The ‘Cap And Tax’ Dead End  —  There is no shortage of threats to our economy.  America's unemployment rate recently hit its highest mark in more than 25 years and is expected to continue climbing.  Worries are widespread that even when the economy finally rebounds, the recovery won't bring jobs.

SOMETHING NOT ADDING UP  —  The New York Times is also reporting now that the secret Bush-era CIA program kept from Congress and terminated last month by CIA Director Leon Panetta was a plan to assassinate top al Qaeda officials that was never implemented.  This is additional confirmation …

‘Jane Roe’ Arrested at Supreme Court Hearing  —  The woman at the center of the Supreme Court's landmark abortion rights ruling was arrested today at the confirmation hearing for Sonia Sotomayor among a wave of anti-abortion protesters who lined the sidewalks outside the Senate office buildings …

Marcy Wheeler Says “Blowjob” On MSNBC  —  And oh yeah Dick Cheney was ordering a whole bunch of illegal s**t.  —  Howard Kurtz takes to the fainting couch.

If a Teleprompter Falls in the White House Does It Make a Sound?  —  ABC News' Sunlen Miller and Jake Tapper report: If a teleprompter falls in the White House, does it make a sound?  —  Yes, especially when it's the President's teleprompter - or TOTUS as it is often referred to.

Wow!  Russians Snubbed Obama— Refused to Shake His Hand!  (Video)  —  Funny... Our state-run media didn't report on this?  —  The Russians snubbed Obama- BIG TIME!  —  Hat Tip Desert Conservative  —  So much for pushing that reset button.

Bloomberg Slams Clinton: She Stabbed NYC In Back  —  Mayor Says Secretary Of State Committed Double Flip-Flop By Exempting Diplomats From Paying Big Apple Property Taxes  —  Says $260 Million Already Lost, Sets Bad Precedent For The Future  —  NEW YORK (CBS) ― Hillary Clinton …

Obama Approval Rating Slips to 57 Percent  —  CBS News Poll: President Loses Support Amid Concerns About Economy; Loss In Backing Comes From Democrats And Independents  —  (CBS) President Obama's approval rating has fallen six points in the past month, a new CBS News poll finds …

Alabama Physician Chosen as Surgeon General  —  President Barack Obama has selected Dr. Regina Benjamin, an Alabama family physician, as the U.S. surgeon general, two administration officials said on Monday.  —  Mr. Obama will announce his selection officially at a Rose Garden ceremony at 11:40 a.m.

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 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.

The events preceding Goldman Sachs' new “blowout profits”  —  Remember all of this — the $700 billion bank bailout, the AIG scandal, dark and scary threats of imminent global meltdown if there wasn't full-scale capitulation by the citizenry to the immense transfer of public wealth to the private investment banking sector?

Obama to U.S. Jewish leaders: Israel must engage in self-reflection  —  U.S. President Barack Obama met yesterday for the first time with 15 American Jewish leaders at the White House, for talks aimed at clearing the air following allegations that his administration was taking a tough line with Israel over settlement activity.

Soldier balks at deploying; says Obama isn't president  —  Says he shouldn't have to go to Afghanistan because Obama is not a U.S. citizen  —  U.S. Army Maj. Stefan Frederick Cook, set to deploy to Afghanistan, says he shouldn't have to go.  —  His reason?

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 …

Jay-Z vs the Game: Lessons for the American Primacy Debate  —  Late last week, the Los Angeles rapper the Game launched a blistering attack against the legendary New York [blogger] rapper :>) Jay-Z. At a series of European shows, the Game led crowds in cheers of “F*** Jay-Z” and “Old Ass N*****” …

Poll: Most Say Palin Resigned To Help Her Career  —  Posted by Brian Montopoli A majority of Americans believe that Sarah Palin is resigning as governor of Alaska not because it's in the best interest of her state but because it will benefit her political career, a new CBS News poll finds.

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 …

Does Sotomayor Matter Politically?  —  A prominent article in The Post this morning suggests that “The battle over President Obama's first court nominee is also likely to have broad and long-lasting political implications for the president and both political parties.”  —  Or maybe not.

Next flash point in Iran face-off: Friday prayers  —  Ahead of a sermon by Mousavi supporter Hashemi Rafsanjani, protesters have taken their fight off the streets - including trying to crash the electricity grid by turning on kitchen appliances en masse.  —  ATHENS -

Bare-Faced Go-Away Bird  —  First, I'm going to Rwanda this weekend, on vacation.  I'm looking forward to it immensely, especially since I discovered that the Bare-Faced Go-Away Bird, which topped my list of Best Bird Names Ever nearly five years ago, lives there.  (And did you know that the name ‘Watusi’ comes from the Tutsi?

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 …

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 …