The XX Factor

-Following her inflammatory remarks on the Israel-Palestine conflict, Washington journalist Helen Thomas has retired from her columnist position at Hearst News Service. [ NPR ]

-California GOP candidates Meg Whitman and Carly Fiorina will put up a good fight in their respective races. [ The Daily Beast ]

- DoubleX editor Hanna Rosin points to growing evidence that boys are falling behind their female classmates. Is our school system setting male students up for failure? [ New York ]

- Elisabeth Badinter , author of Le Conflit, La Femme et La Mere (discussed by DoubleX 's Jessica Grose and KJ Dell'Antonia here and here ), continues to defend the less-than-perfect mother . [ New York Times ]

Photograph of Helen Thomas by Brendan Smialowski/Getty Images.