Venezuela's opposition denies it would scrap Chavez welfare aid  (reuters.com)  w

DEA: Cocaine ring used music label's office to traffic drugs  (thesmokinggun.com)  w

UPDATE: Man holding firemen hostage killed; hostages OK  (hosted.ap.org)  w

Thatcher Funeral: Police Search Web For Threats  (news.sky.com)  w

Deals, details and decisions  (politico.com)  w

'Secretbook' Allows User to Encode Hidden Messages in FACEBOOK Pics  (wired.com)  w

Man angry about regulations threatens to bomb White House  (thehill.com)  w

IRS: We can read emails without warrant  (thehill.com)  w

4 firefighters held hostage in Georgia  (myfoxatlanta.com)  w

GET IT ON THE GO: DRUDGE IPHONE/IPAD APP  (itunes.apple.com)  w

Teenager commits suicide after gang-rape photo goes viral  (telegraph.co.uk)  w

Iranian scientist claims to have invented 'Time Machine'  (telegraph.co.uk)  w

'IDOL' fatigue sets in as ratings free fall in finals  (usatoday.com)  w

Hedge funds, law firms   (cnbc.com)  w

Brain Made Transparent May Lead to Clearer Understanding  (bloomberg.com)  w

UPDATE: WAL-MART Executive Who Described Sales 'Disaster' Leaves  (bloomberg.com)  w

Hagel: NKorea 'Skating Very Close to Dangerous Line'  (bloomberg.com)  w

Fed leaks rate-setting minutes to banks  (ft.com)  w

Hawking: Humans Will Not Survive 'Without Escaping' Earth  (washington.cbslocal.com)  w

Alarming bee die-off prompts warning  (latimes.com)  w

Vandals slash tires on luxury cars in LA  (latimes.com)  w

Seoul Raises Alert Ahead of Expected Test  (online.wsj.com)  w

DC COMICS Introduces First Transgender Character  (wired.com)  w

Brotherhood's appeal begins to wane in Egypt  (ft.com)  w