MSNBC Trashes Obama's Address: Compared To Carter, “I Don't Sense Executive Command”  —  Chris Matthews, Keith Olbermann and Howard Fineman react to President Obama's Oval Office Address on the oil spill.  Here are the highlights of what the trio said: Olbermann: “It was a great speech …

BP agrees to $20B escrow account to handle claims  —  BP and the Obama administration have reached a tentative agreement under which the oil company will place $20 billion in an escrow account to pay claims stemming from the spill in the Gulf of Mexico, a White House official said.

Hatch wants drug testing for people on assistance  —  Welfare » Low-income advocate calls proposal ‘immoral.’  —  People seeking unemployment benefits or welfare would have to first pass a drug test under a proposal Sen. Orrin Hatch will try to add to legislation extending …

Fannie, Freddie to move off New York Stock Exchange  —  Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the bailed-out mortgage giants, are expected to remove their shares from the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE), a government regulator said Wednesday.  —  The two companies would need to take steps to shore …

8 House members investigated over fundraisers held near financial reform vote  —  The Office of Congressional Ethics is investigating eight lawmakers who held fundraisers within 48 hours of a major House vote on a Wall Street reform bill or received substantial donations from business people …

Congress Releases Personal Investments Today  —  Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts and at least three other federal lawmakers have sold their holdings in companies tied to the Gulf of Mexico oil spill, the Center for Public Integrity learned ahead of today's disclosure of 2009 personal financial records by all members of Congress.

The Debbie Schlussel Experience Part 2: The Fixation  —  Imagine, if you will, that you're a normal person and then one day a quasi-famous mentally ill blogger becomes fixated on you the way Gollum was fixated on the Ring.  Even though she hasn't been setting the world on fire lately …

Poll: Enthusiasm dips for Democratic voters  —  USA TODAY's Susan Page mentioned findings from a new USA TODAY/Gallup Poll in today's analysis of President Obama's Oval Office address, including a widening “enthusiasm gap” between Democrats and Republicans looking at the November elections.

Obama Chickens Out on Energy  —  Is Obama keeping his promises?  View the photo gallery.  —  In his address from the Oval Office on Tuesday night, President Obama eloquently laid out the case that we have failed to confront our dependence on fossil fuels, and that now is the time for us to do so.

All about Sharron Angle  —  When Sharron Angle stepped into National Review's boardroom on Monday, she wasn't flanked by a phalanx of aides.  It was just her; her husband, Ted; and a friend.  They sat down, cracked open Diet Cokes, and began to chat.  Sen. Harry Reid, we thought, would be the main topic of conversation.

American Man in Limbo on No-Fly List  —  WASHINGTON — As a 26-year-old Muslim American man who spent 18 months in Yemen before heading home to Virginia in early May, Yahya Wehelie caught the attention of the F.B.I. Agents stopped him while he was changing planes in Cairo …

Dems flirt with backing Crist  —  The emergence of a politically unknown billionaire self-funder in the Florida Senate race is prompting top Democrats in the state to say publicly what some have been whispering for weeks: If Jeff Greene, who got rich betting on the collapse of the housing market …

Seattle officer punches girl in face during jaywalking stop  —  SEATTLE — Seattle police are investigating what they call an assault of an officer in South Seattle.  —  However, a police officer is seen punching a 17-year-old girl in the face during the incident captured by a video camera on Monday.

O'Reilly Pwns Palin  —  A moment of truth on the Factor: … He clearly realizes what a total farce she is - and he slowly dismantles her mindless partisanship by the end of the segment.  Good for O'Reilly.  Particularly good for exposing just how little this phony knows about energy policy, her alleged expertise.

More straight talk from Chris Christie - The day of reckoning is here  —  Dude, this guy needs no explanation because he does it so well himself.  I'll be honest, I can't get enough of Christie.  I need this guy to be president right freaking now!!!!  It's painful to hear such great words coming …

Tea Party group backing Sen. Murkowski opponent  —  The Tea Party Express is backing attorney Joe Miller in his primary challenge to Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska).  —  The group also said it's committing significant financial resources to the race.  —  “The total expenditures …

Nightmare vision for Europe as EU chief warns ‘democracy could disappear’ in Greece, Spain and Portugal  —  Democracy could ‘collapse’ in Greece, Spain and Portugal unless urgent action is taken to tackle the debt crisis, the head of the European Commission has warned.

Estimates of Oil Flow Jump Higher  —  A government panel on Tuesday released yet another estimate of the amount of oil flowing from BP's damaged well, declaring that as much as 60,000 barrels a day could be spewing into the Gulf of Mexico.  —  That is roughly 2.5 million gallons of oil a day …