy is very weak and unlikely …

Dutch Court Acquits Freedom Party Leader Geert Wilders of Defaming Muslims  —  Dutch Freedom Party Leader Geert Wilders was acquitted by a court of charges that he made remarks defaming Muslims, ending a three-year prosecution that he described as a bid to restrict his freedom of speech.

Economic Trouble Puzzles Fed Chief, Too  —  The economy's continuing struggles aren't just confounding ordinary Americans.  They've also stumped the head of the Federal Reserve.  —  Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke told reporters Wednesday that the central bank had been caught off guard by recent signs of deterioration in the economy.

Palin cancels trip to Sudan  —  Former Alaska governor Sarah Palin has canceled a trip next month to war-ravaged Sudan, one of the most unstable nations in the world and the focus of passionate advocacy within the U.S. evangelical community.  —  Palin scrapped her visit to the North African country …

Has O.J. Simpson confessed murder to Oprah?  Huge TV interview planned in which convict ‘will admit he killed Nicole in self-defence as she pulled a knife on him’  —  O.J Simpson has confessed to Oprah Winfrey that he murdered his former wife, it has been reported.

Ryan Medicare Plan Would Make Americans Worse by 57%-34%, Poll Shows  —  Representative Paul Ryan, the House Budget Committee chairman who has become a star in the Republican Party with his plan to overhaul Medicare, is emerging as a polarizing figure among Americans.

Some of Tim Pawlenty's top aides working for little or no pay, source says  —  At least five top advisers to former Minnesota governor Tim Pawlenty have been working for little or no pay for several months, a campaign source said Wednesday.  —  The news establishes with more certainty …

Jon Huntsman sees independents as key  —  COLUMBIA, S.C. - Jon Huntsman sketched out a path to the Republican nomination Wednesday that transcends " the conservative base in key early states, an exercise in needle-threading that hinges on his ability to capture a large swath of independent voters.

My (Legal) Editor's Dream  —  Last week, at 11:54 p.m. on Monday night, June 13, an e-mail from Jose Antonio Vargas landed in my inbox.  “Hi Chris,” Jose wrote.  “Hope you are well.  Any chance we can chat on the phone tomorrow?  It's rather urgent and personal — and a possible story for you.”

Inside the Anonymous Army of ‘Hacktivist’ Attackers  —  HOOGEZAND-SAPPEMEER, Netherlands—In this sleepy Dutch town last December, police burst into the bedroom of 19-year-old Martijn Gonlag as he hurriedly pulled on jeans over his boxer shorts.  He was hauled away on suspicion of taking part …

Anxiety, Great Expectations & Weariness, Too  —  For the past ten days, like many gay and lesbian New Yorkers, those of us here at Gay City News have watched the unfolding events in Albany with rapt attention and no small amount of anxiety.  —  June 13 and 14 were two of the most spellbinding days …

Winklevosses Drop Facebook Fight, Keep Settlement  —  If there is ever a sequel to the hit movie “The Social Network,” it is not likely to be set in the stately chambers of the United States Supreme Court.  —  Tyler and Cameron Winklevoss and their partner Divya Narendra on Wednesday dropped …

Self publishing writer becomes million seller  —  An entrepreneur has turned the writing world upside down by becoming the first author to sell more than a million electronic books without a publishing deal.  —  In the last year John has had four of the top 10 books on Amazon/Kindle at the same time, including number one and two

Study: Cost high to fix public pensions  —  (CNN) — American taxpayers would have to pay anywhere from $329 to $2,475 annually per household for 30 years, depending on what state they live in, to remedy the crises in their public employee pensions, a new study said Wednesday.

Private emails detail Obama admin involvement in cutting non-union worker pensions post-GM bailout  —  New emails obtained by The Daily Caller contradict claims by the Obama administration that the Treasury Department would avoid “intervening in the day-to-day management” of General Motors post-auto bailout.

Barney Frank and Ron Paul will Introduce Legislation on Thursday to Fully Legalize Marijuana  —  Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA) and Rep. Ron Paul (R-TX) will introduce “bi-partisan legislation tomorrow ending the federal war on marijuana and letting states legalize, regulate, tax …

Planned Parenthood stops seeing Medicaid patients  —  INDIANAPOLIS - Thousands of low-income Planned Parenthood of Indiana patients were left fending for themselves Tuesday to pay for birth control, breast exams, Pap tests and other medical services while a court battle continued over a new state law …

Obama heads to NY under pressure on gay marriage  —  WASHINGTON (AP) — Talk about timing.  President Barack Obama is about to hold a gala fundraiser in New York City on Thursday for gay supporters — his first as president — just as the New York state Legislature stands on the brink of legalizing gay marriage.

The Surprising Roots of Liberal Nostalgia  —  World War II created confidence in large institutions and big government.  But few would want the cultural conformity of the mid-20th century back.  —  There's a longing on the left for the golden years of the 1940s, '50s and early '60s.

Andrew Sullivan Has No Idea What He's Talking about, but I Agree with His Conclusion  —  Even though he's become rather partisan in recent years, I still enjoy an occasional visit to Andrew Sullivan's blog.  But I was rather amused last night when I read one of his posts …

Ga. puts probationers to work harvesting crops  —  LESLIE, Ga. (AP) — It's 3:25 p.m. in a dusty cucumber field in south Georgia.  A knot of criminal offenders who spent seven hours in the sun harvesting buckets of vegetables by hand have decided they're calling it quits - exactly as crew leader Benito Mendez predicted in the morning.