Clyburn says S.C. Dem Senate candidate is a ‘plant,’ calls for probe  —  The man nominated as Democrats' candidate for Senate in South Carolina might have been a “plant,” a high-ranking Democrat suggested Thursday.  —  House Majority Whip James Clyburn (D-S.C.) called on the U.S. Attorney's office …

Scott Tops Mccollum In Florida GOP Gov Race, Quinnipiac University Poll Finds; Dem Senate Primary Race Too Close To Call  —  Political neophyte Rick Scott has surged to a 44 - 31 percent lead over Florida Attorney General Bill McCollum in the race for the Republican nomination for governor …

Op-Ed Contributor: Talking About Israel, Without the Clichés  —  THE Israeli raid on the Free Gaza flotilla has generated an outpouring of clichés from the usual suspects.  It is almost impossible to discuss the Middle East without resorting to tired accusations and ritual defenses …

Lincoln Win Boosts Overhaul Effort  —  WASHINGTON—Sen. Blanche Lincoln's surprising victory in Tuesday's Democratic primary in Arkansas appears to have hardened an anti-Wall Street bent in Congress's financial-overhaul bill.  —  Ms. Lincoln wrote a controversial provision in the bill …

BP and Officials Block Some Coverage of Gulf Oil Spill  —  When the operators of Southern Seaplane in Belle Chasse, La., called the local Coast Guard-Federal Aviation Administration command center for permission to fly over restricted airspace in Gulf of Mexico, they made what they thought was a simple and routine request.

Publishing Company Under Fire for Putting Warning Label on Constitution  —  Warning that appears on Wilder Publications' reprints of the Constitution, the Declaration of Independence and other historical texts.  —  A small publishing company is under fire after putting warning labels on copies …

Where's the Rah-Rah Sisterhood?  —  The overriding theme of Tuesday night's primary coverage was that it was a big night for female politicians.  But there is a noticeable dearth of rah-rah sisterhood going on (though the National Review is pretty excited).

Jobs report a nightmare for Obama progressivism  —  Concerning the job numbers from May, one can almost echo Henry James's exclamation after examining letters pertaining to Lord Byron's incest: “Nauseating perhaps, but how quite inexpressibly significant.”  Except that the May numbers' significance …

Kagan has many achievements, but her world has been relatively narrow  —  One night, at an intimate dinner, Elena Kagan lavished such praise on Justice Antonin Scalia that he almost teared up.  The next afternoon, in front of a crowd of 500, she lauded him some more, nearly choking up herself.

U.S. and BP slow to accept Dutch expertise  —  Three days after the explosion of the Deepwater Horizon in the Gulf of Mexico, the Dutch government offered to help.  —  It was willing to provide ships outfitted with oil-skimming booms, and it proposed a plan for building sand barriers to protect sensitive marshlands.

‘Follow the Islamic way to save the world,’ Prince Charles urges environmentalists  —  Prince Charles yesterday urged the world to follow Islamic ‘spiritual principles’ in order to save the environment.  —  In a high-profile speech, the heir to the throne argued that man's destruction …

My mic was on?  Senate hopeful Fiorina mocks Barbara Boxer's hair, moans about Fox's Sean Hannity  —  Carly Fiorina spent her first day as California's Republican U.S. Senate candidate with one of her custom shoes planted firmly in her mouth.  —  Unaware of an open mic before a television interview …

Bennett to endorse Bridgewater  —  Rival's campaign says senator's support just proves that Mike Lee is the true conservative.  —  Sen. Bob Bennett will throw his support behind Tim Bridgewater, one of the candidates who knocked the three-term incumbent from office, The Salt Lake Tribune has learned.

I've Got 99 Weeks of Unemployment, And Also a Lot of Problems  —  With long-term unemployment surging to unprecedented highs, Annie Lowrey takes a look at the plight of those facing expiration of Unemployment Insurance as they head up against the 99 week mark:

The End of Men  —  Earlier this year, women became the majority of the workforce for the first time in U.S. history.  Most managers are now women too.  And for every two men who get a college degree this year, three women will do the same.  For years, women's progress has been cast as a struggle for equality.

ACLU chief ‘disgusted’ with Obama  —  The top official at the American Civil Liberties Union seems to be losing patience with President Barack Obama and his administration.  —  Speaking at a conference of liberal activists Wednesday morning, ACLU Executive Director Anthony Romero didn't mince …

Scoundrel Time  —  Michael Douglas is the very model of a modern aging Boomer.  —  Solitary Man  —  Directed by Brian Koppelman  —  and David Levien  —  Remember when wacky codgers in movies used to sit in rocking chairs on porches dispensing cranky wisdom?

Climate change showdown  —  Democratic leaders are scrambling to prevent the Senate from delivering a stinging slap to President Barack Obama on climate change.  —  They have offered a vote on a bill they dislike in the hopes of avoiding a loss on legislation Obama hates.

The art of a homepage  —  Last week, we announced a new feature that lets you add a favorite photo or image to the background of your Google.com homepage.  —  To provide you with an extra bit of inspiration, we've collaborated with several well-known artists, sculptors and photographers …

Dems Go All-In On Health Care With New Ad Slamming GOP's Repeal Promise (VIDEO)  —  Democrats on Thursday will launch a new 60-second ad on national cable television accusing repeal-happy Republicans of wanting to get rid of health care reform and all its benefits.

Taliban execute seven-year-old Afghan boy accused of spying  —  KABUL: Suspected Taliban militants executed a seven-year-old boy in southern Afghanistan after accusing him of spying for the government, a provincial official said Wednesday.  —  The child was captured by the militants …

Views Show How a North Korean Policy Spread Misery  —  The Tumen River serves as part of the border between China and North Korea, with the Chinese city of Tumen on the left and the North Korean town of Namyang on the right.  The railway bridge in the foreground is a major route for transporting Chinese aid and goods to North Korea.

Lindsey Graham Said What About Climate Change?  —  On Tuesday, South Carolina Republican Lindsey Graham told reporters that he would vote against the climate bill he helped author.  Now he's going one step further.  Graham, one of the few Republicans who claimed to care about climate change, now says global warming is no big deal.

Border shooting allegations disputed  —  (CNN) — A video obtained by CNN raises questions about a U.S. Border Patrol agent's claim that he fatally shot a 14-year-old boy in Ciudad Juarez while he was surrounded by rock-throwing suspected illegal immigrants.