A kinder, gentler White House? With Rahm Emanuel leaving D.C. to make a grab for the Chicago Machine, President Obama installs a new/old chief of staff, Pete Rouse. Rouse, who ran Obama's Senate office, will be way less a drama queen than his pugnacious predecessor. Slate hints at the real reason for all the free fellatio for Obama's new chief: Access!

Pakistan is getting more and more pissed about the frenzy of drones we keep sending over the border to frag suspected terrorists. Fifteen more people were reported killed in the attacks today, even as a vital shipping route for NATO troops in Afghanistan remains closed in protest.

Ten bucks says Fox News already sent him a text: "Tok l8tr"? CNN fired broadcaster Rick Sanchez after he said all the big networks were run by Jews and that Jon Stewart is a bigot. Sanchez was on thin ice after already calling Obama the "cotton-picking president." Also, no one ever watched his show.

And who didn't see this coming?
Israeli settlements continue to be built in the West Bank, American intercessors couldn't help bring everyone back to the table, and now Palestinian leaders are demanding the suspension of four-week-old peace talks.

Only the big issues, like zoo animals! Metro presidential candidates Bob Stacey and Tom Hughes debated one another at the Portland City Club yesterday, dueling over the Columbia River Crossing (Stacey says no; Hughes says yes) and the region's "urban growth boundary."

They're coming out of the circle! Britain's charity law recognizes Druidism as an official religion. It's a big step into the modern world for a way of life that predates Christianity. Next up? More rights for half-elves and necromancers!

Bank of America is the latest financial megalith to smarten up and suspend foreclosures, in nearly two dozen states, amid reports its agents rushed the process for thousands of homeowners by failing to verify the information contained in foreclosure documents.

He gave us 21 Jump Street, The A-Team, The Rockford Files, and a shit-ton of other predictable-yet-popular television procedurals and serials. But I'll remember Stephen J. Cannell just as much for one of the catchiest guitar licks the Earth has ever heard.