Topic: United States

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Bestselling books the week of 5/19/13, according to IndieBound*

What's selling best in independent bookstores across America.
Test your Gangnam style?

Pop music sensation Psy has taught his signature horsey dance to everyone from the UN’s Ban Ki-moon to Britney Spears. But how much do you know about the artist?
Playing the IRS card: Six presidents who used the IRS to bash political foes

Since the advent of the federal income tax about a century ago, several presidents – or their zealous underlings – have directed the IRS to use its formidable police powers to harass or punish enemies, political rivals, and administration critics. Here are six infamous episodes.
Briefing
IRS 101: Seven questions about the tea party scandal

The Internal Revenue Service is under the microscope now, as revelations have emerged that the agency wrongly targeted conservative groups seeking nonprofit status. Here’s an accounting of what has happened, along with the ramifications.
Bestselling books the week of 5/12/13, according to IndieBound*

What's selling best in independent bookstores across America.

All Content

Apollo 11 at 40: Restored video helps savor the accomplishment
Mexico's drug war: Cartel kills 12 federal officers

The torture and killings could foreshadow a new surge in battles between authorities and drug cartels in the Mexican president's home state of Michoacán.
Ousted Honduran leader calls for 'insurrection'

Manuel Zelaya's rhetoric may make this weekend's talks more difficult and could spark violence in the tense and divided country, analysts say.
Malaysia's opposition leader prepares for sodomy trial – again

Anwar Ibrahim, who heads an increasingly popular alliance, says the charges are meant to check his rise to power.
Why Palestinian leaders have banned Al Jazeera

Ahead of a major Fatah leadership conference, the Arab TV network reported Tuesday that President Mahmoud Abbas had been involved in an assassination plot against his predecessor, Yasser Arafat.
NAM summit: starring Castro, Ahmadinejad, and the global economy

Formed as a cold-war forum for developing countries that didn’t want to take sides, the movement has struggled to find its way since the USSR collapsed.
As Obama presses health reform, GOP unifies

Obama wants the House and Senate to pass versions of health legislation before the August recess. But Republican senators say that the Senate's proposal would only make things worse.
European missile shield not set in stone, Pentagon says

The head of the Missile Defense Agency suggests the plans could be altered, echoing President Obama's desire to compromise with Russia.
Opinion: What Palestinians really think about Obama

The lack of US contact with Gaza has created a gulf that thwarts progress in the region.
The Monitor's View: The gray in 'green jobs'

Everyone from patent lawyers for washing machines to security guards in green buildings wants a ride on this gravy train.
California: no longer golden? Discuss.
Fed's outlook brightens. Is deflation still a threat?
Dow's star-spangled rally: 10 days too late?
City bees are all the buzz

Beekeeping gains in the concrete jungle, despite some concerns.
Bing continues to climb. What's Microsoft's target? (Hint: It's not Google.)
How the Beatles Destroyed Rock ‘n’ Roll

A catchy title for an alternative history of American popular music.
How one youth was drawn to jihad in Somalia

Like the Somali-American from Minnesota who was killed this weekend, Tawakal Ahmed was recruited through mosques in Kenya to fight for Islamic militants in Mogadishu.
Drug cartels launch Mexico's 'Tet offensive'

Gunmen shot up police stations across the country in an apparent retaliation for the arrest of a suspected leader of La Familia drug cartel.
Is China spying on Uighurs abroad?

Sweden arrested Uighur exile Babur Mehsut last month on charges of 'refugee espionage.'
Anger China or defend Uighurs? Turkey walks fine line.

Beijing urged Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan to retract his statement that China is committing "genocide" against its Muslim minority.
Why US diplomats are visiting Israeli settlers

The Obama administration has made firm demands for Israel to halt all settlement expansion. But political officers are making trips to talk with settlers directly.
In Israel, US envoy maps peace with Syria

Frederic C. Hof, author of a March report suggesting an environmental preserve and other initiatives in the disputed Golan Heights, is meeting with Israeli officials.
Has Ahmadinejad lost his global following?

After stamping out election protests, Iran may see its "resistance" brand weaken. The first big test: The Non-Aligned Movement summit, which opens Wednesday in Egypt.
Iran executes 13 Sunni rebels

The condemned were members of Jundallah, which claims to fight for the rights of Sunnis in majority-Shiite Iran. The government has accused the group of ties to Pakistan and the US.
Honduras: Deciphering poll numbers

Do Hondurans support the ouster of President Manuel Zelaya or not? A recent poll has two sets of data that reveal a nuanced public view.