Exclusive: Conservative group offers support for $2M  —  The American Conservative Union asked FedEx for a check for $2 million to $3 million in return for the group's support in a bitter legislative dispute, then the group's chairman flipped and sided with UPS after FedEx refused to pay.

Another Alleged Affair Tied to Christian House on Capitol Hill  —  A Capitol Hill townhouse that serves as a dormitory and meeting place for a band of conservative Christian lawmakers has been linked to a third episode of marital infidelity, this time in a Mississippi court filing by a former lawmaker's estranged wife.

50% Oppose Government Health Insurance Company  —  Just 35% of U.S. voters now support the creation of a government health insurance company to compete with private health insurers.  —  A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey shows that 50% of voters oppose setting …

The Joy of Sachs  —  The American economy remains in dire straits, with one worker in six unemployed or underemployed.  Yet Goldman Sachs just reported record quarterly profits — and it's preparing to hand out huge bonuses, comparable to what it was paying before the crisis.  What does this contrast tell us?

Democrats Drop Key Part of Bill to Assist Unions  —  A half-dozen senators friendly to labor have decided to drop a central provision of a bill that would have made it easier to organize workers.  —  The so-called card-check provision — which senators decided to scrap to help secure …

Gang Of Six Centrist Senators Demands Delay On Health Care Reform  —  A bipartisan group of centrist and conservative senators sent a letter to the Democratic and Republican leaders on Friday urging delay in consideration of health care reform.  —  The letter, obtained by the Huffington Post …

No Pity for the Rich  —  When considering the alleged plight of the very rich groaning under the socialist yoke of Charlie Rangel's tax proposals, it's worth keeping in mind that the super-rich's share of the overall income pie is been skyrocketing:  —  The reasons behind this trend are complicated.

Sanford flies high on taxpayers' dime  —  Aside from the damage done to his standing as a social conservative, South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford's recent admission of an extramarital affair may end up tarnishing another of his political credentials—his carefully-honed reputation as a tight-fisted steward of taxpayer money.

Elmendorf: More Cost Control; Orszag: We're Already On It.  —  Doug Elmendorf, director of the Congresional Budget Office, sent tremors through Washington when he gave congressional tesitmony on Thursday.  Appearing first before the Senate Finance Committee and then the House Ways and Means Committee …

A mechanic in a black robe  —  Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor is embraced by Sen. Patrick J. Leahy (D-Vt.) after completing her testimony.  One law professor said the hearing was “less than useless.  If Judge Sotomayor won't meaningfully discuss any legal topics in front of the Senate, then what's the point?”

Health reform foes plan Obama's ‘Waterloo’  —  Conservative leaders will push delay any vote on health care reform until after the August recess to capitalize on what they say is a growing tide of opposition to reform measures, they said on a conference call with “tea party” participants today.

Susan Roesgen Out at CNN  —  Breaking: TVNewser has learned CNN correspondent Susan Roesgen's contract will not be renewed and she will be leaving the network.  —  Roesgen, you'll recall, was criticized for her coverage at the tax day tea parties in April, when she said the event she was covering …

Economic Club of Chicago  —  As Delivered by Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates, Chicago, IL, Thursday, July 16, 2009  —  Thank you, Secretary Daley, for that kind introduction.  —  It's an honor to be at the Economic Club of Chicago.  I certainly appreciate the special arrangements you made to have me here this afternoon.

The Long-Term Budget Outlook  —  Today I had the opportunity to testify before the Senate Budget Committee about CBO's most recent analysis of the long-term budget outlook.  —  Under current law, the federal budget is on an unsustainable path, because federal debt will continue to grow much faster than the economy over the long run.

Sotomayor Hearing Escapes Gravity  —  They put a man on the moon, and a comedian in the Senate.  —  Printer  —  Friendly  —  Everyone is noting the 40th anniversary, on July 20, of the moon landing.  Good.  It was an epic moment in history, though its memory is accompanied by an unsatisfied feeling …

Big Dem cash dump on eve of climate vote  —  Three House Democratic leaders who were whipping members on the climate change bill gave tens of thousands in campaign cash to party moderates around the time of the 219-212 vote on June 26, according to Federal Election Commission records.

Read It And Weep  —  Fester at Newhoggers links to a set of right-wing bloggers' predictions for 2003.  It's pretty stunning.  For instance: … More from another pre-war interview with Tim Blair: … If only.  —  Except for Rachel Lucas', those are some pretty embarrassing predictions.

The Friday Line: Ranking Republican Leaders  —  Photos by Mark Wilson/Getty Images, Brendan Hoffman/Bloomberg News and Harry Hamburg/AP Photo  —  The Republican party at present is, in the words of one smart GOP operative, a chorus of voices without a soloist.

A Hollywood Blogger Feared by Executives  —  Right now, there's a good chance a Hollywood executive is leaning into a colleague's office and quietly asking, “Did you see what Nikki just wrote?”  —  That would be Nikki Finke, a well-traveled newspaper reporter who has found her moment as a digital-age Walter Winchell.

GOP Rep Tiahrt Asks Whether Obama's Mother Would Have Had An Abortion (VIDEO)  —  Arguing to restrict the public funding of abortions within the District of Columbia, Rep. Todd Tiahrt (R-Kans.) suggested on Thursday afternoon that if such “financial incentives” were available some 47 years ago …

40 Years After Apollo 11, America's Retreat From the Moon  —  Michael Crichton once wrote that if you told a physicist in 1899 that within a hundred years humankind would, among other wonders (nukes, commercial airlines), “travel to the moon, and then lose interest . . . the physicist would almost certainly pronounce you mad.”