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.

Obama's Chief Auto Adviser Steps Down  —  By MICHAEL J. de la MERCED and DANNY HAKIM  —  Steven Rattner is quitting his post as President Obama's chief adviser on the troubled automobile industry at a time when an investigation into his former Wall Street firm's role in a scandal involving public pension funds has intensified.

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 …

The Economy Is Even Worse Than You Think  —  The average length of unemployment is higher than it's been since government began tracking the data in 1948.  —  Printer  —  Friendly  —  The recent unemployment numbers have undermined confidence that we might be nearing the bottom of the recession.

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.

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.

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 …

Senior KKK member arrested in Tel Aviv  —  A high-ranking white supremacist on the run from US federal authorities was arrested on Monday night in a south Tel Aviv hideout.  —  33-year-old Micky Louis Mayon, one of America's 100 Most Wanted criminals, and a member of the Ku Klux Klan …

Time to tackle the real evil: too much debt  —  The core of the problem, the unavoidable truth, is that our economic system is laden with debt, about triple the amount relative to gross domestic product that we had in the 1980s.  This does not sit well with globalisation.

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?

Minority Broadcasters Seek Aid  —  WASHINGTON —A group of minority broadcasters asked Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner Monday for financial assistance akin to the aid that has been extended to the financial and auto industries.  —  “Minority-owned broadcasters are close to becoming an extinct species,” the letter said.

Washington, DC: The Real Winner in this Recession  —  No matter how far the economy falters, there is always a winner.  And no city does better when the nation is at the brink of disaster than Washington, DC.  Since December 2007, when the current recession formally began, the nation has lost approximately 6 million jobs.

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?

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.

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?

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.

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.