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” …

Cuomo makes NY governor bid official  —  New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo announced Saturday he is officially running for governor.  —  Cuomo had long been expected to enter the race to replace unpopular Gov. David Paterson (D), who is not running for reelection this fall.

Man Who Shot Police Had Antigovernment Views  —  LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — An antigovernment Ohio man who had had several run-ins with the police around the country was identified Friday as one of two people suspected of gunning down two officers during a traffic stop in Arkansas.

68% Oppose Boycotts of Arizona Over New Immigration Law  —  Boston and Los Angeles were among the first to announce boycotts of Arizona, but 68% of Americans say it's a bad idea for other cities or states to boycott Arizona over its new immigration law.  —  A new Rasmussen Reports national …

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 …

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

Blumenthal allies turn tables on NYT  —  What at first appeared to be a potentially career-ending New York Times exposé of Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal has generated a messy fight between the newspaper, Blumenthal's liberal supporters, and his leading Republican rival …

Judge Weinstein Takes On Child Pornography Laws  —  In his 43-year career as a federal judge, Jack B. Weinstein has come to be identified by his efforts to combat what he calls “the unnecessary cruelty of the law.”  His most recent crusade is particularly striking because of the beneficiary …

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.

Obama campaigns against Bush - again  —  President Barack Obama is trying to ride the wave of anti-incumbency by taking on an unpopular politician steeped in the partisan ways of Washington.  —  It doesn't matter that George W. Bush left office 16 months ago.

THE PARTY OF CIVIL RIGHTS.... Given the new-found electoral relevance of the Civil Rights Act, I suppose this was inevitable. … This comes up from time to time, whenever Republicans are feeling particularly defensive about the civil rights issues.  But in light of the party's confusion, it's probably time for a quick refresher.