Chris Matthews: ‘Rise Of The New Right’ Special Will ‘Scare The Heck Out’ Of Liberals (VIDEO)  —  WHAT'S YOUR REACTION?  —  MSNBC host Chris Matthews says he is sure his new special, “Rise of the New Right” — which airs tonight at 7PM — will stir people up, no matter where they fall on the political spectrum.

New RNC ad: How many rounds did you golf while the oil was leaking, champ?  —  A snappy montage illustrating Obama's “bloodless quality” and “emotional detachment” from the spill, as rabidly right-wing NYT columnist Maureen Dowd put it this morning.  Sad to say, I don't think this meme's …

Bullied into a £13bn cave-in: Obama forces BP to set up huge compensation fund for U.S. oil spill victims - and British pensioners will pick up the bill  —  The crisis engulfing BP plumbed new depths last night as President Obama bullied the company into depositing £13.5billion …

Navigating congressional hearings  —  Most congressional hearings don't possess the same drama or rivet public attention as many expect BP Chief Executive Officer Tony Hayward's testimony will today.  —  But for any company or interest group, the stakes of testifying at a congressional hearing can still be enormous.

In Illinois Race, a Teaching Career Is Questioned  —  WASHINGTON — Representative Mark S. Kirk of Illinois, a Republican candidate for the United States Senate, has often reminisced about his time as a teacher.  —  On the floor of the House, in campaign commercials and during interviews …

BRIAN TAMANAHA: Wake Up, Fellow Law Professors, to the Casualties of Our Enterprise. … Just casualties of the recession?  Or more signs of a bursting bubble?  The only positive angle I can contribute is this: With a college degree now functioning, essentially, the way a high-school diploma used to …

Amy Bishop charged with murder for 1986 shooting of brother  —  CANTON — Amy Bishop has been charged with murder for the 1986 shotgun slaying of her 18-year-old brother in their Braintree home, Norfolk District Attorney William R. Keating said this afternoon.

Language guru: Obama speech too ‘professorial’  —  (CNN) — President Obama's speech on the gulf oil disaster may have gone over the heads of many in his audience, according to an analysis of the 18-minute talk released Wednesday.  —  Tuesday night's speech from the Oval Office of the White House …

Bizarre getaway as student hurls puppy at German biker gang  —  A German student “mooned” a group of Hell's Angels and hurled a puppy at them before escaping on a stolen bulldozer, police have said.

Jobs Bill Bombs In Senate, 45-52  —  WHAT'S YOUR REACTION?  —  Deficit concerns trumped jobless aid in the Senate Wednesday as a key vote on a bill to reauthorize several expired programs, including extended unemployment benefits, failed 45-52, with 12 Democrats voting against it.

More Than 90 Banks Miss TARP Payments  —  More than 90 U.S. banks and thrifts missed making a May 17 payment to the U.S. government under its main bank bailout program, signaling a rising number of lenders are struggling to meet their obligations.  —  The statistics, compiled by SNL Financial …

Once again we must ask: ‘Who governs?’  —  In 1974, Edward Heath asked: “Who governs - government or trade unions?”  Five years later British voters delivered a final verdict by electing Margaret Thatcher.  The equivalent today would be: “Who governs - government or financial markets?”

It's Too Early for Christie, but Americans Are Yearning for His Style  —  It seems like every week or so, you see blogs and Twitter comments in the vein of, “Hey, did you see this great speech by Chris Christie?”  —  And they're not actually great speeches, at least not the way we've …

Gulf Oil Spill, Day 57: House: BP Cut Corners; Pickens: Investigation Can Wait … More revelations emerged Monday about BP's cost and safety decisions during the days leading up to the oil rig explosion in the Gulf of Mexico.  —  The disclosures are from internal documents released by a House committee.

CHANGE!  53 Days Later Obama Administration Decides to Accept Dutch Offer to Help With Spill  —  Remember: The Gulf Oil Spill Is Like 9-11  —  Three days after the Gulf oil rig explosion, the Netherlands offered to send in oil skimmers to pump oil off of the surface of the ocean.

The Boring Speech Policy  —  On Monday night in Ohio, a 62-foot-tall statue of Jesus got hit by lightning and burned to the ground.  (The adult bookstore across the street was unscathed.)  Less than 12 hours later, Gen. David Petraeus — who is not God, although certain members of Congress …

Twitterati report: Syria trip mixes work with play  —  The State Department's two leading Twitterati, Special Advisor on Innovation Alec J. Ross (@alecjross) and Policy Planning staffer Jared Cohen (@jaredcohen), are in Syria this week leading a delegation of tech companies hoping to …

Context Matters: A Better Libertarian Approach to Antidiscrimination Law  —  Kentucky Senate candidate Rand Paul, a Republican with libertarian leanings, recently questioned the provision of the 1964 Civil Rights Act that bans discrimination in restaurants, hotels, and other businesses.

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.

Brady leads Quinn, but margin reduced  —  Bill Brady is still favored to become the most obscure big state Governor in the country this fall, as he leads Pat Quinn 34-30 despite 56% of Illinois voters having no opinion about him.  But Quinn has reduced what was a 10 point deficit now to 4 points …

Liveblogging Closing Arguments: Part IV  —  The last thread was getting a bit long so here is a new one.  —  Cooper: Only 16 states had a prohibition against inter-racial marriage.  They actually made people have illegitimate children.  The purpose of marriage is to have legit children.

Realism in Afghanistan: Rethinking an Uncertain Case for the War  —  There is nothing more tragic than watching beautiful theories being assaulted by gangs of ugly facts.  It is time, however, to be far more realistic about the war in Afghanistan.  It may well still be winnable …

June 28, 1969: Turning Point in Gay Rights History  —  “The average homosexual, if there be such, is promiscuous.  He is not interested in, nor capable of, a lasting relationship like that of a heterosexual marriage.”  —  So declared Mike Wallace in authoritative voice-of-God tones in …

U.S. Imposes New Penalties on Iran  —  WASHINGTON — The Obama administration, seeking to build on the momentum of the Iran resolution passed last week by the United Nations, announced Wednesday that it had imposed sanctions on dozens of Iranian firms and individuals with links to the country's nuclear and missile programs.