Facts Are Stubborn Things  —  Opponents of health insurance reform may find the truth a little inconvenient, but as our second president famously said, “facts are stubborn things.”  —  Scary chain emails and videos are starting to percolate on the internet, breathlessly claiming, for example …

What Obama and My Wife Have in Common  —  Dear Mr. President:  —  First, happy birthday.  I do hope today is an enjoyable day for you and your family.  Coincidentally, I also will be celebrating this week the birth of someone dear to me, my beloved wife, Gena, whose birthday is Aug. 9.

Geithner Vents as Overhaul Stumbles  —  WASHINGTON — Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner blasted top U.S. financial regulators in an expletive-laced critique last Friday as frustration grows over the Obama administration's faltering plan to overhaul U.S. financial regulation, according to people familiar with the meeting.

Spoof poster of Obama's face painted as The Joker branded ‘dangerous and mean-spirited’  —  A poster depicting Barack Obama as Batman villain The Joker has been called ‘mean-spirited and dangerous’ by the U.S. President's supporters.  —  The image, which has been adopted by Mr Obama's critics …

Rachel Maddow on GOP Thugishness at Town Halls: This is Called Hooliganism  —  Rachel Maddow reports on the “town halls gone wild” that industry backed astroturf groups like Americans for Prosperity are involved in disrupting.

McDonnell leads by 14  —  Bob McDonnell has opened up a 51-37 lead over Creigh Deeds in the race to be Virginia's next Governor, up from a 49-43 advantage four weeks ago.  —  The movement in the race likely has more to do with national trends than anything actually going on in Virginia.

Health Plan Opponents Make Voices Heard  —  WASHINGTON — Senator Arlen Specter and the health and human services secretary, Kathleen Sebelius, were heckled and booed in Philadelphia on Sunday.  —  In Austin on Saturday, a throng of protesters enveloped Representative Lloyd Doggett …

HONORING AN AMERICA-HATER  —  THE Medal of Freedom is the nation's highest civilian honor.  Past recipients include John Wayne, Norman Rockwell and Vaclav Havel.  This year, one of the 16 recipients President Obama selected (along with such worthies as Sen. Edward Kennedy and the late Jack Kemp) …

Bill Clinton Brings Star Power to North Korea Negotiations … Original Post Last month, The Lede asked whether North Korea was hoping for a visit from Al Gore, the former vice president and a co-owner of Current TV, when the regime sentenced two journalists working for the American channel to 12 years of hard labor.

Adelaide man caught up in bid to oust Obama  —  A self-described ‘grey-haired guy in a corner of little old Adelaide’ has been unwittingly implicated in a conspiracy to oust the 44th President of the United States from office.  Unbeknown to David Bomford, a group called the Birthers have used …

Sotomayor: Qualified, mainstream  —  Judicial confirmation hearings weren't always ideological witch hunts.  —  When John Roberts and Samuel Alito were nominated to the Supreme Court, Republicans argued that they should be confirmed based on their impeccable qualifications and mainstream jurisprudence.

How Come CBS Journalists Can't Recognize Paid Lobbyists When They See Them?  —  If you got your information from Wyatt Andrews on CBS News last night, you would believe that “angry protesters” are cropping up “everywhere Democrats are trying to defend health care reform.”

When ‘Clunkers’ Are Greener  —  Want to be green?  Consider keeping your “clunker.”  —  The wildly popular “Cash for Clunkers” program is one of a number of policies funded by this year's stimulus package that encourage consumers to make major purchases in the name of the environment.

Olbermann to keep Wolffe off show  —  The most anticipated part of Keith Olbermann's return to “Countdown” last night was to see whether he'd abide by a reported cease-fire with Bill O'Reilly — he didn't.  —  But simmering in the background was the ongoing issue of Richard Wolffe …

PERSONAL INCOME AND OUTLAYS: JUNE 2009 REVISED ESTIMATES: 1929 THROUGH MAY 2009  —  Personal income decreased $159.8 billion, or 1.3 percent, and disposable personal income (DPI) decreased $143.8 billion, or 1.3 percent, in June, according to the Bureau of Economic Analysis.

54% Oppose More Money for ‘Cash for Clunkers’ Program  —  Fifty-four percent (54%) of Americans oppose any further funding for the federal “cash for clunkers” program which encourages the owners of older cars to trade them in for newer, more fuel-efficient ones.

Marines Ban Twitter, MySpace, Facebook  —  The U.S. Marine Corps has banned Twitter, Facebook, MySpace and other social media sites from its networks, effective immediately.  —  “These internet sites in general are a proven haven for malicious actors and content and are particularly high risk due …