Rand Paul cancels Meet the Press appearance  —  After two days of bruising media coverage about his views on elements of the 1964 Civil Rights Act, the campaign of Kentucky U.S. Senate candidate Rand Paul tells me it has canceled the candidate's upcoming appearance on NBC's “Meet the Press” …

More Blumenthal Claims of Vietnam Service  —  WASHINGTON — Broader newspaper archival searches have continued to turn up claims by Attorney General Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut that he was a Vietnam War veteran, even though he did not serve in the war.

Economic Scene: Obama's Progressive Project Is Changing Washington  —  With the Senate's passage of financial regulation, Congress and the White House have completed 16 months of activity that rival any other since the New Deal in scope or ambition.  Like the Reagan Revolution …

Top Official Says Feds May Not Process Illegals Referred From Arizona  —  A top Department of Homeland Security official reportedly said his agency will not necessarily process illegal immigrants referred to them by Arizona authorities.

Mayor Daley Threatens to Shoot the Messenger—Namely, Me  —  Mayor Daley loves to bag on the local media, and given my recent line of inquiry into his politics and policies, I've never expected to be greeted with a fruit basket at City Hall.  —  But even I was a bit taken aback this morning …

No habeas rights at Bagram  —  In a major victory for the Obama Administration's detention policy, the D.C. Circuit Court ruled on Friday that foreign nationals held at a U.S. military prison at Bagram airbase outside of Kabul, Afghanistan, do not have a right to challenge in U.S. courts their continued imprisonment.

Issa threatens Sestak with complaint  —  A leading House Republican is threatening to file an ethics complaint against Rep. Joe Sestak (D-Pa.) if he doesn't reveal who in the White House offered him a job to drop out of the Pennsylvania Senate primary.  —  Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) …

'I'm a Marxist' says Dalai Lama, but agrees capitalism has helped China  —  TIBETAN spiritual leader the Dalai Lama says he's a Marxist, yet credits capitalism for bringing new freedoms to China, the communist country that exiled him.  —  “Still I am a Marxist,” the exiled Tibetan Buddhist leader …

D.C. Metro Police Escorted SEIU Protesters to Bank Of America Executive's Home  —  The family of Greg Baer, Bank of America executive, is located in a jurisdiction protected by the Montgomery County Police Department (MCPD), which responded promptly to a disturbance call from his neighborhood last weekend.

Key Al Qaeda Figure Accidentally Blows Himself Up, U.S. Officials Say  —  U.S. officials had been watching him, but Fox News' sources insist the U.S. had nothing to do with his death

Face-off with N.J. Dems about taxes marks defining moment for Gov. Chris Christie … TRENTON — After months of threatening and posturing, the battle about taxes that will define Gov. Chris Christie's first year in office was joined Thursday.  —  On a day marked by high drama and partisan brinkmanship …

Kevin Costner may hold key to oil spill cleanup  —  The actor has invested 15 years and $24 million in a cleanup system involving centrifugal oil separators.  BP and the Coast Guard plan to test six of the machines on the spill next week.  —  U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service specialists capture a laughing gull on Breton Island.