This Year's Maverick  —  Lindsey Graham was sitting in a sedan early one morning and contentedly discussing the various fellow South Carolina conservatives who dislike him — Tea Partiers, Constitutionalists, immigration hardliners — when Van Cato, his upstate regional director …

Pelosi: Unemployment Checks Fastest Way to Create Jobs  —  House Speaker Nancy Pelosi gestures during a news conference on Capitol Hill June 24.  (AP Photo)  —  Unemployment benefits are creating jobs faster than practically any other program, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Thursday.

Barack Obama is among best presidents ever - George W. Bush not so much, say scholars in Siena poll  —  George W. Bush was no FDR, but Barack Obama could be.  —  That's the verdict of 238 of the nation's leading presidential scholars, who - for a fifth time - rated Franklin Delano Roosevelt …

First look at Daily Kos's lawsuit: Charges Research 2000 with “fraudulently manufacturing phony results”  —  I've obtained a copy of the lawsuit that Daily Kos just filed against Research 2000, and this going to get nastier than you thought.  —  The suit contains striking new details …

Boehner doesn't refute the notion that he's drinking at bars every night.  —  During a press conference earlier today, House Republican leader John Boehner was asked about MSNBC host Joe Scarborough's accusation that “every Republican I talk to says John Boehner, by 5 or 6 o'clock at night, you can see him at bars.”

Remarks by the President on Comprehensive Immigration Reform American University School of International Service, Washington, D.C.  —  THE PRESIDENT: Thank you very much.  Thank you.  Thank you.  (Applause.)  Everyone please have a seat.  Thank you very much.

WORLD EXCLUSIVE: Mel Gibson's Racist Rant Caught On Tape - Tells Oksana She Would Get ‘Raped By N***ers’  —  In one of the most explosive, racist and vile outbursts by a celebrity ever caught on tape, Mel Gibson told the mother of his love child that the way she was dressed would get her …

House Democrats pass ‘budget enforcement resolution’ by 215-210  —  House Democrats passed a budget document Thursday that sets discretionary spending at levels below those proposed by President Barack Obama but doesn't address how Congress should cut deficits.

Google to Add Pay to Cover a Tax for Same-Sex Benefits  —  Working for a company as rich as Google comes with an incredible number of fringe benefits: the free food, the free laundry, the doctor on duty at company headquarters and the impressive five months of maternity leave with full pay and benefits, to mention a few.

Objectivity of spill probe panel is questioned  —  WASHINGTON — On the same day the White House commission investigating the Gulf oil spill announced its first meetings — July 12-13 in New Orleans — a Senate committee cast what amounted to a no-confidence vote on the commission's objectivity.

Gov. Chris Christie calls for Republican Party rebranding  —  At the heart of Christie's appeal, both within the state and outside its border, is an unfiltered, straightforward approach that is startlingly different from many of his gubernatorial colleagues.

NRA Now Leans Toward Endorsing Harry Reid  —  Multiple sources tell me the National Rifle Association is planning to endorse liberal Harry Reid against pro-gun champion Sharron Angle.  —  Two weeks ago, I told you about the carveout the NRA received in exchange for their support for the DISCLOSE ACT deal.

Short-term insurance buyers in Massachusetts  —  Kay Lazar reports on the increase in part-year insurance buyers described in a new Massachusetts Division of Insurance report in today's Boston Globe. … Part of the problem is that individuals can jump in and out of coverage anytime during the year.

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 …

Study: Newspapers stopped describing waterboarding as ‘torture’ during Bush years  —  Is waterboarding torture?  If you picked up a major U.S. newspaper before 2004, the answer would likely be yes, according to a new Harvard University study.  —  But in the post-9/11 world …

Huckabee Trying Out a Daily Show for News Corp.  —  Mike Huckabee, the weekend Fox News Channel host and possible 2012 presidential candidate, is getting a six-week tryout as a daily talk show host.  —  Called “The Huckabee Show,” it will have a preview run on weekdays for six weeks …

BREAKING: Pelosi Sneaked Approval of Vote on Debt Commission Recommendations into Rule Regarding War Funding, Vote Happening Tonight  —  Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) (photo by Orin)  —  FDL has learned that in a last minute move, Nancy Pelosi sneaked language into the rule that the House is voting on tonight regarding war funding.

Don't just sit there.  Do nothing.  —  Due to the nature of the U.S. Senate, doing nothing is always and everywhere easier than doing something.  After all, doing nothing takes only 41 votes.  Doing something takes 60 votes.  So when you hear Bob Bixby of the Concord Coalition say that …

Partisan Trends  —  Partisan Trends: 35.4% Democrat 33.0% Republican  —  During the month of June, the number of Republicans across the nation inched up by a full percentage point while the number of Democrats increased fractionally.  It is normal for the number unaffiliated with each party …

Breitbart, Sullivan in JournoList spat  —  Andrew Breitbart's $100,000 offer for the full archives of the now-defunct liberal listserve JournoList has prompted a fight between Breitbart and Atlantic blogger Andrew Sullivan.  —  Breitbart has not yet had any takers for the offer …

GOP's false talking point: Jones Act blocks Gulf help  —  WASHINGTON — From former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin to Arizona Sen. John McCain to junior members of the House of Representatives, conservative Republicans have accused President Barack Obama of failing to do all he can to help clean …