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

Protests for peace in a military stronghold: Virginia Beach

From mock trials to social-justice salons, an ardent group of activists presses forward.
Lights out for fireflies?

Fireflies are dwindling around the world.
Hurricane Gustav causes GOP to tone down convention

McCain might skip the four-day gathering completely, says convention chair Boehner.
Palin, polar bears and the presidency
Is the Republican Party in peril?

Conservative thinkers and political historians think the GOP could be at the end of its historic 40-year grasp on power.
Obama welcomes Palin, kind of
Review: 'Traitor'

Latest 'war on terror' movie falls down in casting likable Don Cheadle as a mass bomber.
Mexico's Supreme Court upholds abortion law

The controversial case has been watched closely by the rest of the country, and may push other states to liberalize their own abortion laws.
Pentagon disputes reports of 90 Afghan civilians killed in US airstrike

Officials say only five civilians died in last week's attack, but UN, Afghanistan say 60 children died in the strike.
Iraq's port city shows signs of an economic comeback

The amount of cargo coming into Umm Qasr has tripled since April.
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Palin pick jolts GOP ranks ahead of convention

Socially conservative and telegenic, Alaska's governor livens the ticket but is questioned on experience.
Soaring speech from Obama, plus some specifics

The Democratic nominee delivers strongest case yet against McCain campaign, prods Americans to change the direction of the country.
Twin Cities: homespun and cosmopolitan

The GOP National Convention opens in a place reflecting the nation’s enduring agrarian myth ... with skyscrapers.
West mulls few options in Georgia-Russia crisis

It gingerly considers how to set consequences for Russia and maintain cooperation.
Void in U.S. strategy for Afghanistan

As officials consider sending more troops to Afghanistan, some worry about the lack of a larger plan.
New Orleans pastors get help from churches across country

A post-Katrina initiative teams up churches nationwide to help rebuild displaced congregations.
As Gustav nears, oil companies shut down rigs

Disruptions in supply could push up pump prices, as they did after Katrina.
Letters to the Editor

Readers write about college demographics, illegal immigrants, the legal drinking age, and war in Sudan.
Opinion: Farewell to world peace?

The Georgian conflict ended 1,716 days of no war between nations. But trends favor peace.
The Monitor's View: Russia trifles with genocide

A 2005 UN mandate that allows invasions to end genocides cannot be claimed by Moscow.
'Pristine' environments and sustainability
Horizon highlights – The stories behind OLPC, NASA shields, and where cellphones RIP