Jobs Plan Stalled, Obama to Try New Economic Drive  —  WASHINGTON — With his jobs plan stymied in Congress by Republican opposition, President Obama on Monday will begin a series of executive-branch actions to confront housing, education and other economic problems over the coming months …

The Hole in Europe's Bucket  —  If it weren't so tragic, the current European crisis would be funny, in a gallows-humor sort of way.  For as one rescue plan after another falls flat, Europe's Very Serious People — who are, if such a thing is possible, even more pompous and self-regarding …

Libya's liberation: interim ruler unveils more radical than expected plans for Islamic law  —  Libya's interim leader outlined more radical plans to introduce Islamic law than expected as he declared the official liberation of the country.  —  Mustafa Abdul-Jalil, the chairman …

Google Speaks Truth to Power  —  About the growing regulatory state, even Google's Eric Schmidt—a big supporter of the Obama administration—now feels the need to tell it like it is.  —  Eric Schmidt, executive chairman of Google, gave a remarkable interview this month to the Washington Post.

Medical help for illegal immigrants could haunt Mitt Romney  —  On the Republican campaign trail, he derides any such public aid.  But the healthcare law he signed as Massachusetts governor allows it.  —  Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney sharply criticizes public aid for illegal immigrants.

U.S. rating likely to be downgraded again: Merrill  —  NEW YORK (Reuters) - The United States will likely suffer the loss of its triple-A credit rating from another major rating agency by the end of this year due to concerns over the deficit, Bank of America Merrill Lynch forecasts.

STATE OF THE UNION WITH CANDY CROWLEY  —  Interview With Secretary Clinton; Interview With Vice President Biden; Interview With Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell  —  THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT.  THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

Jindal: Four.  More.  Years  —  Say, did you hear about the big election yesterday?  Well, if you're like the majority of the country, you probably weren't even aware anyone was voting on Saturday.  But for the politically addicted, you might have known that Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal was up for another term.

Democrats duck Obama  —  Despite President Barack Obama's sagging poll ratings, top Democratic leaders from around the country insist they'd love for him to visit.  From state party chairmen to House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, the message remains remarkably consistent: No one views the president as a political liability.

Chemical bomb tossed into Occupy Maine encampment  —  PORTLAND — Portland police are looking for the person who threw a chemical bomb at the Occupy Maine encampment in Portland during the early morning hours today.  —  Sgt. Glen McGary said police responded around 4 a.m. today to an explosion …

More Jobs Predicted for Machines, Not People  —  A faltering economy explains much of the job shortage in America, but advancing technology has sharply magnified the effect, more so than is generally understood, according to two researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Americans Would Swap Electoral College for Popular Vote  —  Majority of Republicans now agree with most Democrats that Constitution should be amended  —  PRINCETON, NJ — Nearly 11 years after the 2000 presidential election brought the idiosyncrasies of the United States' Electoral College into full view …

Rick Perry Goes Birther: After Meeting With Trump, 'I Don't Know' If Obama's Birth Certificate Is Real  —  In April, in an effort to appease a vocal group of conspiracy theorists who believe President Obama was not born in the United States, Obama released his “long-form” birth certificate from Hawaii.

Romney, Once a Critic, Hedges on Flat-Tax Plans  —  As several leading Republican presidential candidates embrace a flat tax as a core campaign position, one contender stands out in not doing so: Mitt Romney, who has a long record of criticizing such plans and famously derided Steve Forbes's 1996 proposal as a “tax cut for fat cats.”

The Next War: At Pentagon, Leon E. Panetta Charts Change of Course  —  WASHINGTON — Tan and ruddy-faced, Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta took his seat in a hearing room one morning this month ready for battle.  The enemy, he warned lawmakers ominously, was “a blind, mindless” one that could …