Dana Milbank on Hagel's confirmation, Sheila Bair on why the GOP should care about income inequality, Richard Karlgaard on Wal-Mart's dipping sales, Simon Jenkins on Europe's resurgent populism, and Mathew Ingram on new anti-piracy rules.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel flew in the lion's den on Tuesday, visting Greek leaders in Athens where protesters came out in force to tell her exactly what they think of Germany's role in the eurozone.
Greek workers are staging a day-long general strike in Athens today that has paralyzed the country and lead to increasingly dangerous confrontations with police.
A chart from the International Monetary Fund's global financial stability report shows just how dire the need for cash is for Spanish and Italian banks which are poised to receive fresh funds from the European Central Bank.
The island of Cyprus became the fifth European country to request a bailout for its struggling banks, and the estimated 10 billion euros needed would amount to more than half its total economy.
Pro-bailout parties in Greece have taken a little over 40 percent of the vote in the election on Sunday, calming global fears of a Euro exit, if they can form a government.
Almost one-quarter of all Spanish workers are unemployed right now, with no sign that nation's economy will get better any time soon.
Greece's ongoing bailout talks have made a significant move forward, but would require private investors to take an even bigger bath on Greek bonds.
The Dow dropped 389 points today to close at 11,780, while Nasdaq and S&P saw dives over 3 percent. The weakness is being blamed on Europe "as the realization sank in that Italy now must find a new political regime stable enough to implement painful cutbacks and tax increases."
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