CAIRO — Embattled Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh transferred authority to his deputy Saturday and flew to Saudi Arabia, raising the prospect that a key U.S. ally in the fight against al-Qaeda had lost his grip on power and left behind a nation tumbling into chaos. Saleh’s decision to leave the country, apparently to seek medical treatment for injuries suffered in a rocket attack on his palace Friday, makes it unlikely that he will return, several analysts said. His sudden departure leaves behind a nation on the verge of civil war and economic collapse, with a violent power struggle among rival tribesmen underway and no clear plan for a transition of power if Saleh were to permanently surrender office. Read full article > >

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Yemen’s Ali Abdullah Saleh flies to Saudi Arabia, transferring power to deputy

The Montgomery County Council unanimously passed a budget Thursday that rolls back health and retirement benefits and raises the prospect of a prolonged period of labor discord. The $4.37 billion budget cuts benefits for government and school employees by $33 million, a fraction of what the county spends each year on health care and retirement. But the impact on individual workers could be significant. County salaries vary widely, from $38,000 a year for a bus driver to $172,000 for a child psychiatrist, and the health component alone could reduce take-home pay for many employees by more than $1,000. Read full article > >

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Montgomery council cuts health, retirement benefits for employees

As the budget process in Washington lurches from crisis to continuing resolution to debt limit scramble — with Congress seemingly incapable of dealing with fiscal issues without the prospect of immediate financial collapse — it is worth considering the structural reasons for this seriousness deficit. Some view the culprit as partisan polarization or the disproportionate power of Senate minorities — both of which play a role. But the main challenge is this: Our two-party system has produced a three-party government. Read full article > >

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The two faces of the Democratic Party

The departure of a member of the “Gang of Six” initially seems like it would be a major setback to the process of reaching an agreement between the two parties on reducing the long-term national budget deficit. But the prospect of a deal remains as likely as it did before Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) decided to leave the talks: President Obama and either House Speaker John A. Boehner (R-Ohio) or Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) probably will need to hash out and sign off on any agreement for it to be accepted by members of both parties in Congress. Read full article > >

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West Wing briefing: For budget deal, ‘Gangs’ less important than Obama, GOP leaders

The latest shuffling of GOP presidential contenders has produced another round of signs that Republicans wish they had another candidate, in the form of renewed speculation about Chris Christie, Paul Ryan, and Rick Perry. I’d take the prospect of a Perry candidacy very seriously. Christie and Ryan — not so much. These types of rumors are basically a function of the way the process works. There are three years of “invisible” primary, during which very few public events occur, but during which a lot of the behind-the-scenes jockeying takes place. That leaves reporters and commentators needing to pay attention to a very important process, but with very little to say. So every rumor gets inflated. Read full article > >

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Take Rick Perry seriously. Ignore Chris Christie and Paul Ryan.

March is not going out quite as lamblike as the adage would have it, which makes the prospect of opening day in New York just a tad less idyllic than one might hope.

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Yankees Bracing for Cold in Opener and in April

JERUSALEM — Palestinian militants in Gaza fired more than 50 mortar shells into Israel on Saturday, the heaviest barrage in two years, Israeli officials said, raising the prospect of a new Mideast flareup.

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Hamas fires dozens of mortars at Israel, which responds with airstrikes

After two weeks of playing down the prospect of military intervention in Libya, the Obama administration is on the brink of inserting itself into a third war in a Muslim nation.

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Obama’s shift toward military action in Libya

The Obama administration is preparing for the prospect that Islamist governments will take hold in North Africa and the Middle East, acknowledging that the popular revolutions there will bring a more religious cast to the region’s politics.

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Obama administration prepares for possibility of new post-revolt Islamist regimes

Attorneys general from New York, Connecticut and Vermont expressed concern about the prospect of long-term storage of radioactive waste at plants.

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3 States Challenge Federal Policy on Storing Nuclear Waste

CAIRO – As Egypt comes under pressure to hold free and fair elections, democracy activists are expressing growing doubts about whether a ballot slated for September is feasible, and fearing that it could set the country’s reform movement back even further.

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Free, fair elections still distant prospect for Egypt

Australia’s prime minister raises the prospect of a one-off levy to help pay for the flood devastation, which economists say could exceed A$20bn.

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Australians may face ‘flood tax’

Teachers of religious education have welcomed the prospect of further debate about what should be included in the English Baccalaureate.

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RE teachers hope for Bacc changes

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger is unperturbed at the prospect of possible facing Barcelona in the next round of the Champions League.

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We would not fear Barca – Wenger

The compact stainless-steel .45-caliber pistol was forged in a factory in Brazil in the summer of 2006 – 4,700 miles and two years away from a fateful encounter on a narrow North Philadelphia street near Temple University.

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At every traffic stop, police face the prospect of death