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Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti on Sunday rejected talk of a euro crisis and said Rome was open to the idea of a tax on financial transactions championed by France - but only if the measure was part of an EU-wide effort. "The euro is not in crisis, the currency has solidly maintained its exchange rate with the dollar," Monti said on RAI 3 public television, adding that Italy's "banking system is not under threat". "The problem we are facing is that some EU countries have a public debt crisis," he said. "Our crisis is a systemic crisis." Monti, a...

Ten years ago, science writer Gary Taubes exercised an hour a day. He avoided fat in his diet, never even using milk in his oatmeal. But he kept gaining weight. As an experiment, the self-described carnivore tried the high-protein, low-carbohydrate Atkins diet - eating bacon and eggs for breakfast, pepperoni with melted mozzarella for lunch, and a steak for dinner - and lost 20 pounds in six weeks. Since then, Taubes, an award-winning journalist and best-selling author, has stuck with the diet and spent countless hours collecting evidence to prove that it's not how much we eat but what we...

While the Northeast is still reeling from a surprise October snowstorm that has left more than a million people without power for days, the United Nations is about to release its latest document on adaptation to climate change. The report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change is expected conclude that there is a high probability that man-made greenhouse gases already are causing extreme weather that has cost governments, insurers, businesses and individuals billions of dollars. And it is certain to predict that costs due to extreme weather will rise and some areas of the world will become more perilous...

Because Governor Rick Perry has backed some especially harsh anti-illegal immigrant legislation (like a bill that would outlaw sanctuary cities) Latino rights activists want Hispanics to switch over to the republican party and vote Perry out of the G.O.P race for the presidential nomination during the upcoming primary season. ... "I think to a lot of Democrats what Governor Perry represents is something that they detest"

Imagine you wrote a letter to the White House to share your personal struggle and instead of receiving a form letter in return, President Obama cut you a check. It's happened, and more than once, according to Washington Post reporter Eli Saslow's new book "Ten Letters: The Stories Americans Tell Their President." Fellow Post reporter Nia-Malika Henderson writes Friday on a surprising excerpt from Saslow's book: A few times during his presidency, Obama admitted, he had written a personal check or made a phone call on the writer's behalf, believing that it was his only way to ensure a fast...

New York City voters side with the 'Occupy Wall Street' protesters by a 3-to-1 margin, according to a Quinnipiac University poll released today. Sixty-seven percent of 1,068 registered voters side with those who've called Manhattan's Zuccotti Park their base for one month. Eighty-seven percent of those surveyed say it is "okay that they are protesting," the poll found. "It's a free country. Let them keep on protesting as long as they obey the law, New Yorkers say overwhelmingly," said Maurice Carroll, director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute. "Critics complain that no one can figure out what the protesters are...

 Occupy wall street suffers more police brutality from the wheels of NYPD mechanized units. Only this time they attack the legal observers there to protect the protestors.TWO Views: 1) YouTube2) Vimeo Gosh, I hope the poor guy survives. 

In a late Friday afternoon dump, Attorney General Eric Holder has sent a letter to the House Overight Committee addressing Operation Fast and Furious and the allegations that he lied to Congress on May 3 when he said he had only known about Fast and Furious for "a couple of weeks." Memos released this week show Holder was briefed and sent direct memos on the program at least five times in July and August 2010, nearly a year before Holder admitted under oath. In the letter, Holder states: I also want to be very clear that protecting American citizens from...

U.S. President Barack Obama was set to release Jonathan Pollard but his vice president thwarted the move, The New York Times has reported. According to the report, Vice President Joe Biden met last week with 15 rabbis in Boca Raton, Florida, when he was asked by one of them why Pollard, who was convicted in 1986, was still in prison. In response to the question Biden said, “President Obama was considering clemency, but I told him, ‘Over my dead body are we going to let him out before his time.’” He added, “If it were up to me, he would...

President Obama's $447 billion American Jobs Act is getting mostly solid marks from business experts and economists, who worry that a divided Congress may be unable to pass anything meaningful in time. Cecilia Rouse, economics professor at Princeton and former member of President Obama's Council of Economic Advisers, said the president is proposing a "sensible" package of strategies. "They are a critical form of assistance for so many families as well as one of the fastest and most effective ways of helping to increase economic activity during a downturn," she said. Rouse said the proposed employment tax cuts, for both...

With approval ratings at an all-time low, Obama can't afford to offend his remaining supporters. But from cap-and-trade to smog standards to the Keystone XL oil pipeline, he seems to be doing just that. No president is oblivious to such trends, and Obama seems to be responding. He recently took a bus tour through key swing states, and will soon address Congress to explain his new plan for promoting job growth. He's leaning on federal agencies to cut costs, a nod to Republican budget hawks, and has pledged to reduce "regulatory burdens and regulatory uncertainty." But in his rush to...

Gibbs: 'We're not running against George W. Bush' By Michael O'Brien - 08/16/11 08:24 AM ET President Obama's reelection campaign isn't running against the specter of former President George W. Bush, said a top voice for the president's 2012 campaign. Robert Gibbs, the former White House press secretary-turned-campaign surrogate, accused the field of Republican presidential candidates of reviving the policies that caused the current economic difficulties. But that doesn't mean the Obama campaign's running against Bush, Gibbs maintained. "We're not running against George W. Bush," he said on MSNBC, explaining that it's just many of the policies of Bush "But...

With the economy sputtering, Democratic political operatives view former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney as the main Republican threat to President Obama's reelection, according to this week's National Journal Political Insiders Poll. Democratic Insiders see Texas Gov. Rick Perry, who has not yet declared whether or not he will run for president, as the second strongest against Obama. A separate poll of Republican insiders, released Thursday, also showed Perry as Romney's main GOP challenger.

Voters remain strongly supportive of a free market economy over one controlled by the government and still think small businesses are hurt more than big businesses when the government does get involved. A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 72% of Likely U.S. Voters believe a free market economy is better than an economy managed by the government. Just 14% think a government-managed economy is better. Another 14% are not sure.

Sitting miles offshore in Lake Superior, Isle Royale National Park is about as good as you can get for a wilderness sanctuary in the interior of a continent. But while the park's isolation has provided a perfect, controlled laboratory for its famous predator-prey studies of wolves and moose, the island is not immune to "unnatural" threats, both from the air and the ground. Mercury from air pollution is measurable in the fat of its inland-lake fish, and stowaways from hikers' boots - non-native, invasive plant species such as garlic mustard - now sprout from its interior trails. The problems facing...

Report: Prosser grabbed fellow court justice's neck during argument By Bill Lueders, Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism Updated: June 25, 2011 11:01 a.m. |(854) Comments Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice David Prosser allegedly grabbed fellow Justice Ann Walsh Bradley around the neck in an argument in her chambers last week, according to at least three knowledgeable sources. Details of the incident, investigated jointly by Wisconsin Public Radio and the Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism, remain sketchy. The sources spoke on the condition that they not be named, citing a need to preserve professional relationships. They say an argument that occurred before...

CHERRY HILL, N.J. -- A New Jersey teenager says she's received threats since challenging U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann to a debate over the Constitution. Ann Myers challenged the tea party favorite in a letter dated April 29. After it started getting media attention last weekend, commenters on tea party websites have threatened to publish her home address and some have threatened violence.

(Reuters Health) - Climate change threatens far more than our environment. It's already led to the spread of infectious diseases and respiratory ailments across the globe and contributed to thousands of deaths through heat waves and other extreme weather events. It's even fueled recent revolts in the Middle East and North Africa. That's according to Dan Fibber and Dr. Paul Epstein, the authors of a new book, Changing Planet, Changing Health: How the Climate Crisis Threatens Our Health and What We Can Do about It. The health of all humans is directly tied to how we, as communities, nations, and...

CHICAGO (Reuters) – The sign at the entrance to President Barack Obama's new 2012 campaign headquarters says: "Respect. Empower. Include. Win." A swarm of reporters got a sneak peak at the Obama's headquarters on Thursday at a downtown Chicago office building. The 50,000 square-foot space occupying a full floor of the building, is mostly open except for rows of tables sparsely populated by roughly 50 staffers and volunteers. The number of campaign operatives will be increased during Obama's re-election bid and Campaign Manager Jim Messina and other operatives said the space's organization reflects Obama's grassroots campaign style, which is open...

He’s a centristy maverick with foreign policy chops — and you know how well those types do against Barack Obama in national elections. Top Democrats in and outside the White House, speaking on background so they could be more candid, suggest that former US Ambassador to China and Utah Governor Jon Huntsman would be the GOP candidate President Obama would least like to face in 2012 — but they think he can’t win the nomination.The very qualities that make Huntsman formidable in November 2012 — his centrism and bipartisanship — will work against him in Iowa and South Carolina, Democrats...

The first Muslim elected to Congress says the death of Osama bin Laden marks the most significant accomplishment yet in the war against al-Qaida. Minneapolis Democrat Keith Ellison on Monday commended the U.S. armed forces and intelligence community for finding bin Laden, and he says President Barack Obama demonstrated decisive leadership as commander in chief.

(CBS News)PORTLAND, Ore. - A Monday evening rally to celebrate the death of Osama Bin Laden has been cancelled due to security concerns, reports CBS affiliate KOIN. "Just the reaction of last nights' news has been different, in different communities and we have been getting emails. Some have been supportive - sending best wishes and there are really 'out there' emails," said Salma Ahmad, President of the Islamic Society of Greater Portland. Ahmad didn't go into detail about the threats but it could be coming from both people who have an axe to grind with Muslims and Muslims who sympathize...

However, CAIR was unequivocal on Sunday in support for bin Laden's death. "We join our fellow citizens in welcoming the announcement that Osama bin Laden has been eliminated as a threat to our nation and the world through the actions of American military personnel," the CAIR statement says. "As we have stated repeatedly since the 9/11 terror attacks, bin Laden never represented Muslims or Islam. In fact, in addition to the killing of thousands of Americans, he and Al Qaeda caused the deaths of countless Muslims worldwide. We also reiterate President Obama's clear statement tonight that the United States is...

President Barack Obama this week said Jesus’ death and resurrection on Easter “puts everything else in perspective,” at a White House event that showcased his increasing comfort with discussing his faith. Using the kind of personal religious language that he had once shied away from in public, Obama spoke of “the pain and the scorn and the shame of the cross” in an Easter prayer breakfast for about 150 guests and staff. “And we’re reminded that in that moment, (Jesus) took on the sins of the world — past, present and future — and he extended to us that unfathomable...

Always beware the ides of March. For Vanessa Hudgens, that meant dealing with the leak of a brand-new batch of shocking nude photos, which blazed the web on Tuesday March 15. PHOTOS: Her ex Zac Efron's transformation It's not the first time the Sucker Punch actress, 22, has dealt with similar pics. Reportedly self-taken, nude photos were released without authorization first in 2007 -- and another batch in 2009. "Vanessa is deeply upset and angered that these old photos, which were taken years ago, continue to resurface," the star's attorney, Christopher Wong, tells UsMagazine.com in a statement

"Democrats have long fought for fiscal responsibility as a top priority of this Congress. We won't go into the history right now, but it is well known that President Clinton took us out of a period of deficit into his last five budgets being in surplus or in balance," Democratic House Leader Nancy Pelosi said on the floor today.

In response to this week's shameful exposure of bias at NPR, a couple of its hosts on Friday had an on air discussion about whether or not the radio network does indeed have a political leaning.

That, from the new statement from NPR's Dana Rehm, is the shoe that took all day to drop. The entire statement, which also clarifies that Schiller decided to leave before the sting occurred:The comments contained in the video released today are contrary to everything we stand for, and we completely disavow the views expressed. NPR is fair and open minded about the people we cover. Our reporting reflects those values every single day – in the civility of our programming, the range of opinions we reflect and the diversity of stories we tell. The assertion that NPR and public radio...

President Barack Obama gave an unusually personal speech about his religious faith on Thursday, saying that "it is the biblical injunction to serve the least of these that keeps me going and keeps me from being overwhelmed," in address to a prayer breakfast in Washington. The speech, delivered at the National Prayer Breakfast, comes on the heels of public opinion surveys that show only a minority of Americans know that Obama is a Christian and that a growing number believe he's a Muslim.

This morning, the Labor Department released its employment data for December, showing that the U.S. economy ended the year by adding 113,000 private sector jobs, knocking the unemployment rate down sharply from 9.8 percent to 9.4 percent — its lowest rate since July 2009…. October and November’s jobs numbers were also revised upward by almost 80,000 each. Still, 14.5 million Americans remain unemployed, and jobs will have to be created much faster in coming months for the country to pull itself out of the economic doldrums.

Tucson, Arizona (CNN) -- Arizona shooting victim James Eric Fuller sent his apologies Monday for telling a Tea Party leader, "you are dead." Dorothy DeRuyter, a companion of Fuller's, provided CNN with a statement. "I would like to tender my sincerest apologies to Mr. (Trent) Humphries for my misplaced outrage on Saturday at the St. Odelia's town meeting," Fuller said in the statement. "It was not in the spirit of our allegiance and warm feelings to each other as citizens of our great country." Fuller, 63, was involuntarily committed to a county mental health facility after he photographed Tucson Tea...

Many Americans were startled to see University of Arizona students distributing t-shirts at the memorial service in Tucson yesterday. On the front of the shirts, "Together We Thrive" was printed, along with a trendy logo. University spokeswoman Jennifer Fitzenberger told FoxNation.com "it was our idea to do the t-shirts."

Republicans are already celebrating their comeback — and promising an even bigger year in 2012. Oddly enough, Walter Mondale knows exactly how they feel. His party's obituary was written by the press after the 1980 election, when Ronald Reagan capitalized on stagflation to score a 44-state landslide over Jimmy Carter. Just like Obama, Reagan came to power with enormous expectations and soaring popularity — only to watch it all melt away in his first two years on the job, thanks to a brutal recession and double-digit unemployment.

As the president’s numbers climb sharply, results suggest that Democrats may be succeeding in firing up their base. Despite doom-saying about Democrats’ chances in the midterms, the latest NEWSWEEK Poll (full results) shows that they remain in a close race with Republicans 12 days before Election Day, while the president’s approval ratings have climbed sharply. The poll finds that 48 percent of registered voters would be more likely to vote for Democrats, compared with 42 percent who lean Republican (those numbers are similar to those in the last NEWSWEEK Poll, which found Democrats favored 48 percent to 43 percent). President...

It's not here yet, but next week Microsoft is hosting a media event where it is expected to unveil launch details for the highly-anticipated Windows Phone 7 platform. With Microsoft's virtual absence from the smartphone arena in recent years, and the rise of iPhone and Android, Windows Phone 7 may be too little, too late. However, there are a few compelling reasons to take a closer look and consider making a switch to Windows Phone 7. 1. Hubs. The hubs concept is one of the smartphone paradigm shifts imagined by Microsoft. Grouping apps and functions based on general categories is...

Obama says he ignored Beck rally He seemed intent on casting himself as above the political fray, saying he had more important work to do than to engage in the back and forth of the political “silly season.” For example, Obama said he did not watch any of Fox News Channel host Glenn Beck’s “Restoring Honor” rally Saturday on the National Mall. “It’s not surprising that somebody like a Mr. Beck is able to stir up a certain portion of the country. That's been true throughout our history,” he said. But “I’m making decisions that are not necessarily good for...

President Obama chuckles when Brian Williams asks him about polls that show may Americans still believe he is a Muslim. He says he doesn't pay much attention to those polls, because "I can't spend all my time with my birth certificate plastered on my forehead."

Although it's not clear if Sidney Harman made the best offer of the suitors vying to purchase Newsweek magazine, there is one reason that was made clear by Donald E. Graham, chairman of The Washington Post Co. (NYSE:WPO). According to Mike Allen at Politico, Harman's bid was accepted by Graham partly because he felt comfortable with Harman's politics. "Graham felt comfortable with Harman's centrist politics, and was comforted by the idea of selling to a stalwart of the Washington establishment," Allen wrote. "Harman is expected to preserve the serious-minded, essentially New-Democratic tone [outgoing Newsweek editor Jon] Meacham set for the...

Use the President's history-making leadership skills in any business setting! In his historic rise to the most powerful position in the world, Barack Obama single-handedly altered the concept of leadership around the world. Now, Shel Leanne—the expert on the Obama way of leadership—explains how to thrive in any business setting by adopting the same skill set. Leadership the Barack Obama Way examines the ins and outs of the leadership style the President of the United States rode to heights of power nobody dreamed possible just a short time ago. Leanne breaks down Obama’s style into easily digestible pieces that you...

One of the enduring story lines of Barack Obama’s presidency, dating back to the earliest days of his candidacy, is that the press loves him. “Most of you covered me. All of you voted for me,” Obama joked last year at the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner. But even then, only four months into his presidency, the joke fell flat. Now, a year later, with another correspondents’ dinner Saturday night likely to generate the familiar criticism of the press’s cozy relationship with power, the reality is even more at odds with the public perception. Obama and the media actually have...

Ron Paul: Barack Obama is Not a Socialist NEW ORLEANS–Republicans and tea party activists are fond of accusing President Barack Obama of being a socialist, but today party gadfly Ron Paul said they had it wrong. “In the technical sense, in the economic definition, he is not a socialist,” the Texas Republican said to a smattering of applause at the Southern Republican Leadership Conference. “He’s a corporatist,” Paul quickly added, meaning the president takes “care of corporations and corporations take over and run the country.”

Tonight, Al Sharpton claims he seen a video of where a racist remark was yelled as the Democrats passed through the protesters. O'Reilly tries to bring him back to reality by saying there never was any video that ever showed that. Let Sharpton put up!

Could this be another ploy for campaign money by being outrageous from House of Representatives bomb-thrower Rep. Alan Grayson, R-Fla.? Since his tirade alleging Republicans want you to “die quickly” if you lack health insurance, the Florida congressman has made this his shtick — as it has shown to raise a lot of campaign money from the nutroots elements of the left across the country. ...more (w/video)...

A lot of people see doom on the Democratic Party's horizon this fall. Respected political analyst Charlie Cook has even said he believes Republicans will recapture the House this year. But Howard Dean, the former governor who served as chairman of the Democratic National Committee until last year, believes things might not be as bad as they seem. "I think what you're going to see in the fall is not so much an anti-Democratic vote, I think you're going to see an anti-incumbent vote, and I think that's going to include Republicans," Dean said in an interview with Salon on...

"You know, we share some of the views of the Tea Partiers in terms of the role of special interest in Washington, D.C."

WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) -- President Barack Obama told business leaders Wednesday that he's no socialist plotting a government takeover of the economy. His administration isn't anti-business, he said in a speech to the Business Roundtable, an organization of chief executive officers of major U.S. corporations. "It's pro-America and I don't apologize for it." "Contrary to the claims of some of my critics, I am an ardent believer in the free market," Obama said. "I believe businesses like yours are the engines of economic growth in this country." I firmly believe that America's success in large part depends on your success," Obama...

There’s been a majority in favor of it since 1998 but the split at the time was 52/39. Now it’s 69/27, with Republicans and indies both above 60 percent. A fitting exclamation point to a week that saw conservatives hold the gay-friendliest CPAC evah. Support for allowing gays in the military is much higher among Democrats than Republicans, but the policy wins support from a majority of Republicans as well. More than eight in ten Democrats say that gays should be allowed to serve; 62 of Republicans and 63 percent of Independents agree with that view. The poll’s release follows...

President Obama will be "re-elected overwhelmingly," Sen. Chris Dodd (D-Conn.) confidently predicted today. Appeaing on Imus in the Morning, Dodd rejected a comparison between Obama and Jimmy Carter and said Obama will be more politically successful. "No, no, no. You're wrong on that," Dodd told Imus of the Carter comparison. "That's a mark we'll put it down. This man will be reelected and reelected overwhelmingly." Meanwhile, speaking of his own decision not to run for re-election, Dodd said he would not run even if he was 100% sure he would win. Dodd recounted making the decision as he visited Ted...

Watching TCM this morning - One of the 31 days of Oscar promos talks about the Oscar being like the Medal of Honor.

Here is video of GOP Strategist Ed Rollins saying that there really are "no RINOS" (Republicans in Name Only) left in the Republican Party. He made the remark after John Avlon of "The Daily Beast" said that the Tea Party Movement is determined to run "RINOS" out of the Republican Party. (VIDEO)