Senior Official: Obama Administration Will Challenge Arizona Immigration Law  —  Updated 1:56 p.m. Eastern Time  —  As Hotsheet reported yesterday, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said in a television interview in Ecuador this month that the Obama Justice Department “will be bringing a lawsuit” …

Rand Paul Feels Sorry For Barton, While Limbaugh Doubles Down On Barton's ‘Shakedown’ Claims  —  While Rep. Joe Barton (R-TX) has been mostly lampooned for apologizing to BP for the White House's alleged “shakedown” of the company to create a $20 billion escrow fund, some conservatives have been willing to defend the congressman.

WATCH ALAN SIMPSON SCHOOL A LEFTY  —  Alan Simpson, co-chair of the White House Debt Commission, provides a full and frank engagement with an activist questioning him on the proposed reforms of the Social Security system.  He doesn't duck.  He doesn't hide.  He doesn't grab the guy around the wrist or neck.

Donations Create a Tricky Balance for Oil-State Politicians  —  WASHINGTON — The outburst by Representative Joe L. Barton of Texas in support of BP underscored the potential peril for lawmakers forced to respond to crises involving industries vital to their regions, and whose bountiful donations finance their political campaigns.

Obama Jokes About Biden's “Big F-ing Deal” Comment  —  COLUMBUS, Ohio - Trumpeting the 10,000th road project funded by his Recovery Act, President Obama borrowed two of three words made famous in March by Vice President Biden.  —  This is a “big....deal,” said Mr. Obama …

FORECLOSURES BY RACE AND ETHNICITY: THE DEMOGRAPHICS OF A CRISIS  —  Our new research shows that the foreclosure crisis is not over, and runaway foreclosures continue to drain hundreds of billions of dollars in wealth from families, hitting communities of color the hardest.

BP Moves Hayward to Lesser Role in Spill Response  —  A day after he came under relentless attack at a Congressional hearing, BP chief executive Tony Hayward was displaced as the man in charge of the company's response to the spill.  —  “It is clear Tony has made remarks that have upset people …

Obama: ‘America will be watching’ to see if GOP will cooperate  —  President Barack Obama went on the attack against Republicans on Saturday, accusing the GOP of obstructing a litany of his legislative priorities in Congress.  —  The president struck a decidedly partisan note in his address …

Sharron Angle Goes on the Attack  —  Sharron Angle, the Republican nominee to face Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada, told HUMAN EVENTS in an interview that attacks against her are unfounded.  —  Responding to the charge that she wants to eliminate several federal agencies …

What Ever Happened to Ann Coulter?  —  Remember Ann Coulter?  Seems like just yesterday she was Queen of the Right, the whole political world hanging on her every bile-laced tirade.  Yet she's all but disappeared.  —  Not that she isn't trying.  She's still got her weekly column over at Human Events …

WikiLeaks Preparing to Release Video of Alleged U.S. ‘Massacre’ in Afghanistan  —  Iceland Votes for Strong Journalist and Whistleblower Protection Laws  —  As the founder of the whistleblower website WikiLeaks remains underground in fear that the U.S. will detain him …

U.S. Testing Pain Ray in Afghanistan (Updated)  —  The U.S. mission in Afghanistan centers around swaying locals to its side.  And there's no better persuasion tool than an invisible pain ray that makes people feel like they're on fire.  —  OK, OK.  Maybe that isn't precisely the logic …

U.S. Voters Split on Obama Re-Election in 2012  —  Little change seen since March on this measure  —  PRINCETON, NJ — U.S. registered voters remain split on whether President Obama deserves to be re-elected in 2012, with 46% saying he does and 51% saying he does not — little changed from earlier this year.

Kagan's E-Mail at Clinton White House Reveals a Blunt, Savvy Legal Adviser  —  WASHINGTON — An enormous trove of e-mail messages from Elena Kagan's years in the Clinton White House released late Friday afternoon offered glimpses of a savvy, sharp-elbowed and sometimes salty-tongued lawyer …

U.S. Debt and the Greece Analogy  —  Don't be fooled by today's low interest rates.  The government could very quickly discover the limits of its borrowing capacity.  —  An urgency to rein in budget deficits seems to be gaining some traction among American lawmakers.  If so, it is none too soon.

N. Korea lifts restrictions on private markets as last resort in food crisis  —  SEOUL — Bowing to reality, the North Korean government has lifted all restrictions on private markets — a last-resort option for a leadership desperate to prevent its people from starving.

White House to Talk Range of Energy Ideas  —  President Barack Obama's meeting next Wednesday with senators to get energy legislation back on track will likely include discussing a climate change component that caps carbon emissions only from electric utilities, White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel said today in an interview.

Hundreds of Construction Workers Forced Into Unpaid Leave to Accommodate Obama Photo Op  —  A regular man of the people.  —  H/T.