The Seinfeld Hearings  —  How Senators could, but probably won't, make the Sotomayor confirmation a show about something.  —  Printer  —  Friendly  —  If you suspect this week's Senate confirmation hearings for Sonia Sotomayor will be, like “Seinfeld,” a show about nothing, you are probably right.

Liz Cheney: Investigating My Dad Would Prove Americans 'Can't Trust' Democrats With National Security  —  On Saturday, the New York Times reported that former Vice President Dick Cheney gave “direct orders” to the CIA, compelling the agency to withhold “information about a secret counterterrorism program from Congress for eight years.”

The Price of Innovation  —  Two pieces worth reading on health care innovation.  First, Glenn Reynolds on his family: … This is something I've been saying for a while.  But it touches on something else I've been thinking about—the way in which our attempts to measure health care innovation …

Palin's PAC Raises $700,000+ … Update, 4:10 p.m.: Palin has collected at least $200,000 more for Sarah PAC since the reporting period closed at the end of last month, according to a source familiar with the numbers.  Palin's resignation — announced on July 3 — triggered a flood of donations to the PAC, the source added.

CIA planned al-Qaida assassinations in friendly countries, officials say  —  Dick Cheney, the former vice president, ordered a highly classified CIA operation hidden from Congress because it pushed the limits of legality by planning to assassinate of al-Qaida operatives in friendly countries without …

Down the Mississippi: Barack Obama effect ends white rule in Deep South town  —  A tiny Mississippi delta town has elected its first black mayor after the white incumbent, unopposed for 30 years, faced a young challenger inspired by President Barack Obama's feat in winning the White House.

Palin's Long March to a Short-Notice Resignation  —  This article was reported by Jim Rutenberg from New York and Serge F. Kovaleski from Wasilla and Anchorage, Alaska.  Jo Becker reported from New York and Kim Severson and William Yardley from Wasilla and Anchorage.

Boiling the Frog  —  Is America on its way to becoming a boiled frog?  —  I'm referring, of course, to the proverbial frog that, placed in a pot of cold water that is gradually heated, never realizes the danger it's in and is boiled alive.  Real frogs will, in fact, jump out of the pot — but never mind.

$260M BACK STAB  —  HILL'S FLIP ON DIPLO TAXES COSTS CITY A BUNDLE  —  Thanks a lot, Hillary!  —  In a surprise turnaround that will cost the city $260 million in back taxes and untold millions in future lost revenue, Hillary Rodham Clinton's State Department has quietly reversed …

Reed aims to rejuvenate Christian conservatives  —  One of the most controversial and successful figures of late 20th century politics wants to expand his brand to the 21st.  —  Ralph Reed believes conservative voters of faith need a Christian Coalition 2.0.

49% Oppose Health Care Reform Plan, 46% Favor It  —  Forty-nine percent (49%) of U.S. voters now at least somewhat oppose the health care reform plan proposed by President Obama and congressional Democrats, while 46% at least somewhat favor it, according to a new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey.

Murdoch talks to WSJ staff  —  Rupert Murdoch dropped in on Wall Street Journal staffers this afternoon for a pep talk, roughly a month since the paper's reporters and editors moved uptown to the News Corp. headquarters.  —  There, Murdoch talked about how the Journal's circulation …

The Primary Weapon  —  That's a nice Senate seat you've got there, Unspecified Moderate Democrat.  Shame if anything happened to it.  —  A few weeks ago, Senator Dianne Feinstein announced that she and other Senate Democrats harbored reservations about President Obama's plans to overhaul the health care system.

Shadow Banking: What It Is, How it Broke, and How to Fix It  —  We hear a lot of chatter about the shadow banking system and its crucial role in the financial crisis.  But rarely do we find time to step back and ask the basic questions: What is shadow banking, where did it come from …

Buchanan: Todd Palin should drown Levi Johnston.  —  Earlier today, conservative pundit Pat Buchanan suggested that Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin's husband should murder his daughter's ex-fiance, Levi Johnston, for saying Palin's decision to resign came down to “money.”  While appearing on MSNBC's Morning Joe, Buchanan said:

Clinton: Vetting for USAID job ‘ridiculous’  —  WASHINGTON (AP) — Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton is blaming an exhaustive White House vetting process for the fact that the Obama administration has not yet named a person to run the U.S. Agency for International Development.

Sudan women ‘lashed for trousers’  —  Several Sudanese women have been flogged as a punishment for dressing “indecently”, according to a local journalist who was arrested with them.  —  Lubna Ahmed al-Hussein, who says she is facing 40 lashes, said she and 12 other women wearing trousers …

An Orgasm A Day Keeps The Doctor Away.  Is This Really NHS?  —  Sometimes the real news seems so good that you wonder whether The Onion is mere surplussage.  Such is the state of affairs today, as leading British papers the Times of London , the Daily Mail, and the Telegraph notify us of a new leaflet …

Austin's clean energy program costing more, selling less  —  Electric utility chief says separate charge for renewable power may need to be rolled into all users' bills.  —  For the past decade, Austin's ambition to become the world's clean-energy capital has been best exemplified by one effort …

Frenetic Pace, Packed Agenda Put West Wing Staffers Through Wringer  —  The White House mess — the military-inspired term for the West Wing cafeteria — opens at 7 a.m. each day.  And each day, there is a long line of hungry staffers who have already been at the office for well over an hour.