Prosecutor: Al Gore was focus of sex crime inquiry in Portland  —  The Multnomah County District Attorney's Office confirmed today that a woman who alleged unwanted sexual contact by Al Gore reported it to police in 2006, and the prosecutor's office was briefed by the Portland Police Bureau in late 2006 and January 2007.

For Obama, Decision to Remove General Came Quickly  —  WASHINGTON — By the time he woke up Wednesday morning, President Obama had made up his mind.  —  During the 36 frenetic hours since he had been handed an article from the coming issue of Rolling Stone ominously headlined “The Runaway General …

Confidence Wanes in Obama, U.S. Outlook  —  Americans are more pessimistic about the state of the country and less confident in President Barack Obama's leadership than at any point since Mr. Obama entered the White House, according to a new Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll.

Raining Oil in Louisiana?  Not Likely [Updated]  —  The Internet is swirling with rumors today that a gloppy mixture of oil and Corexit (the primary dispersant used in the BP disaster) is raining down on Louisiana.  Evidence is thin, and based almost entirely on the video below, but we have to wonder—is this even possible?

Video: Cops arrest Christians for handing out gospel at Dearborn Arab festival?  Update: Pushback  —  Via Powerline, so insane is this that I'm paranoid there's a key detail missing somewhere that might explain the whole thing.  Could the Christians have been trespassing on private property, maybe?

The Emerging Republican Minority  —  The Center for American Politics' Ruy Teixeira, one of the top political demographers in the country, has a new paper out in which he examines the two major party coalitions, with a focus on the current and future prospects of the Republican Party.

Gulf oil spill: Boat captain, despondent over spill, commits suicide  —  William Allen Kruse, 55, a charter boat captain recently hired by BP as a vessel of opportunity out of Gulf Shores, Ala., died Wednesday morning before 7:30 a.m. of a gunshot to the head, likely self-inflicted, authorities said.

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.

‘Joe Barton was right,’ Joe Barton tweets  —  Hours after getting a respite from House Republicans, Rep. Joe Barton (R-Tex.) has cheekily responded to criticism over his “apology to BP” by tweeting a link to an American Spectator article titled “Joe Barton was right.”

THE VOTE  —  It's on at 9am.  Judgment day for Kevni.  —  UPDATE.  If Gillard wins, she will be our first foreign-born Prime Minister since John Gorton.  Prior to Gorton, all PMs were born in Australia right back until Billy Hughes.  —  UPDATE II.  Peter Garrett backs Rudd: … As usual.

Harry Reid's son leaves last name out of first campaign ad  —  Nevada gubernatorial candidate Rory Reid (D) is on the air with his first campaign ad and it's missing one thing: his last name.  —  Reid, the son of Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.), doesn't say his name at any point during the ad …

Inmates Get Homebuyer Tax Credits: Gov't Report  —  Nearly 1,300 prison inmates wrongly received more than $9 million in tax credits for homebuyers despite being locked up when they claimed they bought a home, a government investigator reported Wednesday.  —  The investigator said 241 of the inmates were serving life sentences.

Fannie Mae Increases Penalties for Borrowers Who Walk Away  —  Seven-Year Lockout Policy for Strategic Defaulters  —  WASHINGTON, DC — Fannie Mae (FNM/NYSE) announced today policy changes designed to encourage borrowers to work with their servicers and pursue alternatives to foreclosure.

Wimbledon 2010 live blog: 23 June  —  10.45am: Xan will be here from around 11am.  —  In the meantime, read a report on Andy Murray's straight sets victory over Jan Hajek yesterday and why, apart from Murray, have British tennis players done so badly?  —  For the latest live scores and results follow this link.