Sen. Coburn: Kagan ‘Ignorant’ of Constitutional Principles; 'I Wouldn't Rule Out a Filibuster'  —  ABC News' Rick Klein reports: Oklahoma Sen. Tom Coburn has provided some of the most contentious exchanges of the rather tame Elena Kagan confirmation hearings.

Christopher Hitchens diagnosed with cancer, cuts short his book tour  —  Christopher Hitchens is being treated for cancer, forcing the D.C. writer to cut short his latest book tour.  In a statement released through his publisher Twelve, the British-born provocateur, 61, said that he has …

New study documents media's servitude to government  —  A newly released study from students at Harvard's John F. Kennedy School of Government provides the latest evidence of how thoroughly devoted the American establishment media is to amplifying and serving (rather than checking) government officials.

Hypocrisy, Thy Name is Andrew Sullivan  —  Leave it to Andrew Sullivan.  It's been 24 hours since I offered $100,000 for the full list and contents of the Ezra Klein's four-year experiment in political-journalist editorial collusion — the on line progressive jazz fusion station known as JournoList.

Independent Voters Favor GOP in 2010 Election Tracking  —  Prefer Republican candidate to Democrat by an average of 45% to 35%  —  PRINCETON, NJ — By an average 10 percentage-point margin since March, 45% to 35%, independent registered voters have consistently preferred the Republican …

In Clarence Thomas's gun rights opinion, race plays a major role  —  He hardly ever speaks during oral arguments, often appearing asleep on the bench.  But in his written opinion Monday supporting the right to bear arms, Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas roared to life.

Portland police will investigate accusations that Al Gore groped woman  —  Portland police announced today that it will re-open and investigate a Portland massage therapist's allegations that former Vice President Al Gore sexually assaulted her at a downtown hotel in October 2006.

Evangelicals warn GOP on immigration  —  President Barack Obama's allies have been blasting the GOP's blockade of immigration-reform legislation, making the case that Republicans will alienate a core constituency - conservative Christians - unless they get on board.

Surprise Rise in Jobless Claims Stokes Recovery Worries  —  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - New claims for state unemployment aid unexpectedly rose last week, heightening fears the U.S. economic recovery is stalling.  —  Initial claims for state unemployment benefits increased 13,000 …

Democrats to punt on taxes  —  Democratic leaders are likely to punt the task of renewing Bush-era tax cuts until after the election.  —  Voters in November's midterms will thus be left without a clear idea of their future tax rates when they go to the polls.

IL Dems Trying to Force Black Conservative Woman off Ballot?  —  That's what a little bird tells me.  —  What happens when Democrats are forced to cannibalize two of the main voting blocks they exploit the most for personal gain?  AWK-WARD.  —  Her name is Cedra Crenshaw.  From Illinois Review:

Biden Claims a GOP ‘Blitzkrieg’ (Updated)  —  Vice President Biden is out with an alarmed e-mail cash appeal warning that the GOP will mount a “blitzkrieg” against Democrats in the fall.  —  Comparing GOP tactics to the fast-striking forces of Nazi Germany, Biden warns in a message sent by the DCCC today …

The Most Unhappy Fellow  —  Our Independence Day weekend winner of the title of Most Unhappy Person in Washington is: John Boehner, the House minority leader.  —  I know this is a bit of a surprise since the award almost always goes to the Senate majority leader, Harry Reid, whose job is frequently compared to herding cats.

We're looking more like France  —  Republicans can barely contain their glee at their electoral prospects for this year.  —  There is reason for this optimism.  The Obama administration's poll numbers continue to sink, and history tells us that things could get worse before they get better.

For Senate Advocates of Unemployment Insurance Extension, a Battle to Nowhere  —  Four Rounds of Fighting Have Still Not Produced a Long-Term Extension  —  On Wednesday night, a bare-bones measure to keep federally funded unemployment insurance checks headed to the long-term unemployed failed in the Senate.

Jobless aid stalls in Senate; home buyers get more time  —  The Senate failed once again late Wednesday to advance a plan to restore jobless benefits for people out of work more than six months, leaving millions of unemployed workers in limbo until after the July 4 recess.

Jobless recoveries  —  Also in town for last week's International Symposium on Forecasting was Bill Gavin from the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis.  I had an interesting discussion with him about changes over time in U.S. employment dynamics that I wanted to share with our readers.

Obama Tries to Steer Immigration Debate With Call for Congressional Action  —  May 5: President Obama speaks as first lady Michelle looks on during a celebration of Cinco de Mayo.  —  Amid cries for tougher enforcement and more boots on the ground along the border, President Obama will try …

Have Obama and the Democrats forgotten how to fight?  —  One of the strangest lead sentences I have ever encountered appeared in Politico last week.  It read: “John Kerry has been the most aggressive advocate of climate change legislation in the Senate this year — so aggressive that it's rubbed some of his colleagues the wrong way.”

Banned Trailers Return for Latest Gulf Disaster  —  VENICE, La. — In the wake of Hurricane Katrina, they became a symbol of the government's inept response to that disaster: the 120,000 or so trailers provided by the Federal Emergency Management Agency to people who had lost their homes.

Can Your Genes Make You Murder?  —  When the police arrived at Bradley Waldroup's trailer home in the mountains of Tennessee, they found a war zone.  There was blood on the walls, blood on the carpet, blood on the truck outside, even blood on the Bible that Waldroup had been reading before all hell broke loose.

Pentagon recommends Medal of Honor for a living soldier  —  The Pentagon has recommended that the White House consider awarding the Medal of Honor to a living soldier for the first time since the Vietnam War, according to U.S. officials.  —  The soldier, whose nomination must be reviewed by the White House …

Prayer Leader: Supreme Court Decision May Signal Onset of Church Persecution  —  A 5-4 Supreme Court decision Monday requiring Christian campus groups on public universities to accept gay students as members and leaders may signal the beginning of religious persecution in the U.S., says prayer leader Lou Engle.