Obama to Open Offshore Areas to Oil Drilling for First Time  —  WASHINGTON — The Obama administration is proposing to open vast expanses of water along the Atlantic coastline, the eastern Gulf of Mexico and the north coast of Alaska to oil and natural gas drilling, much of it for the first time, officials said Tuesday.

Tony Perkins urges conservatives to stop giving money to RNC  —  Tony Perkins, head of the Family Research Council and an influential social conservative, is urging his members to stop giving money to the Republican National Committee, POLITICO has learned.  —  “I've hinted at this before …

Federal Judge Finds N.S.A. Wiretapping Program Illegal  —  WASHINGTON — A federal judge on Wednesday ruled that the National Security Agency's warrantless surveillance program was illegal, rejecting the Obama administration's effort to keep shrouded in secrecy one of the most disputed …

Palin, Fox News, LL Cool J tangle over phantom interview  —  Here's a chapter in the culture wars that no one saw coming: Sarah Palin and Fox News facing off against '80s rap star and actor LL Cool J.  —  Palin makes her hosting debut Thursday night on Fox, as captain of an interview special in Greta Von Susteren's 10 p.m. slot.

Memo to Paul Krugman and Rep. Van Hollen: My Search Was Not in Vain (Updated)  —  In last Thursday's column, Paul Krugman admitted to having fun watching “right-wingers go wild.”  One of the things that apparently delighted him was this map which Sarah Palin posted on her Facebook page:

Taxes per Person  —  Some pundits, reflecting on the looming U.S. budget deficits, claim that Americans are vastly undertaxed compared with other major nations.  I was wondering, to what extent is that true?  —  The most common metric for answering this question is taxes as a percentage of GDP.

Poll: More blame Obama for poor economy, unemployment  —  WASHINGTON — Americans anxious about unemployment and the economy increasingly blame President Obama for hard times, a USA TODAY/Gallup Poll finds, amid signs of turbulence in November's midterm elections.

Gallup: Majority Says Dem Health Reform Tactics Were “Abuse Of Power”  —  Yesterday I noted the seemingly odd finding by Gallup that more Americans blame Democrats than Republicans or conservatives for the rash of violence that greeted the passage of the reform law.

How Is the Stimulus Money Allocated?  — By: Veronique de Rugy  —  Unemployment isn't a factor, but politics is.  Your stimulus dollars at work.  —  Using recipient report data from Recovery.gov, as well as economic and political data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the Census Bureau …

Tea Partier Tells Mediaite Racist Sign Was Forged; We Have Him On Record Defending Its Use  —  Self-proclaimed Tea Party founder Dale Robertson told Tommy Christopher at Mediaite that the infamous photo of him holding a sign with the n-word (which he spelled wrong) is a fake.  Reports Christopher:

Evan Coyne Maloney remembers  —  Evan Coyne Maloney is the documentary filmmaker and proprietor of Brain Terminal.  During the Bush administration, Evan was out in the field with his camera observing protests and interviewing protesters.  He is therefore in a good position to recall the signs …

GOP Wary of Health Law Repeal Push in Fall Races  —  GOP leaders temper call for repealing health law, saying jobs, economy are key to fall races  —  Top Republicans are increasingly worried that GOP candidates this fall might be burned by a fire that's roaring through the conservative base …

Top Bank Regulator Changes Tune, Now Calls For Independent Consumer Agency  —  WHAT'S YOUR REACTION?  —  After months of criticizing the Obama administration's proposal to create a consumer-focused agency dedicated to protecting borrowers from abusive lenders, the nation's top big-bank regulator has reversed course.

Why All the Wounded Fawns?  — By: Victor Davis Hanson  —  Why are charges of racism and political extremism suddenly in the air?  —  Party politics is always the norm, but what is unusual this time around is the juxtaposition between the once-soaring Obama unity rhetoric of the past …

West's Middle East strategy criticised  —  Exclusive: Ex-nuclear chief says west must rethink Middle East policy as speculation grows he may run for office in Egypt  —  Western governments risk creating a new generation of Islamist extremists if they continue to support repressive regimes …

Kentucky Attorney General Jack Conway Take Some Time Out From Battling The Teabaggers To Talk With Us Live  —  I've been noticing a disturbing trend in the Kentucky contest for the Senate seat that McConnell forced Jim Bunning to give up.  Whenever you line up the candidates on the issues …

David Mills, writer for ‘Homicide: Life on the Street,’ ‘NYPD Blue,’ ‘ER,’ ‘The Wire’ and HBO's upcoming ‘Treme,’ dies at age 48 … David Mills, a staff writer and co-executive producer of the upcoming HBO drama “Treme,” died of a brain aneurysm Tuesday in New Orleans, an HBO spokesman confirmed Wednesday morning.

South Carolina Congressman John Spratt Diagnosed with Parkinson's  —  Rep. John Spratt (D-S.C.) announced he has been diagnosed with Parkinson's disease, saying the condition is in its early stages and won't interfere with his re-election bid.  —  Spratt, 67, made the announcement …