Thursday's Daily Brief

Thursday, May 5, 2011 Arianna Huffington: The Bin Laden Bounce: How Will Obama Use This Moment of Unexpected Unity? Arianna Huffington: After nearly ten years of talk about tracking down Osama bin Laden, it's finally happened. And it's amazing how different the world suddenly feels -- at least for the moment. Coming at a time in which the country is all but paralyzed politically, in which 70 percent feel the country is on the wrong track, and in which real solutions to our problems seem beyond us, there is tremendous spillover power in this accomplishment. Can this real and tangible victory produce conditions that can lead to more successes? The mission to bring bin Laden to justice was a great victory and a testament to the brave soldiers who carried it out. And there's no reason why this sense of tangible achievement must end in Abbottabad. WORLD Obama Decides Against Releasing Bin Laden Photos POLITICS Eric Cantor's Office Denies Report That GOP Is Dropping Medicare Reform BUSINESS GM's Profit More Than Triples On Strong Asia Sales EDUCATION Just How Much Do Students Know About Government? ENTERTAINMENT Long-Lost 'The Godfather' Prequel Revived BLOG POSTS Wendell Potter: Are Insurers Writing the Health Reform Regulations? Health insurance company lobbyists know the media are not paying much attention. And so they are able to influence what health reform regulations actually look like -- and how the law will be enforced -- with little scrutiny, much less awareness. Arianna Huffington: Local Voices: Hyperlocal Blogging Comes to Patch Starting today, through our new Local Voices group blog, we are welcoming bloggers to Patch.com, AOL's national network of hyperlocal sites currently covering community life in over 800 towns across America. Zachary Stockill: The Want for Privacy: Facebook's Assault on Friendship An intimate relationship is something to be cherished, privileged and prioritized. Opening your life up to an enormous network of electronic acquaintances, and all under the label of "friend," is an assault on friendship itself. Michael F. Jacobson: Coca-Cola's Anniversary: Why I'm Not Celebrating Today, "liquid candy" -- non-diet carbonated soft drinks -- is the single largest source of American calories, providing about 7 percent of calories Malou Innocent: Pakistan, America's Feckless Ally Pakistan wants to have its cake and eat it too, much like a cheating spouse. There seems to be more and more evidence, however, that it is worthwhile for America to file for divorce.

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