Sarah Palin touts “mom awakening”  —  Sarah Palin's political action committee has released its first campaign-style video, in which the former Alaska governor warns of a coming “stampede” by pink elephants and “Mama Grizzlies,” conservative women who want to change Washington.

Who Will Investigate the Investigators?  —  Another voter fraud scandal involving the Justice Department.  —  J. Christian Adams,, a former career Justice Department lawyer who resigned recently to protest political interference in cases he worked on, made some news yesterday in testimony before the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights.

The Constitution Trumps Arizona  —  The Obama administration has not always been completely clear about its immigration agenda, but it was forthright Tuesday when it challenged the pernicious Arizona law that allows the police to question the immigration status of people they detain for local violations.

Federal Reserve weighs steps to offset slowdown in economic recovery  —  Federal Reserve officials, increasingly concerned over signs the economic recovery is faltering, are considering new steps to bolster growth.  —  With Congress tied in political knots over whether to take further action …

Boxer's approval ratings sink, Field Poll says  —  California voters are giving U.S. Sen. Barbara Boxer some of the lowest approval ratings of her career, as the three-term Democrat is in a statistical dead heat against first-time GOP office-seeker Carly Fiorina, according to a new Field Poll released today.

President Obama Attacks Congress for Delaying His Nominees — Is He Right?  —  In announcing the recess appointment of Dr. Donald Berwick to head the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services — and two other nominees — today President Obama said in a statement that “It's unfortunate …

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.

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

Vitter Claims Disgraced Staffer Didn't Work on Women's Issues; Records Say Otherwise  —  Facing reporters for the first time in weeks on Wednesday, Sen. David Vitter (R-LA) denied a key element in the controversy surrounding a former legislative aide who remained on Vitter's staff …

Obama's interview with Israel TV  —  President Barack Obama gave his first interview to an Israeli outlet since taking office, to Yonit Levi, of Israel's Channel 2 TV.  Conducted Wednesday at the White House, it airs today at 1pm EST on Israel's Channel 2.  While there's no breaking news …

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 …

Blago trial could singe W.H.  —  It's the trial the White House hopes you won't watch.  —  The federal corruption saga of former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich has been rattling along during the sweltering Chicago summer, offering a daily dose of low-grade theatrics, low-impact bombshells and low-brow humor.

National Public Radio is changing its name to NPR  —  No need for formalities here: National Public Radio now says it wants to be known simply as NPR.  —  So the Washington-based organization has quietly changed its name to its familiar initials.  Much like the corporate names KFC or AT&T, the initials now stand for the initials.

Gov. Bobby Jindal signs bills allowing guns in church, changing sex-solicitation penalty  —  Gov. Bobby Jindal has signed into law one of the more controversial bills from the recent legislative session, one allowing guns to be carried into houses of worship.

Greece Approves Pension Overhaul Despite Protests  —  ATHENS — The Greek government took a major step forward in overhauling its debt-plagued economy by forcing through, in principle, a pension bill that would dramatically cut the cost of Greece's welfare state by increasing the retirement age and slashing benefits.

Solar-Powered Plane Flies for 26 Hours  —  PARIS — Slender as a stick insect, a solar-powered experimental airplane with a huge wing span completed its first test flight of more than 24 hours on Thursday, powered overnight by energy collected from the sun during a day aloft over Switzerland.

Obama tries to sell ‘recovery summer’ amid sluggish economy  —  President Barack Obama and his team are trying to sell Americans on an economic recovery this summer, but the economy is stubbornly refusing to cooperate.  —  Obama and his Cabinet officials will fan out across the country …

Heat wave air conditioners of doom  —  From China to New York, the more we cool ourselves, the hotter we're going to get  —  When I lived in Taiwan in the mid-1980s, a version of the same news story would run every summer, right after temperatures spiked to their highest point of the year …