Liberal Suicide March  —  It was interesting to watch the Republican Party lose touch with America.  You had a party led by conservative Southerners who neither understood nor sympathized with moderates or representatives from swing districts.  —  They brought in pollsters to their party conferences …

Most will carry Obama press conference; time shifted after NBC balked  —  UPDATED: After some hesitation and a time shift, three major broadcast networks have agreed to carry Barack Obama's latest primetime news conference.  —  The event was announced Friday afternoon as Obama battles …

Lawyer's Statement on the Arrest of Henry Louis Gates Jr.  —  Charles Ogletree gives Gates' side of the story in controversial arrest of The Root's editor-in-chief.  —  Statement on Behalf of Henry Louis Gates, Jr. — by Charles Ogletree  —  This brief statement is being submitted on behalf of my client …

Health-Care Firms Have Supported Lawmakers Debating Reform  —  Key Senator Baucus Is a Leading Recipient  —  As liberal protesters marched outside, Sen. Max Baucus sat down inside a San Francisco mansion for a dinner of chicken cordon bleu and a discussion of landmark health-care legislation …

W.H. gains momentum in F-22 fight  —  With a vote set for high noon on Tuesday, the political tide in the Senate has shifted to now favor the White House and Pentagon in their pivotal fight to strike new procurement funds for the F-22 fighter.  —  Just last week, conventional wisdom held …

Budget accord reached  —  Calling for deep cuts and avoiding broad tax hikes, Schwarzenegger and legislative leaders agree on ways to close California's $26.3-billion deficit.  —  Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and legislative leaders announced today that they have reached a deal …

The Fed's Exit Strategy  —  The depth and breadth of the global recession has required a highly accommodative monetary policy.  Since the onset of the financial crisis nearly two years ago, the Federal Reserve has reduced the interest-rate target for overnight lending between banks (the federal-funds rate) nearly to zero.

Amman begins stripping state's Palestinians of citizenship  —  Article's topics: Jordan, Palestinians, West Bank, PLO  —  Jordanian authorities have started revoking the citizenship of thousands of Palestinians living in Jordan to avoid a situation in which they would be “resettled” …

Top Earners' Pay Erodes Social Security  —  Fund Expected to Be Exhausted in 2037  —  The nation's wealth gap is widening amid an uproar about lofty pay packages in the financial world.  —  Executives and other highly compensated employees now receive more than one-third of all pay in the U.S. …

Obama's Gitmo Task Force Blows Its Deadline  —  Exclusive: why a key report on closing the facility has been delayed until the fall.  —  Brennan Linsley / Reuters-Landov  —  A U.S. journalist walks past sleeping quaters at Camp Justice, Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, July 14, 2009.

New NASA Images Indicate Object Hits Jupiter  —  Scientists have found evidence that another object has bombarded Jupiter, exactly 15 years after the first impacts by the comet Shoemaker-Levy 9.  —  Following up on a tip by an amateur astronomer, Anthony Wesley of Australia, that a new dark …

For the record, today I was able to figure out the allegation about my staff flipping off protestors at my St Louis office on Friday.  There was only one male staffer at the office on Friday, and I knew he wouldn't do that.  He is an Iraq veteran, who handles almost all of our case work for our veterans.

President Barack Obama authorizes extended Secret Service guard for former VP Dick Cheney  —  WASHINGTON - Former Vice President Dick Cheney's Secret Service protection has been extended for at least another six months, beginning Tuesday.  —  Normally, ex-veeps only get six months of protection at taxpayer expense.

Democrats Want to Teach You to Die With Dignity  —  H.R. 3200 is the Democrat healthcare bill.  —  Let's back up for a minute.  I noted some time ago Jay Rockefeller went on record to say that at some point the government has to decide whether or not you are allowed to receive …

WAY TO GO, SNOWE?.... If the Democratic campaign for health care reform is going to get any support from Republicans at all, the most likely GOP supporter is Sen. Olympia Snowe (R) of Maine.  In April, the moderate Republican signaled, for example, at least some support for a public option.

Presidential approval tracker  —  The Gallup organization first started asking Americans how they approved of the job the president was doing in the 1940s.  See how each president since then has fared in the approval poll, look at some news events that influenced public opinion and compare …

Is the Sun Missing Its Spots?  —  The Sun is still blank (mostly).  —  Ever since Samuel Heinrich Schwabe, a German astronomer, first noted in 1843 that sunspots burgeon and wane over a roughly 11-year cycle, scientists have carefully watched the Sun's activity.

Big Estimate, Worth Little, on Bailout  —  Just how much could the bailout of the financial system end up costing American taxpayers?  —  Neil M. Barofsky, the special inspector general for the Troubled Asset Relief Program set up by the Treasury Department, came up with the largest number yet …

Iran's Tragic Joke  —  NEW YORK — Allow me to quote the British novelist Martin Amis, writing about Persia in The Guardian: “Iran is one of the most venerable civilizations on earth: it makes China look like an adolescent, and America look like a stripling.”  —  Iranians, aware of that history, are a proud people.

Why America Shouldn't “Buy American”  —  Is your iPod unpatriotic?  —  Its 451 parts are made in dozens of nations, and creating the little doodads employs thousands of foreigners.  Final assembly is done in China—a country that right-wingers and left-wingers alike fear is an economic threat to the U.S.

Pennsylvania Gov's Approval Drops To Lowest Ever, Quinnipiac University Poll Finds; Rendell Gets More Blame For Budget Stalemate  —  Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell's job approval rating has shrunk to its lowest level ever, 39 - 53 percent negative, and voters see him as most responsible for the state's budget mess.

CalPERS expected to report losing nearly one-quarter of investment portfolio  —  The estimated $56.8-billion drop at the U.S.' largest pension fund, the second annual loss in a row, would have a huge effect on what state and local governments must shell out to support retirees.

Kristol: Shut Up, Obama Explained  —  “The time for talk is through.”  — President Obama, talking to liberal bloggers on a conference call Monday night.  —  The Democratic bills in the House and Senate are a thousand pages long.  They're still changing as committees try to mark them up …