McConnell: Medicare recess appointment is ‘truly outrageous’  —  Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) on Tuesday blasted the White House for its plan to sidestep Congress in appointing Donald Berwick to lead Medicare.  —  “As if shoving a trillion-dollar government takeover …

CNN's Octavia Nasr Leaving Network After Controversial Hezbollah Tweet  —  In the latest case of new media (or oversharing) gone wrong, CNN's Senior Editor of Mideast Affairs Octavia Nasr is leaving the company following the controversy caused by her tweet in praise of Hezbollah leader Sayyed Mohammed Hussein Fadlallah

Republicans And Democrats Lining Up Behind Major Changes To Social Security  —  Is there a new, bipartisan consensus forming on Capitol Hill about whether (and how) to scale back Social Security benefits?  A surprising number of signs point to “yes” — and that has many progressives looking ahead …

America's most unlikely politician  —  Last month, an unknown, unemployed former soldier astonished America by becoming the Democratic nominee for South Carolina's upcoming senate election.  How on earth did he do it?  —  The journey to the home of one of the most enigmatic figures to emerge …

A New Generation, an Elusive American Dream  —  GRAFTON, Mass. — After breakfast, his parents left for their jobs, and Scott Nicholson, alone in the house in this comfortable suburb west of Boston, went to his laptop in the living room.  He had placed it on a small table that his mother …

Obama Job Approval Rating Down to 38% Among Independents  —  Overall job ratings for the president continue to be below majority level  —  PRINCETON, NJ — Thirty-eight percent of independents approve of the job Barack Obama is doing as president, the first time independent approval of Obama …

Why I am blacklisted by MSNBC  —  In case you were wondering why you haven't seen me on MSNBC recently, it seems that Joe Scarborough, he of the lowest rated morning show in cableland, has blackballed me.  And Phil Griffin, the alleged president of MSNBC, is going along with it.

The year of ‘no comment’  —  Nevada Republican Sharron Angle was in no mood for conversation last month as she darted to her car at the end of a campaign event.  When a Las Vegas reporter tried to ask the Senate candidate a question anyway, an Angle supporter called him an “idiot.”

United States v. Arizona — How 'Bout United States v. Rhode Island?  — By: Andy McCarthy  —  Well whaddya know?  It turns out that Rhode Island has long been carrying out the procedures at issue in the Arizona immigration statute: As a matter of routine, RI state police check immigration status …

Tipper Gore Isn't Buying Masseuse's Story  —  According to the tabloids, the last straw in Al and Tipper Gore's 40-year marriage was massage therapist Molly Hagerty's claim the former Vice President demanded sexual favors during a 2006 massage in his Portland, Ore. hotel room.

Something Is Happening In Palinland  —  From Mercede Johnston's blog: … That's a very good question.  So is the question of how Palin finally put the screws on Levi.  In Palinland, no one knows what's really going on.  But I wonder if this is a somewhat panicked response …

Mitt Romney's dumb critique of Obama's New START nuke treaty.  —  In 35 years of following debates over nuclear arms control, I have never seen anything quite as shabby, misleading and—let's not mince words—thoroughly ignorant as Mitt Romney's attack on the New START treaty in the July 6 Washington Post.

Democrats digging harder than ever for dirt on Republicans  —  The Democratic Party is moving faster and more aggressively than in previous election years to dig up unflattering details about Republican challengers.  In House races from New Jersey to Ohio to California …

Sen. David Vitter: Case of Violent Aide Old News  —  Louisiana Senator Brushes Off Questions About His Decision to Retain Staffer After Arrest  —  Louisiana Sen. David Vitter today offered his first public response to questions about the behavior of his longtime aide, who resigned last month …

There is no ‘free’ lemonade  —  In giving drink away, girls ignore rules of economics — and sum up what's wrong with U.S.  —  This column is a true story — every word of it.  And I think it very appropriate to consider around the Fourth of July, Independence Day spirit.

CBO boosts climate bill  —  Senate backers of a long-shot bid to pass legislation with greenhouse gas caps got some fresh help Wednesday when the Congressional Budget Office reported that one high-profile proposal would help curb the federal deficit by about $19 billion over the next decade.

Okla., S.C., Utah could pass Ariz.-style anti-immigration laws  —  Which state is the next Arizona?  —  Attention is focused on the federal government's decision to challenge Arizona's strict anti-immigration law, but three other states could pass similar legislation next year.

Former Fox News Producer Committed Suicide, Investigators Say (Updated)  —  Julianna Rolle, a 39 year-old former Fox News producer, was found dead at the bottom of a 100-foot cliff last weekend in her hometown of Rancho Palos Verdes, California.  Authorities now say she jumped to her death.

Jobs now, deficits . . . soon!  —  I got into policy journalism in the late 1980s and government in the early 1990s because of my worries about debt and deficits.  I was a warrior for “generational equity” back when I was still (sigh) a member of the younger generation.

Why Isn't Investment Higher?  —  Truly, we live in a time of mass delusion — or maybe make that elite delusion — where there are lots of things that everyone believes, without a shred of evidence to back that belief.  Here's one more: everywhere you go, you encounter the claim that businesses …

Colorado Pols Responds to Newspaper Legal Threats  —  UPDATE: Check out this note we received from David Mastio, Deputy Editorial Page Editor at The Washington Times: … You might have noticed that the principal authors of Colorado Pols have not cited The Denver Post, or several other newspapers in the state, for some weeks.

Head Of 'World's Largest Interactive Christian Website' Calls Out Beck's ‘Deception’ About His Mormonism  —  Glenn Beck often speaks about faith on his radio show and Fox News program, but he almost never mentions his own faith — Mormonism.  Beck's audience largely consists of conservative Christians …