Hospital security ‘punches, tasers’ nephew of Clarence Thomas  —  Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas is reportedly “outraged” after security guards at a New Orleans-area hospital were accused of punching and tasing his epileptic nephew, a news report states.

With ‘One Nation,’ liberal groups aim to match tea party's energy, influence  —  If imitation is the highest form of flattery, the “tea party” movement must be honored.  —  In an effort to replicate the tea party's success, 170 liberal and civil rights groups are forming a coalition …

WORLD EXCLUSIVE AUDIO: Mel Gibson's Explosive Racist Rant — Listen To It Here  —  WARNING: This audio may not be reproduced or republished.  —  Mel Gibson was caught on tape spewing a vile, hate-filled racist rant and RadarOnline.com has exclusively obtained the audio proof.

Gen. Petraeus runs into resistance from Karzai over village defense forces  —  KABUL — As he takes charge of the war effort in Afghanistan, Gen. David H. Petraeus has met sharp resistance from President Hamid Karzai to an American plan to assist Afghan villagers in fighting the Taliban on their own.

The Obama administration has started sending federal agents to audit records of thousands of companies, forcing businesses to fire every illegal immigrant.

The Unstoppable Sarah Palin  —  Chris Matthews sees Palin inflicting an “early knockout” in the primaries.  Larison, still betting against her, argues that the GOP establishment will quash her candidacy: … Contra Kornacki, Bernstein finds the comparison off: … Kornacki responds.

Basis of Ruling on Gay Unions Stirs Debate  —  A judge's decision on Thursday declaring that a state law allowing same-sex marriage in Massachusetts should take precedence over a federal definition of marriage has exposed the fractures and fault lines among groups working to bolster states' rights.

As he shepherded a far-reaching and ever-expanding bill to remake financial regulations through the Senate during the past year, Sen. Christopher J. Dodd uttered the same warning again and again: Nothing's finished until everything is finished.  —  Democratic - United States - Senate - Government - Legislative Branch

SEC pushes tighter market-making rules: sources  —  (Reuters) - Securities regulators are moving quickly to tighten rules for market makers to ensure there is liquidity during stressful times and avoid a repetition of May's brief market crash, said sources familiar with the discussions.

Greene paid his own filing fee; won't face additional criminal charges  —  Alvin Greene, the obscure jobless man whose come-from-nowhere victory in the June Democratic primary for U.S. Senate created a national furor, had legitimate sources of income to pay his $10,400 primary entry fee, law enforcement sources said Friday.

Labor ups the pressure on GOP centrists ahead of July session  —  The nation's leading public-sector employees union will launch a newspaper advertising campaign this weekend to pressure centrist Senate Republicans to support increased federal aid to states.

Tremble, Banks, Tremble  —  The key to financial recovery: restoring the rule of law on Wall Street.  —  The financial crisis in America isn't over.  It's ongoing, it remains unresolved, and it stands in the way of full economic recovery.  The cause, at the deepest level, was a breakdown in the rule of law.

AP Interview: GOP Sen. Bennett predicts Reid win  —  SALT LAKE CITY - Warning that tea party “mischief” may be aiding Democrats this election season, defeated Utah Republican U.S. Sen. Bob Bennett says that Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid likely will keep his seat and that the GOP …

Income Gap Between Rich and Poor Is Highest in Decades, Data Show  —  WHAT'S YOUR REACTION?  —  The gap between the wealthiest Americans and middle- and working-class Americans has more than tripled in the past three decades, according to a June 25 report by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities.

University of Illinois Instructor Fired Over Catholic Beliefs  —  URBANA, Ill. — The University of Illinois has fired an adjunct professor who taught courses on Catholicism after a student accused the instructor of engaging in hate speech by saying he agrees with the church's teaching that homosexual sex is immoral.

Need A Job?  Try Canada, Where Hiring Is Booming And Home Prices Are Rising  —  WHAT'S YOUR REACTION?  —  Stubbornly high unemployment rates got you down?  Not sold on the economic recovery?  Look no further than America's polite neighbor to the north, where jobs numbers are surging …

Omar Bin Laden Is Treated for Schizophrenia, Wife Asks for Divorce  —  Omar Bin Laden, the fourth-born son of Osama Bin Laden, has hospitalized and treated for schizophrenia after hearing his father's voice in his head.  —  “It's true that he was put on medication but released himself early …

Obama pledges VA improvements, ‘post-9/11 GI Bill’  —  President Barack Obama used the last weekend of the July Fourth congressional recess to pledge his efforts toward a “21st Century Veterans Administration” and a “post-9/11 GI Bill” to help recovering veterans recover more of the American Dream.

Headless bodies and other immigration tall tales in Arizona  —  Jan Brewer has lost her head.  —  The Arizona governor, seemingly determined to repel every last tourist dollar from her pariah state, has sounded a new alarm about border violence.  “Our law enforcement agencies have found bodies …

Obeying President Obama's dictum that it's always educational to check in with what the other side is saying, I checked in with MSNBC's Countdown the other night.  —  Sure enough, there was Keith Olbermann himself barking up I will admit, interesting leftist views on issues A, B …