WASHINGTON, DC – Like it or not, the will-she-or-won't-she whispers about whether Sarah Palin will throw her hat in the ring for a 2012 presidential bid won't end until she states verbatim, "I'm not running." Until then, even the slightest suspicions of her political ambitions will set off speculation. One of the larger such hints is her recent decision to be the keynote speaker at the Iowa Republican Party's Ronald Reagan Dinner. Not only because Iowa plays a unique role in kick-starting the presidentia... (more)

McGREGOR, Texas – Rep. Chet Edwards, an imperiled Democrat deep in the heart of Republican territory, finds exiting American Legion Post No. 273 slow going. Supporters and well-wishers keep stopping him. The wife of a World War II veteran hugs him. Several men line up to shake his hand. Another woman talks to him for about 10 minutes, thanking him for his work on military issues, bringing jobs to this farm and ranching town of about 4,700 and, in her words, thinking for himself. (more)

WASHINGTON – Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton is formally opening the first direct peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians in nearly two years, imploring the two sides to make compromises to forge an agreement. In a ceremony at the State Department, Clinton said the Obama administration is committed to reaching a settlement in a year's time. But she stressed that after decades of failed attempts the main work belongs to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian Preside... (more)

With the recovery faltering less than two months before the November congressional elections, President Obama's economic team is considering another big dose of stimulus in the form of tax breaks for businesses - potentially worth hundreds of billions of dollars, according to two people familiar with the talks. (more)

WASHINGTON – Congress seems increasingly reluctant to let taxes go up, even on wealthier Americans. Worried about the fragile economy and their own upcoming elections, a growing number of Democrats are joining the rock-solid Republican opposition to President Barack Obama's plans to let some of the Bush administration's tax cuts expire. Democratic leaders in Congress still back Obama, but the willingness to raise taxes is waning among the rank and file as the stagnant economy threatens the party's ... (more)

U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski has conceded her Senate primary race to Joe Miller. The Republican made the concession speech Tuesday night, a full week after the primary. Murkowski trailed Miller, a Fairbanks attorney, by 1,668 votes after last week's primary. Election officials began counting absentee and outstanding ballots Tuesday. Murkowski made slight gains, but was never able to get Miller's lead below 1,100 votes. (more)

Conservative Fox News host Glenn Beck, a frequent critic of the mainstream news media, has launched his own news site, The Blaze. The site appears to be modeled after The Huffington Post and not surprisingly, features stories with a conservative bent about some of Beck's favorite issues, such as faith, terrorism, the imam behind the planned Islamic community center in New York City and Beck's "Restoring Honor" rally at the Lincoln Memorial on Saturday. (more)

President Obama will address the nation live from the Oval Office Tuesday night to mark the shift of American troops in Iraq from a combat role to an advisory role -- but he will have to tread carefully, since he was an early and vocal opponent of the war. As early as October 2002, half a year before the fighting started, Obama declared Iraq a "dumb war." The president's chief advisers on Iraq policy, including Vice President Joe Biden and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, are also former critic... (more)

The U.S. National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) now houses the original Nuremberg Laws as issued 75 years ago by Adolph Hitler to establish his legal basis for the persecution of Jews in Germany during WWII. (more)

PHOENIX (Reuters) – The U.S. government will have unmanned surveillance aircraft monitoring the whole southwest border with Mexico from September 1, as it ramps up border security in this election year, a top official said on Monday. Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said U.S. Customs and Border Protection would begin flying a Predator B drone out of Corpus Christi, Texas, on Wednesday, extending the reach of the agency's unmanned surveillance aircraft across the length of the nearly 2,000 mil... (more)