Jon Kyl gives away the game on deficits  —  “[Y]ou should never raise taxes in order to cut taxes,” Jon Kyl said on Fox News Sunday.  “Surely Congress has the authority, and it would be right to — if we decide we want to cut taxes to spur the economy, not to have to raise taxes in order to offset those costs.

2012: What Palin Is, and Isn't, Doing  —  Sarah Palin's PAC disclosure release has occasioned a new round of “Will she or won't she?”  If we take the dictum that one's judgment is more easily interrogated than one's motivation, we're left with a simple answer: she's seriously thinking about running for president.

Democrats Gone Wild: Rep. Ciro Rodriguez Loses It  —  I've often noted that I expect this to be a long, hot summer.  The mid-term elections are inching closer and Democrats are having to finally admit that they are in real political trouble.  For those keeping score at home, let's recap …

Felons Voting Illegally May Have Put Franken Over the Top in Minnesota, Study Finds  —  The six-month election recount that turned former “Saturday Night Live” comedian Al Franken into a U.S. senator may have been decided by convicted felons who voted illegally in Minnesota's Twin Cities.

Michelle Obama Rouses NAACP Before Vote Condemning ‘Racist’ Elements of Tea Party  —  Tea Party Leaders Say Political Motivation Driving NAACP Agenda  —  First Lady Michelle Obama brought renewed energy to the NAACP today, delivering the keynote speech at the annual convention …

Salazar Revises Rules for Deepwater Drilling Ban  —  Interior Secretary Ken Salazar issued revised rules on Monday for a six-month moratorium on deepwater oil drilling in the Gulf of Mexico, replacing an earlier one that had been declared invalid by federal courts.

Harvey Pekar, Cleveland comic-book legend, dies at age 70  —  CLEVELAND HEIGHTS, Ohio — Harvey Pekar's life was not an open book.  It was an open comic book.  —  Pekar chronicled his life and times in the acclaimed autobiographical comic book series, “American Splendor,” …

In the heat wave, the case against air conditioning  —  Washington didn't grind to a sweaty halt last week under triple-digit temperatures.  People didn't even slow down.  Instead, the three-day, 100-plus-degree, record-shattering heat wave prompted Washingtonians to crank …

Brown the new McCain, cont'd  —  And speaking of Scott Brown, his statement just now:  —  I've spent the past week reviewing the Wall Street reform bill.  I appreciate the efforts to improve the bill, especially the removal of the $19 billion bank tax.  As a result, it is a better bill than it was when this whole process started.

EXCLUSIVE NEW AUDIO: Mel Gibson Admits Hitting Oksana, Threatens To Kill Her - Listen To It Here  —  WARNING: This audio may not be reproduced or republished.  —  Mel Gibson, under investigation for domestic violence, admits to hitting Oksana Grigorieva and TWICE threatens to kill …

The Class War We Need  —  The rich are different from you and me.  They know how to game the system.  —  That's one interpretation, at least, of last week's news that Americans with million-dollar mortgages are defaulting at almost twice the rate of the typical homeowner.

Obama (and Cohn) Wrong on Berwick  —  Last week, President Obama named Donald Berwick as head of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.  He used a recess appointment, which means Berwick won't go through Senate confirmation—or, in this particular case, get so much as a hearing.

Stuff  —  As I mentioned in my last entry, I've been watching Babylon 5 lately.  It's not a perfect show, but it has one big advantage: it's consistent and believable.  —  Contrast this with Doctor Who.  Doctor Who is fun to watch, but if you think about it for more than two seconds …

When Was The New Black Panther Case Downgraded?  —  I did an interview with New York Daily News Columnist Errol Louis about the New Black Panther Party case today and realized that there's a specific data point that has been lost in all the breathless coverage of this case and whether …

Al-Shabaab Islamists suspected in deadly Ugandan World Cup bombings  —  Somali Islamists carried out two bomb attacks in Kampala, killing at least 64 people as they watched the World Cup final, Ugandan authorities said on Monday.  —  Suspicion fell on the al-Shabaab rebel group …

Americans Unsure About “Progressive” Political Label  —  More than twice as many say label does not describe them as say it does  —  PRINCETON, NJ — Gallup polling reveals widespread public uncertainty about the “progressive” political label — a label recently embraced by no less than Supreme Court nominee Elena Kagan.

Group to oppose Obama Mideast policy  —  Leading conservatives will launch a new pro-Israel group this week with a scathing attack on Rep. Joe Sestak, the Democratic Senate candidate in Pennsylvania, the first shot in what they say will be a confrontational campaign against the Obama …

Cantor To Host Job Fair With Employers Stimulated By Over $50 Million In Recovery Act Funds  —  House Minority Whip Rep. Eric Cantor (R-VA) has been one of the Recovery Act's most vocal critics.  After whipping his caucus into uniformly opposing the stimulus, Cantor has been the lead spokesman decrying the program as a failure.

GOP ‘Young Guns’ to release book  —  Three top House Republicans are set to release a book this fall about the future of conservative politics, placing a younger set of GOP lawmakers center stage as the party makes its final push to win control of the House.

Andrew Napolitano: Bush and Cheney Should Have Been Indicted for Torturing, for Spying and Arresting Without Warrants  —  Well, this is something you don't see every day.  Ralph Nader hosted this interview segment with Fox News' Judge Andrew Napolitano and discussed his book, Lies the Government Told You.