Ensign's parents paid mistress $96k  —  Sen. John Ensign's parents shelled out big bucks to pay off their son's mistress, the latest twist in an unfolding scandal that has upended the political career of the one-time rising GOP star.  —  The scandal has also touched Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) …

Roland Burris won't run for Senate seat in 2010  —  Sneed has learned U.S. Sen. Roland Burris has decided NOT to seek election to the seat he fought the government to keep.  —  Sen. Burris is planning to announce his decision Friday by issuing a statement to the press.

White House Press Corps Spent the Fourth of July Hanging Out With Obama, Off the Record  —  Reporters from roughly 30 television networks, newspapers, magazines, and web sites celebrated the Fourth of July with Barack Obama at the White House last weekend.  Why didn't you know that?

Mayor Bloomberg, Fireman Ricci, Pitcher Cone top S'mayor witness list  —  The witness list for Sonia Sotmayor's hearings next week was just released by the Judiciary Committee...  Three names pop out:  —  1. Mayor Mike Bloomberg, Sotomayor's self-apppointed defender, a man who needs …

Watch Who You're Calling a Liar  —  Panetta orders internal probe of secret spy program after some members of Congress say CIA misled them.  —  CIA Director Leon Panetta has ordered an internal inquiry into the agency's handling of a contentious and still highly classified intelligence program …

Vulnerable GOPs want Palin to stay home  —  Republicans facing tough elections in 2010 don't want Sarah Palin campaigning with them.  —  Though the soon-to-be-former Alaska governor is seen as popular with the conservative grass roots, several Republicans said she'd help them by staying home in Wasilla.

Naming Someone Who Hates Public Schools to Head the State Ed Board?  Gov. Perry, You Can't Be Serious!  —  Hoo wee.  Via Fred Clark, this story about Texas Gov. Rick Perry considering the appointment of a right-wing extremist Christian to head the state's Board of education.

Intrepid CNN Newsman Anderson Cooper Stumped by Cool Whip  —  I must admit, this is not the household item I would have expected Anderson Cooper to be unfamiliar with, but alas.  —  While filling in for Regis on “Live w/ Regis and Kelly” this week, Cooper illustrated that between partying …

New York Times Considers $5 Monthly Web-Access Fee  —  New York Times Co. said in a survey of print subscribers that it's considering a $5 monthly fee for access to its namesake newspaper's Web site.  —  Times Co. also asked whether subscribers would be willing to pay a discounted fee …

The Last Manned Fighter?  —  Mike Mullen thinks the F-35 may be the last manned fighter.  Various stakeholders don't like that idea, but Robert Farley thinks it's right: … I'm with Farley on this.  The point about cost savings is not totally intuitive and I don't think it's widely appreciated …

White House denies manufacturer's boast that First Lady carried their $5,950 bag  —  Is First Lady Michelle Obama sporting a taste for ultra-expensive fashion pieces, or is she cementing her status as a savvy shopper?  —  Back in April she wore a pair of $540 Lanvin sneakers at a Washington food bank.

AIG Seeks Clearance For More Bonuses  —  $2.4 Million in Executive Payments Due Next Week  —  American International Group is preparing to pay millions of dollars more in bonuses to several dozen top corporate executives after an earlier round of payments four months ago set off a national furor.

A Final Palin Post  —  I'm back from the Last Frontier with this week's dead tree cover story on Sarah Palin, written with the very excellent editor-at-large David Von Drehle.  I don't think this will be the last we hear from the soon-to-be-former governor.

AAR - MoveOn and Acorn Meet Patriots  —  Today was a great day on Long Island.  —  Patriots from the Conservative Society for Action, Gathering of Eagles, Active and the 912 Group rallied in front of the offices of Senator Charles Schumer to counter the staged pro-nationalized healthcare rally planned by MoveOn.org and ACORN.

Albany Impasse Ends as Defector Rejoins Caucus  —  ALBANY — The bitter standoff that has paralyzed the New York Senate for five weeks ended on Thursday, when a senator who had defected to the Republicans returned to the Democratic fold, giving the party the majority it needed to re-establish control.

Majority of House supports bill to reverse dealer closings  —  Washington — A majority of House members have signed onto a bill to reverse the closing of 789 Chrysler dealerships and block General Motors Corp. from closing more than 1,300, while the full House could vote on the bill as early as next week.

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 …

King's New Rationale For Voting Against Slave Labor Resolution: It Wasn't ‘A Balanced Depiction Of History’  —  Yesterday, a number of blogs reported that right-wing Rep. Steve King (R-IA) was the lone dissenter on a House vote to acknowledge the role that slave labor had in constructing the U.S. Capitol.

China bans Urumqi mosque prayers  —  China has ordered mosques in its restive western city of Urumqi not to open for Friday prayers.  —  The order comes after several days of ethnic violence between Uighur Muslims and Han Chinese.  At least 156 people have been killed so far.

Man of the People  —  I was sorry to watch, live on CNN, Edward R. Murrow and Emmy Award-winning broadcaster and all around “Man of the People” Jack Cafferty spit on me on his broadcast today.  —  After decrying the notion of “actors and comedians” running for public office, Cafferty stated …

Criminalizing Free Speech: HR 1966 Sec 881  —  Here it comes.  Thought crime and hate crime legislation.  No one can attest to the vile nature of internet harassment, threats and insults more than I can, but I would never silence my “critics”.  This law is unconstitutional, a blatant violation of the First Amendment.

WALL STREET P.M. 07.09.09:DOW STAYS UNDER 8,200  —  DJIA: +4.76 CLOSE 8,183.17  —  S&P 500 +3.12 CLOSE 882.68  —  NASDAQ +5.38 CLOSE 1,752.55  —  RETAIL, ECONOMIC WORRIES  —  LEAVE MARKET UNCHANGED  —  FORBES: Better than expected second-quarter figures from Alcoa and a sharp drop …

If President Obama Doesn't Achieve a Government Health Insurance Option, His Presidency May be Imperiled  —  BUZZFLASH EDITOR'S BLOG  —  He promised us fundamental change and the diminished power of the “K Street” lobbyists, but on the healthcare reform bill — regretfully …

Find Creative Commons images with Image Search  —  Let's say you're a blogger.  You've just returned from a trip to New York City, and you're writing a post on New York landmarks.  You want to illustrate your travel guide with an image — as the saying goes, a picture is worth a thousand words.