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” …

GOP Senate Nominee Sharron Angle Breaks Her Silence … LAS VEGAS - As Sharron Angle greeted supporters at Stoney's Restaurant in Las Vegas, 8 News NOW Reporter Nathan Baca approached her to ask about her Social Security plan.  —  Her website calls for “transitioning out” Social Security and Medicare.

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.

Jobs bill blocked in Senate  —  The Senate effectively rejected a slimmed-down package of jobless benefits and state aid late Thursday, rebuffing President Obama's call for urgent action to bolster the economic recovery.  —  Sens. Ben Nelson (D-Neb.) and Joseph I. Lieberman (I-Conn.) …

Former Resident Recalls Run-In With Etheridge  —  A video of Rep. Bob Etheridge physically confronting a college student in Washington brought back unpleasant memories for one former Moore County resident.  —  Brandon Leslie, who moved away seven years ago and is now an attorney in Oxford …

Franken launches full-throated attack on ‘conservative activism’ on courts  —  Republican senators and conservative jurists found themselves on the defensive after Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.) blasted “conservative activism” on federal courts.  —  Franken, in a major speech Thursday evening …

Utah firing squad death announced on Twitter  —  Utah Attorney General Mark Shurtleff uses Twitter to get his message out  —  It was a very modern way to announce a very old-fashioned death.  —  Shortly after midnight in the US state of Utah, Attorney General Mark Shurtleff picked up his Apple iPhone …

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 …

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.

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.

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.

N. Korea lifts ban on private markets to prevent famine  —  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.  —  In recent weeks, according …

Issa has eye on subpoena team  —  HERSHEY, Pa.—Rep. Darrell Issa, the conservative firebrand whose specialty is lobbing corruption allegations at the Obama White House, is making plans to hire dozens of subpoena-wielding investigators if Republicans win the House this fall.

School Officials Say Candidate Overstated His Role  —  CHICAGO — A leader of the church in upstate New York where Representative Mark S. Kirk of Illinois claims he worked as a nursery school teacher said on Friday that he had overstated his role there.  —  The leader, Sally Grubb …

Twisting Arms at BP, Obama Sets Off a Debate on Tactics  —  WASHINGTON — First there was General Motors, whose chief executive was summarily dismissed by the White House shortly before the government became the company's majority shareholder.  Chrysler was forced into a merger.