Sotomayor Confirmed by Senate, 68-31  —  WASHINGTON — Voting largely along party lines, the Senate on Thursday confirmed Judge Sonia Sotomayor as the 111th justice of the Supreme Court.  She will be the first Hispanic and the third woman to serve on the court.

Unions To Take On Conservative Groups Health Care Town Halls  —  The nation's largest federation of labor organizations has promised to directly engage with boisterous conservative protesters at Democratic town halls during the August recess.  —  In a memo sent out on Thursday …

After 6 Months, More View Obama's Presidency as a ‘Failure’ Than Bush's  —  A rather surprising finding from the newly released CNN poll.  Question three on the national survey of 1,136 adults (which includes an oversample of African-Americans) asks, “Do you consider the first six months …

Obama as The Joker: Racial Fear's Ugly Face  —  ‘Political’ Poster Turns On Violent Symbolism  —  Between Jack Nicholson's 1989 portrayal of the Joker in “Batman” and Heath Ledger's 2008 characterization in “The Dark Knight,” something sinister happened to the villain's iconic makeup.

‘Punkin’ the Birthers: Priceless'  —  It's looking more and more like the forged “Kenyan birth certificate” released by Orly Taitz on Sunday was a prank by a supporter of President Obama.  Politijab points to an anonymous blogger at FearlessBlogging, who has uploaded four photos of the original forgery and a mocking declaration:

White House Affirms Deal on Drug Cost  —  WASHINGTON — Pressed by industry lobbyists, White House officials on Wednesday assured drug makers that the administration stood by a behind-the-scenes deal to block any Congressional effort to extract cost savings from them beyond an agreed-upon $80 billion.

Pelosi: Town Hall Protesters Are “Carrying Swastikas”  —  Nancy Pelosi claims protesters are “carrying swastikas and symbols like that to a town meeting on healthcare.”  VIDEO: Man At Town Hall: “You Need To Get The Government The Hell Out Of Our Way” VIDEO: DNC Web Ad Attacks Protesters …

Many Fault Media Coverage of Health Care Debate  —  Partisan Divide Over Coverage of “Birther” Allegations  —  As the fight in Washington over health care reform continues to dominate public attention and media coverage, most Americans are critical of the way news organizations are explaining key elements of the debate.

Say, isn't this Astroturfing?  —  The White House and its allies have tossed around accusations of “astroturfing” — fake grassroots movements — at the opposition to ObamaCare with gusto, as town-hall meetings erupt in anger and acrimony towards elected officials who don't bother to read bills before voting for them.

CHRISTY ROMER ARGUES FOR THE STIMULUS.  —  Well, can't get a much better speech title than “So, Is It Working?”  That's the question answered in Council of Economic Advisers Chair Christina Romer's speech today, and she answers it with one word: Absolutely.

Obama's dissident database could be secret — and permanent  —  The White House request that members of the public report anyone who is spreading “disinformation” about the proposed national health care makeover could lead to a White House database of political opponents that will be both secret …

Dear Huffington Post, About That Headline  —  Yesterday was a pretty big day.  The lives of two amazing journalists were saved, their families spared more emotional agony.  It all started, as the New York Times reported it, after being arrested on March 17 near the North Korean border …

No More Perks: Coffee Shops Pull the Plug on Laptop Users  —  They Sit for Hours and Don't Spend Much; Getting the Bum's Rush in the Big Apple  —  A sign at Naidre's, a small neighborhood coffee shop in Brooklyn, N.Y., begins warmly: “Dear customers, we are absolutely thrilled that you like us …

Ron Paul: Obama ‘deserves an F’  —  Rep. Ron Paul (R-Texas) said Thursday that President Barack Obama deserves a failing grade for his first 200 days in office.  —  The libertarian-minded Republican ultimately graded the president at a just-passing “D” when asked to rate Obama's performance during …

Reid: GOP ‘run by a talk show host’  —  Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid launched his harshest attack on the Republican Party in months, claiming the GOP is “being run by a talk show host.”  —  Reid, armed with a patch of Astroturf, slammed Republicans for sponsoring town hall attacks …

The Guns of August  —  Jon Cohn says he's “been obsessing over the lack of passion and organization on the left,” though now feeling slightly better.  I agree, but it is worth saying that this is almost 100 percent the fault of Max Baucus.  —  There's a reason, after all …

U.S. Considers Remaking Mortgage Giants  —  ‘Bad Bank’ Would Wipe the Slate Clean for Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac by Taking Their Toxic Loans  —  The Obama administration is considering an overhaul of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac that would strip the mortgage finance giants of hundreds of billions …