Court rules for white firefighters over promotions  —  WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court ruled Monday that white firefighters in New Haven, Conn., were unfairly denied promotions because of their race, reversing a decision that high court nominee Sonia Sotomayor endorsed as an appeals court judge.

Honduras defends its democracy  —  Thank you to all the visitors, commenters, and bloggers linking to my coverage of yesterday's events in Honduras.  —  More background information on the events prior to Zelaya's removal from office:  —  Here is more information on Mel Zelaya's move:

First on the CNN Ticker: Bauer suggests compromise on Sanford  —  COLUMBIA, South Carolina (CNN) — South Carolina Lt. Gov. Andre Bauer said Monday he would be open to a scenario in which he would assume the governorship but not run for the state's top office in 2010 if Governor Mark Sanford decides to resign in the coming weeks.

Madoff Sentenced to 150 Years in Prison for Ponzi Scheme  —  A federal judge sentenced Bernard L. Madoff to 150 years in prison on Monday for operating a huge Ponzi scheme that devastated thousands of people, calling his crimes “extraordinarily evil.”  —  In pronouncing the sentence …

Betraying the Planet  —  So the House passed the Waxman-Markey climate-change bill.  In political terms, it was a remarkable achievement.  —  But 212 representatives voted no. A handful of these no votes came from representatives who considered the bill too weak, but most rejected the bill …

Video: Energy Czar hasn't read cap & tax, either  —  Barack Obama's energy czar appeared on Fox & Friends this morning to discuss the cap-and-tax bill passed by the House last week on a razor-thin margin.  Carol Browner got stumped by Fox's Steve Doocy while questioning her ability to speak to the subject …

Poll: Rubio and Crist in dead heat among GOPers who know both  —  A June 24-26 Mason-Dixon poll for Ron Sachs Communications (MoE +/- 6 in primary questions, 4 in general election) shows Charlie Crist leading Marco Rubio in the Republican U.S. Senate primary 51 percent to 23 percent.

Busby Blames Local Resident's Political Agenda, Sheriff's Department Officer In Raid On Fundraiser  —  I just spoke on the phone with Francine Busby, a previous and once-again Democratic candidate for California's Fiftieth House District, about Saturday's raid by the San Diego Sheriff's Department …

It's Now Legal to Catch a Raindrop in Colorado  —  DURANGO, Colo. — For the first time since territorial days, rain will be free for the catching here, as more and more thirsty states part ways with one of the most entrenched codes of the West.  —  Precipitation, every last drop or flake …

‘It takes small people to stoop this low’  —  Says Professor William Jacobson regarding Wonkette's despicable treatment of Sarah Palin's year-old son, Trig.  And I would amend the professor's sentiments only to improve them by saying, “It takes gay men to stoop this low.”  —  Yeah, I just wrote that.

8st 1oz, no food just pills in his stomach, bald, bruised, his ribs broken by CPR, 4 needle wounds near his heart...  THE horrifying state of pop superstar Michael Jackson in his final days can be revealed by The Sun today.  —  Harrowing leaked autopsy details show the singer was a virtual skeleton …

Obama Picks Camp David Church — Not a D.C. Congregation  —  For the past five months, White House aides and friends of the Obamas have been quietly visiting local churches and vetting the sermons of prospective first ministers in a search for a new — and uncontroversial — church home.

Morning Fix: A New Republican Leader?  —  Dispirited Republicans looking for national leaders amid a wash of scandals that have dominated national news over the last fortnight got a bit of good news on Sunday with an inspired performance on “Meet the Press” by South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham (R).

Bottom Line on Public Option  —  This won't come as the slightest surprise to those versed in health care policy issues.  But I fear it's only barely permeated the health care reform debate in the country, certainly in Washington.  And that's this: the opposition to a so-called 'public …

Churchill, Torture, and Britain's Finest Hour  —  Over on his blog, Andrew Sullivan posts a quote from Edward R. Murrow about the British during World War II.  It reads, in part: … I salute Andrew's harsh and frequent condemnations of torture, and I respect the point he is trying to make.

Ron Paul's ‘Audit the Fed’ Bill Gathers Steam  —  He may have faded from the national political scene a year ago, after his dark-horse presidential run came to naught, but Rep. Ron Paul 's influence is still being felt in campaigns and policy debates across the country.

High Court Boosts Remote DVR  —  Cablevision's Victory Could Lead to Wider Compromise on New Technology  —  The Supreme Court declined to hear a challenge to a new type of digital-video recorder from Cablevision Systems Corp., setting the stage for wider use of the technology.

NKorea criticizes US missile defense for Hawaii  —  SEOUL, South Korea — North Korea criticized the U.S. on Monday for positioning missile defense systems around Hawaii, calling the deployment part of a plot to attack the regime and saying it would bolster its nuclear arsenal in retaliation.

Cap-and-trade Tea Party at Rep. Mark Kirk's office  —  Rep. Mark Kirk (R-IL) is one of the eight “cap-and-tr8ters” who crossed the line and voted for the Waxman-Markey Bill, generally known as cap-and-trade, but in fact is a national energy tax.  —  Today at Noon a Tea Party protest took place at Kirk's district office in Northbrook.