Boehner: Government—i.e. Taxpayers—Should Help Pay For Oil Spill  —  Congressional Democrats and the White House are toying with different ways to force BP to cover the costs of damages from the Gulf oil spill.  But they face stiff opposition from industry...and it seems leading Republicans.

White House officials make nice with labor  —  In a private meeting currently under way with labor leaders, top White House officials are working hard to smooth over tensions in the wake of an anonymous administration official's claim that unions had flushed $10 million down the toilet in Arkansas …

Goat spears Rep. Weiner, draws blood  —  Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-N.Y.) was injured by a mohair goat on Thursday during a press conference to highlight subsidies to the mohair industry.  —  The goat nicked Weiner's right hand with one of its pointy, foot-long horns, hard enough to draw blood.

Clyburn says S.C. Dem Senate candidate 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 for in South Carolina …

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 …

ACORN employees tell FBI of deliberate election fraud, according to new documents  —  The radical activist group ACORN “works” for the Democratic Party and deliberately promotes election fraud, ACORN employees told FBI investigators, according to an FBI document dump Wednesday.

Breaking: Radical Union Organizer-Black Liberation Activist Slugs Tea Party Protester in Face (Video) ...Update: YouTube Removes Attack Video  —  More Hope and Change-  —  Barack Obama gave his marching orders: … Now it's playing out on the streets.  —  On Tuesday June 8 …

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 …

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 …

Boris Johnson tells Barack Obama: Stop bashing Britain  —  Senior Tories today warned Barack Obama to back off as billions of pounds were wiped off BP shares in the row over the Gulf of Mexico oil spill.  —  Mayor Boris Johnson demanded an end to “anti-British rhetoric, buck-passing and name-calling” …

Sarah Palin's breasts  —  Sarah Palin's breasts are suddenly the objects of great interest on the left, not because of their obvious appeal, but as an opportunity to accuse her of having enhanced them with implants.  This controversy follows an earlier obsession with Sarah Palin's medical care …

A State Transformed: Immigration and the New California  —  Steven A. Camarota is the Director of Research and Karen Jensenius is a demographer at the Center for Immigration Studies.  —  Between 1970 and 2008 the share of California's population comprised of immigrants (legal and illegal) …

Nikki Haley and the New Racial Face of the South  —  Blogs and Stories  —  I do wonder, sometimes, whether America's toxic black-white history and its legacy create a need for a “third way”—for emblems of the Other that are not part of the toxic mix, especially in the South.

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.

The Trailer For Glenn Beck's New Book Is Just As Nuts As You'd Expect (VIDEO)  —  WHAT'S YOUR REACTION?  —  For some reason, Glenn Beck has written a thriller, ‘The Overton Window.’ And for some weirder reason, it has a trailer (though to be fair, this is more like a teaser).

Firestorm over column on gays in Catholic paper  —  Linked same-sex parents with porn  —  A contributor to the newspaper of the Archdiocese of Boston said yesterday he regretted a portion of a column that has infuriated gay Catholics in the region.  —  In the column, published last week …

New military heat for Mark Kirk  —  In yet another embarrassing revelation for GOP Senate candidate Mark Kirk, a document from the Department of Defense has surfaced showing military officials expressed “concerns arising from his partisan political activities during his last two tours of active duty.”

Frugality Fatigue: Upper-Income Spending Surges 33%  —  Overall spending increases 14% even as middle- and lower-income spending is unchanged  —  PRINCETON, NJ — Upper-income Americans' self-reported spending rose 33% to an average of $145 per day in May — up from $109 per day in April 2010 and May 2009 …

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:

Did Harry Reid get a softball opponent?  —  Harry Reid is looking at life from a whole new Angle.  —  Only weeks ago, the Senate majority leader was a dead man walking, facing a seemingly inevitable defeat in his reelection battle in Nevada.  But then came Tuesday's primary …

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 …

How Blanche Lincoln Is Not Like Norma Rae  —  The commentary regarding the Lincoln/Halter race continues, ranging from the sublime to the ridiculous.  —  Glenn Greenwald: … Just for kicks someone should put together a post with links to quotes from everyone who not only swallowed the …