U.S. Identifies Vast Riches of Minerals in Afghanistan  —  WASHINGTON — The United States has discovered nearly $1 trillion in untapped mineral deposits in Afghanistan, far beyond any previously known reserves and enough to fundamentally alter the Afghan economy and perhaps the Afghan war itself …

Long Hot Summer Begins: Congressman Attacks Student  —  Maybe it is my Catholic upbringing, but I've always been cursed with a bit too much empathy.  It is often difficult to witness people bearing the full weight of the consequences of their decisions, even when it is richly deserved.

Near-Record 49% Say Democratic Party “Too Liberal”  —  More Americans than in 2009 say Republican Party's views are about right  —  PRINCETON, NJ — In the past two years, Americans have become increasingly likely to describe the Democratic Party's views as “too liberal” (49%), and less likely to say its views are “about right” (38%).

Obama Tells Politico the Oil Spill is Like 9-11... Then Goes Golfing for 4 Hours  —  Barack Obama told The Politico this morning that the Gulf oil spill was like 9-11.  —  Then he went golfing for 4 hours.  —  Fore!  —  The Hill reported: … Leadership.

American Crossroads attacks Harry Reid in new ads  —  1. American Crossroads, a conservative outside organization, is launching television ads today that take Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) to task for the economic stimulus package passed by Congress last year.

Criticism Flowing Like Oil, but Obama's Rating Is Steady  —  Oil has gushed into the Gulf of Mexico for eight weeks now — and sent a bipartisan wave of criticism crashing into the White House.  —  Allies and adversaries have accused President Obama of reacting too slowly, deferring too much to BP …

Lawmakers' committee assignments and industry investments overlap  —  Rep. Ron Paul is captivated by gold.  Over the past two decades, he has written books about the virtues of gold-backed currency.  He has made uncounted speeches about the precious metal.

Fellow journalists let Helen Thomas down by not reining her in  —  There she goes again.  —  That was the eye-rolling reaction in the White House pressroom when Helen Thomas would go off on one of her rants about the Middle East.  She had been there for so long, was so admired by female journalists …

Olson surprises many conservatives by seeking to overturn gay-marriage ban  —  Cocktails had been served on the terrace, the ubiquitous Washington buffet of tenderloin and salmon consumed, and the gay law students settled in to hear from the famed legal mind who is leading the battle to make sure …

Fannie-Freddie Fix at $160 Billion With $1 Trillion Worst Case  —  The cost of fixing Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the mortgage companies that last year bought or guaranteed three-quarters of all U.S. home loans, will be at least $160 billion and could grow to as much as $1 trillion after the biggest bailout in American history.

You're losing your plan  —  Late last week saw the first leaks of the administration's draft regulations for imple menting the ObamaCare law — and everything is playing out just as the critics warned.  —  The 3,000-odd pages of legislation left most of the really important (and controversial) …

Cuomo's numbers slip a bit, to a mere 30-point lead  —  The latest Siena Research Institute poll shows that, as expected, Andrew Cuomo's numbers have taken a bit of a dip since he finally emerged as a gubernatorial candidate - most notable among independent voters.