‘An Accident of Time and Place’  —  Henry Louis Gates Jr. on his meeting with Sgt. Crowley at the White House.  —  “...I thank God that I live in a country in which police officers put their lives at risk to protect us every day, and, more than ever, I've come to understand and appreciate their daily sacrifices on our behalf.”

Deadlines, Schmeadlines — No Breakthroughs, No Deals, No Health Care Bill  —  ABC News' Jonathan Karl reports:  —  With the health care bill languishing in the Senate and under fire in the House, Democratic leaders are quietly preparing for Plan B.  —  Under the scenario now being discussed …

ONE OF THESE THINGS IS NOT LIKE THE OTHER.... A new Research 2000 poll conducted for Daily Kos asked respondents a rather straightforward question: “Do you believe that Barack Obama was born in the United States of America or not?”  Since the president was born in the U.S., ideally, the results would be around 100%.

‘Cash for Clunkers’ Runs Out of Gas  —  White House officials and lawmakers were studying late Thursday how to keep alive the government's cash-for-clunkers incentive program because of concerns the program's $1 billion budget may have been exhausted after just one week.

Controversy Surrounding Lou Dobbs Has Failed to Increase His Ratings  —  On the night of Monday, July 27, Bill O'Reilly welcomed Richard Cohen, the head of the Southern Poverty Law Center, onto The O'Reilly Factor, to talk about Mr. Cohen's repeated public criticisms of CNN anchor Lou Dobbs.

NATIONAL INCOME AND PRODUCT ACCOUNTS  —  GROSS DOMESTIC PRODUCT: SECOND QUARTER 2009 (ADVANCE ESTIMATE)  —  COMPREHENSIVE REVISION: 1929 THROUGH FIRST QUARTER 2009  —  Real gross domestic product — the output of goods and services produced by labor and property located in the United States …

Baucus: ‘No idea’ how he'll vote on Sotomayor  —  Sen. Max Baucus (D-Mont.) said Thursday he hasn't made up his mind on whether he will vote to confirm Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor.  —  Baucus this summer has infuriated liberals on and off Capitol Hill by working to strike a deal with Republicans on healthcare reform.

U.S. Economy Shrank Less Than Expected in Quarter  —  The American economy shrank at an annual rate of one percent from April through June, the government reported on Friday, stoking hopes that the longest recession since the Great Depression was nearly over.

In Afghanistan, U.S. May Shift Strategy  —  Request for Big Boost in Afghan Troops Could Also Require More Americans  —  The top U.S. commander in Afghanistan is preparing a new strategy that calls for major changes in the way U.S. and other NATO troops there operate, a vast increase …

Porn prosecution fuels debate  —  President Barack Obama's Justice Department has quietly agreed to move a pornography prosecution out of socially conservative Montana to more urbane New Jersey - fueling perceptions by some attorneys that the new administration is stepping back from the aggressive approach …

AP sources: Govt to suspend ‘cash for clunkers’ … WASHINGTON (AP) - Congressional officials say the government plans to suspend the popular “cash for clunkers” program amid concerns it could quickly use up the $1 billion in rebates for new car purchases.  —  The Transportation Department …

After Rescue, New Weakness Seen at A.I.G.  —  The dozens of insurance companies that make up the American International Group show signs of considerable weakness even after their corporate parent got the biggest bailout in history, a review of state regulatory filings shows.

Obama Will Settle for Less on Health Care  —  Yesterday, Barack Obama was God.  Today, he's fallen from grace, the magic gone, his health-care reform dead.  If you believed the first idiocy — and half the mainstream media did — you'll believe the second.  Don't believe either.

Do quick tweets sink ships?  —  WASHINGTON (CNN) - Rep. Mark Kirk, a Republican who represents the northern suburbs of Chicago and is running for Senate, also happens to be a Navy Reservist.  While on service in the National Military Command Center at the Pentagon, he recently ‘tweeted,’ causing the Military to look into the situation.

Tax Burden of Top 1% Now Exceeds That of Bottom 95%  —  Newly released data from the IRS clearly debunks the conventional Beltway rhetoric that the “rich” are not paying their fair share of taxes and disproportionately benefited from the Bush tax cuts.  —  Indeed, the IRS data shows that in 2007 …

Health Care Realities  —  At a recent town hall meeting, a man stood up and told Representative Bob Inglis to “keep your government hands off my Medicare.”  The congressman, a Republican from South Carolina, tried to explain that Medicare is already a government program — but the voter, Mr. Inglis said, “wasn't having any of it.”

Town halls gone wild  —  Screaming constituents, protesters dragged out by the cops, congressmen fearful for their safety — welcome to the new town-hall-style meeting, the once-staid forum that is rapidly turning into a house of horrors for members of Congress.