Making the Grade: Kagan's Transcript  —  How promising a lawyer was young Elena Kagan?  Judging by her grades at Harvard Law School, you'd be lucky if she was drawing up a contract for you, but maybe less so if you wanted to sue someone over a fender-bender.

BREAKING: We Have Elena Kagan's College Thesis  —  This proves Elena Kagan is an open and avowed socialist.  The woman declares that socialists must stick together instead of fracture in order to advance a socialist agenda, which Kagan advocates.  1  —  You can see for yourself right here (PDF).

Sarah Palin issues a call to action to ‘mama grizzlies’  —  Former Alaska governor Sarah Palin told a group of women who oppose abortion rights that they are responsible for an “emerging, conservative, feminist identity” and have the power to shape politics and elections around the issue of life.

The Health Care Reform Already Costs More Than We Thought It Would  —  There's been a spate of bad news recently about the health care bill.  —  Henry Waxman canceled his War on Accounting, not because there was a sudden breakout of common sense on Capitol Hill, but because his committee's …

Gulf Spill May Far Exceed Official Estimates … Watch the video of the Gulf of Mexico oil spill  —  This graphic requires version 9 or higher of the Adobe Flash Player.  Get the latest Flash Player.  —  In this handout from BP, the main oil leak at the end of the riser pipe is seen underwater in the Gulf of Mexico.

The New Normal on Abortion: Americans More “Pro-Life”  —  For second year straight, “pro-life” and “pro-choice” closely matched  —  PRINCETON, NJ — The conservative shift in Americans' views on abortion that Gallup first recorded a year ago has carried over into 2010.

Obama rips executives, calls oil spill hearing a ‘ridiculous spectacle’  —  President Barack Obama excoriated the companies involved in the Gulf oil spill Friday for failing to take responsibility.  —  In remarks from the Rose Garden after a meeting with cabinet officials about the ongoing spill …

Governor out to rebrand Arizona over immigration law criticism  —  Acknowledging that Arizona has developed a serious image problem because of its tough new immigration law, Gov. Jan Brewer and tourism-industry leaders said Thursday that they will launch a new effort to stanch the flow of lost trade and convention business in the state.

Book: Rahm “begged” Obama for days not to pursue ambitious health reform  —  Rahm Emanuel spent nearly a week in the summer of 2009 aggressively trying to talk Obama out of moving foward with an ambitious version of health care reform, and by his own admission “begged” him not to do it, a book out next week reports.

Tea party: Dark side of conservatism  —  Tea partiers proudly proclaim themselves conservatives.  And rightly so.  —  Tea party protesters repeat the conservative catchwords of Barry Goldwater and Ronald Reagan, who built their careers fighting the “creeping socialism” of civil rights legislation, Social Security and Medicare.

Whitman veers right on immigration  —  Earlier this week in Florida, and now in California: A centrist Republican frontrunner — in this case, Meg Whitman — is forced to veer hard right on immigration, with an ad denouncing “amnesty” and drivers licenses for illegal immigration …

Miss., La. govs contrast in responses to oil spill  —  JACKSON, Miss. — The ambitious Republican governors of Mississippi and Louisiana are a study in contrasts as an oil spill threatens coastal economies still reeling from Hurricane Katrina.  —  Mississippi's Haley Barbour …

School Official in Basketball Flap Is No Stranger to Controversy  —  The school official who nixed an Illinois girls high school basketball team trip to Arizona once supported a controversial program that required students to attend a “freshman advisory” class where gay upperclassmen shared stories …

Pakistani Taliban say America will “burn”  —  (Reuters) - Pakistani Taliban militants have warned America that it will soon “burn” while calling for Pakistan's rulers to be overthrown for following “America's agenda”.  —  The United States is convinced Pakistani Taliban militants allied …

We're Not Greece  —  It's an ill wind that blows nobody good, and the crisis in Greece is making some people — people who opposed health care reform and are itching for an excuse to dismantle Social Security — very, very happy.  Everywhere you look there are editorials and commentaries …

GOP Kills Science Jobs Bill By Forcing Dems To Vote For Porn  —  In an example of Republican obstructionism rendered beautiful by its simplicity, the GOP yesterday killed a House bill that would increase funding for scientific research and math and science education by forcing Democrats to vote …

Pennsylvania special election could be 2010 pivot point  —  For months, the conventional wisdom about the coming 2010 midterm elections has been that Republicans are not only poised to make major gains this fall but that they also have a realistic chance of taking the chamber back.

Plan to Build Mosque Near Ground Zero Riles Families of 9/11 Victims  —  Outraged family members and community groups are accusing a Muslim group of trying to rewrite history with its plans to build a 13-story mosque and cultural center just two blocks from Ground Zero, where Islamic extremists flew …

Their Dirty Little Secret: GOP Senators Say Bailouts Worked — Just Please Don't Tell Anyone!  —  Perhaps the most fascinating political conundrum of the 2010 election is one faced by GOP senators, almost all of whom voted for TARP and supported some of the other bailouts in the thick of the financial crisis.

Maine GOP Forced To Apologize After Convention-Goers Vandalize An Eighth-Grade Classroom  —  Although Maine is known for its two moderate Republican senators — Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins — last week's state GOP convention showed the growing influence of far-right activists.

Obama Administration Makes Emergency Funding Request for Teachers  —  Despite President Obama's pledge for honest budgeting and billions of dollars in stimulus money spent to save teachers' jobs, the Education Department is asking for off-the-books emergency funding to keep local districts …