A Letter to Michael Steele  —  You are, I know, a patriot.  So I ask you to consider, over this July 4 weekend, doing an act of service for the country you love: Resign as chairman of the Republican party.  —  Your tenure has of course been marked by gaffes and embarrassments …

U.S. Economy Shed 125,000 Jobs in June; Rate Is 9.5%  —  The United States added just 83,000 private-sector jobs in June, a dishearteningly low number that could add to the growing number of economists who warn that the economic recovery is stalling.  —  Multimedia

Hurricane GOP On The Way  —  MAKE NO MISTAKE ABOUT IT: THERE IS A WAVE OUT THERE, AND FOR DEMOCRATS, THE HOUSE IS, AT BEST, TEETERING ON THE EDGE.  —  Imagine sitting in Washington's Verizon Center, listening blissfully to Carole King and James Taylor, thanks to a fast-thinking friend who managed to score four floor seats.

What is the Tea Party?  A growing state of mind  —  WASHINGTON — The “Tea Party” is less a classic political movement than a frustrated state of mind.  —  A year and a half after the idea of a Tea Party burst into view, three of 10 Americans describe themselves in the USA TODAY/Gallup Poll …

Kagan Reminds Senators: Legislation Is Your Job  —  WASHINGTON — Supreme Court confirmation hearings are usually designed to probe a nominee's conception of the role of the justices.  But this week's questioning of Elena Kagan turned into a tutorial on Congressional responsibility.

Myths of Austerity  —  When I was young and naïve, I believed that important people took positions based on careful consideration of the options.  Now I know better.  Much of what Serious People believe rests on prejudices, not analysis.  And these prejudices are subject to fads and fashions.

Congressional Report Claims Administration Misled About Efforts on Oil Spill  —  (CNSNews.com) - Billy Nungesser, president of New Orleans' Plaquemines Parish, sensed that a chart showing 140 oil skimmers at work — a chart given to him by BP and the Coast Guard — was “somewhat inaccurate.”

Factory Jobs Return, but Employers Find Skills Shortage  —  BEDFORD, Ohio — Factory owners have been adding jobs slowly but steadily since the beginning of the year, giving a lift to the fragile economic recovery.  And because they laid off so many workers — more than two million since the end of 2007 …

Assimilation and the Founding Fathers  —  As we head into Independence Day weekend, my column today reflects on the other “A” word missing from the immigration debate: Assimilation.  —  Assimilation and the Founding Fathers  —  by Michelle Malkin  —  Creators Syndicate  —  Copyright 2010

Broadband Grants  —  It's good that this is happening, but sad to see it happening so late in the game considering when the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act was passed: … I think this episode highlights some of the tensions and problems that have plagued our efforts at doing discretionary fiscal stimulus on an adequate scale.

Exclusive: Washington Post fails to disclose blogger's ties to White House  —  UPDATE: Washington Post responds, promises it will require full disclosure from all “Leadership” contributors  —  Kris Coratti, Communications Director of The Washington Post, issued this statement in response to Raw Story's report.

7/2: Don't Know Much About History?  —  There's good news for American education.  About three-quarters of residents — 74% — know the U.S. declared its independence from Great Britain in 1776.  The bad news for the academic system — 26% do not.  This 26% includes one-fifth who are unsure …