Democrats Say C.I.A. Deceived Congress  —  WASHINGTON — The director of the Central Intelligence Agency, Leon E. Panetta, has told the House Intelligence Committee in closed-door testimony that the C.I.A. concealed “significant actions” from Congress from 2001 until late last month, seven Democratic committee members said.

Houston—er, Washington—We Have a Problem  —  On Wednesday, according to a Capitol Hill source, the Senate Finance Committee distributed to its members a list of about twenty ways to help pay for health care reform.  Everything you could imagine was on the list: Taxes on soda and cigarettes.

To go forward, GOP must snap out of its Sarah Palin spell  —  Gov. Sarah Palin is the political train wreck that keeps on giving.  First, she was an awful choice last year as John McCain's running mate.  I came to this conclusion with regret - I am one of McCain's biggest admirers.  —  But facts are facts.

Netanyahu's paranoia extends to ‘self-hating Jews’ Emmanuel and Axelrod  —  At about 3:15 P.M. yesterday, the government's 100th day in office, political correspondents' beepers went off.  In an unprecedented move, the Prime Minister's Bureau was inviting the correspondents to a press conference …

Tom Coburn knew of John Ensign's affair  —  Sen. Tom Coburn knew more than a year ago that his Republican colleague John Ensign was having an affair with a staffer - and he reportedly urged Ensign to end the relationship and pay a substantial sum of money to the staffer and her husband.

Akron police investigate teen mob attack on family  —  Akron police say they aren't ready to call it a hate crime or a gang initiation.  —  But to Marty Marshall, his wife and two kids, it seems pretty clear.  —  It came after a family night of celebrating America and freedom with a fireworks show at Firestone Stadium.

Billions in aid go to areas that backed Obama in '08  —  WASHINGTON — Billions of dollars in federal aid delivered directly to the local level to help revive the economy have gone overwhelmingly to places that supported President Obama in last year's presidential election.

A SHAKY STORY STARTS TO LOOK WORSE.... The rationale for Sarah Palin's resignation has never made sense, but it seems even less clear now.  —  One of the few specific points the governor has raised deals with “frivolous” ethics violations filed by her political enemies.

Uncommon Detail Marks Rulings by Sotomayor  —  She Almost Oversteps Her Role, Experts Say  —  Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor's opinions show support for the rights of criminal defendants and suspects, skepticism of corporations, and sympathy for plaintiffs alleging discrimination …

Strategy corner: the 10 percent tripwire  —  Unless some tough decisions are made soon, rising jobless figures will most likely hit what could be a public opinion and political tripwire: 10 percent unemployment.  —  If and when the country crosses that line, it will be the No. 1 news story for days …

Independents begin to edge away from President Obama  —  In a potentially alarming trend for the White House, independent voters are deserting President Barack Obama nationally and especially in key swing states, recent polls suggest.  —  Obama's job approval rating hit a — still healthy …

DeMint: America is ‘Where Germany Was Before World War II’  —  Last night, Sen. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.) gave a short talk and Q&A at at the National Press Club about his book “Saving Freedom.”  DeMint told a room of around 100 people about a conversation he'd had with an Iranian immigrant …

Brian Kilmeade Would Like Species and ‘Ethnics’ to Remain Pure  —  To stave off dementia!  Yes, today the befuddled screech owls on Fox & Friends were discussing a study that states that those that stay married fend off Alzheimer's and dementia better than lonely divorcees.  Brian Kilmeade took issue with this.

AmeriCorps stonewalls questions of White House involvement in IG firing  —  A top official of the Corporation for National and Community Service, the government agency that oversees AmeriCorps, has refused to answer questions from congressional investigators about the White House's role …

Republican recruiting successes  —  Candidate recruitment is one of the strongest leading indicators for future political success—and the National Republican Senatorial Committee's recent string of landing top candidates portends a better-than-expected 2010 election cycle for the GOP.

Palin says inquiries wasted ‘millions’  —  TALLY: Record requests, ethics complaints, lawsuits, troopergate given price tag.  —  scockerham@adn.com  —  Gov. Sarah Palin, explaining her stunning resignation announcement, has repeatedly said attacks on her since she ran for vice president …

Miss Obama's peacenik T-shirt sends a message to G8 leaders  —  Her father had just won agreement from the Russians to cut back on the world's stockpiles of nuclear weapons.  —  And Barack Obama's eldest daughter was obviously keen to make her own statement on the issue - even if it was merely a fashion statement.

Bing Now Bigger Than Digg, Twitter and CNN  —  With the headlines that Microsoft's new search engine Bing has been grabbing, it's easy to forget that it only went live about a month ago.  Since its launch at the beginning of June, it has given Google pause and even had its own web infomercial.

Subprime Returns as Housing Woe  —  In Atlanta, a Foreclosure Dichotomy Threatens Homes Values  —  The U.S. housing market is facing new downward pressure as holders of subprime-mortgage bonds flood the market with foreclosed homes at prices that are much lower than where many banks are willing to sell.

Coleman hurt by recount  —  More than half of Minnesota voters now have an unfavorable opinion of Norm Coleman following the protracted recount for his Senate seat, and it's harming his prospects for a future Gubernatorial campaign.  —  52% of voters in the state view Coleman negatively with 38% having a positive take on him.

$18M Being Spent to Redesign Recovery.gov Web Site  —  ABC News' Rick Klein reports: For those concerned about stimulus spending, the General Services Administration sends word tonight that $18 million in additional funds are being spent to redesign the Recovery.gov Web site.

Cities Lose Out on Road Funds From Federal Stimulus  —  Two-thirds of the country lives in large metropolitan areas, home to the nation's worst traffic jams and some of its oldest roads and bridges.  But cities and their surrounding regions are getting far less than two-thirds of federal transportation stimulus money.