GOP POISED TO KILL TAX-EXTENDERS BILL.... For weeks, Senate Democrats have tried to pass what's called the “tax-extenders bill” — a key economic package that extends unemployment benefits, maintains popular tax breaks, protects doctors from Medicare cuts, and boosts state aid to prevent massive job layoffs in the states.

The Night Beat: Obama Borrows the Military Back  —  Good evening.  —  THE PRESIDENT'S POINT: Beginning in the early afternoon, a cadre of military and civilian soldiers loyal to Gen. Stanley McChrystal began to spread rumors throughout the capital city: that ground commanders in Afghanistan …

Al Gore A “Crazed Sex Poodle?”  —  Masseuse's claims read like R-rated vice presidential fan fiction  —  In a bizarre statement to police, the Oregon woman who claims that Al Gore fondled and groped her during a massage session described the former Vice President as a giggling “crazed sex poodle” …

Supreme Court, 8-1, upholds petition disclosure  —  The Supreme Court, by a vote of 8 to 1 and with nearly as many opinions as there are justices, has upheld a Washington state law that requires the public disclosure of the names and addresses of referendum petition signers.

Sarah Palin is toxic  —  Commentators keep telling us how influential Sarah Palin's endorsements are, and even if the whole “mama grizzly” meme is clearly overstated, there's no quibbling with the fact that Palin has pull among GOP primary voters.  —  But the more interesting point …

Video-Rep. Kanjorski: ‘Finance bill will help good Americans, not minorities or defective people’  —  Connie Hair at Human Events has posted this shocking video of Rep. Paul Kanjorski, Pennsylvania Democrat, at a Wednesday conference committee hearing to merge the House and Senate versions …

Harris: Obama knew of Blagojevich plot  —  A top aide to former Gov. Rod Blagojevich said he believed Barack Obama knew of Blagojevich's plot to win himself a presidential Cabinet post in exchange for appointing Valerie Jarrett to the U.S. Senate.  —  John Harris, Blagojevich's former chief of staff …

Scarborough: “Why is Joe Barton being allowed to keep his job?”  —  “Why is Joe Barton being allowed to keep his job, when Joe Barton apologized to a corporation that is destroying my home town's economy, and is destroying the environment across the Gulf Coast?”

Obama says ‘drifting’ relationship with Russia has been reset  —  President Barack Obama welcomed Russian President Dmitry Medvedev to the White House on Thursday, boasting that the two men have reset their countries' relationship in a way unthinkable when Obama took office.

Liberal Dems' battle to cut defense spending reaches a turning point  —  A growing number of centrist Democrats say they're open to trimming Pentagon spending in the face of record budget deficits and mounting public debt.  —  Liberal Democrats for years have called for cuts to the massive defense budget to no avail.

Group of youths attack Jewish dance group  —  BERLIN - A Jewish dance group was attacked with stones by a group of children and teenagers during a performance at a street festival in the Germany city of Hannover, police said Thursday.  One dancer suffered a leg injury and the group then canceled their performance.

Bank execs panic over proposed change to orderly liquidation authority — Dodd unhappy with Brown — Zero hour arrives as derivatives, ‘Volcker rule’ remain unresolved  —  Presented by Merchants Payments Coalition  —  DOUBLE SIREN EXCLUSIVE - Bank executives were panicking last night …

Harkin hints ‘card-check’ bill could move during lame-duck session of Congress  —  Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) suggested Thursday that Democrats might attempt to move “card-check” legislation this year, perhaps during a lame-duck session.  —  Harkin, the chairman of the Senate Health, Education …

Fox News Owner Rupert Murdoch Says Media Should Be Used To Push For Legalizing Undocumented Immigrants  —  This morning, on Fox & Friends, anchor Steve Doocy interviewed Fox News Channel owner Rupert Murdoch and New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg on immigration.

Texas Republicans' Idea of “Small Government”: Criminalizing Homosexuality, Blow Jobs  —  I keep hearing that the Teabaggers lean libertarian and are supposedly the future of the GOP - but apparently no one's told the Republican Party of the nation's second-largest state. … Nice.

Venezuela to nationalize U.S. firm's oil rigs  —  CARACAS (Reuters) - Venezuela will nationalize a fleet of oil rigs belonging to U.S. company Helmerich and Payne, the latest takeover in a push to socialism as President Hugo Chavez struggles with lower oil output and a recession.

Oil sludge washes in Florida, dolphin stranded  —  Fla., June 23 (Reuters) - Florida saw its worst impact yet from the BP (BP.L) (BP.N) oil spill as thick oily sludge washed ashore on Pensacola Beach on Wednesday and emergency workers found an oil-covered dolphin stranded on the shore.

California welfare cards can be used in many casino ATMs  —  Times review finds that in more than half of the state's casinos and gaming rooms, welfare recipients can get cash from state-issued EBT cards.  Officials say they're moving to block such transactions.

General McChrystal's Twitters  —  Get short, timely messages from Gen. Stanley McChrystal on Twitter:  —  DAY 1  —  In Paris with my Kabul posse — Bluto, Otter, Boon, Pinto, Flounder.  Plus some newbie.  Guys call him Scribbles.  —  ∗  —  Suite's getting pretty crowded.

Judge denies administration request to maintain drilling ban  —  (CNN) - A federal judge has denied the Obama administration's request to stay his ruling lifting a moratorium on offshore drilling moratorium until an appeals court could review the case.  —  In an emergency hearing Thursday …