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.

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 …

Governors Voice Grave Concerns on Immigration  —  BOSTON — In a private meeting with White House officials this weekend, Democratic governors voiced deep anxiety about the Obama administration's suit against Arizona's new immigration law, worrying that it could cost a vulnerable Democratic Party in the fall elections.

SarahPAC steps into the big leagues  —  A new financial report filed Sunday evening showed Sarah Palin's political action committee has taken its fundraising to a higher level - and suggests that she has begun building a more sophisticated political operation in place of a bare-bones organization …

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 …

Polanski Is Free After Swiss Reject U.S. Extradition Request  —  Updated  —  Article: Swiss Reject U.S. Request to Extradite Polanski  —  The justice ministry of Switzerland said on Monday that it had denied a request to extradite the director Roman Polanski to the United States …

Debt Commission Eying Mostly-Cuts Package  —  The latest from the Obama administration's deficit commission: … That sounds like a classic pleases no one, goes nowhere package.  Since it includes tax increases, zero Republicans will vote for it.  But since it's mostly weighted to spending cuts, most Democrats will reject it.

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.

Historic oil spill fails to produce gains for U.S. environmentalists  —  For environmentalists, the BP oil spill may be disproving the maxim that great tragedies produce great change.  —  Traditionally, American environmentalism wins its biggest victories after some important piece …

Brown to support Wall Street reform; Dems edge closer to 60  —  Sen. Scott Brown (R-Mass.) announced Monday he will vote for Wall Street reform when it comes up for a final vote, all but assuring Democrats the 60 votes they need to pass the legislation.  —  Brown voted for the bill …

The Feckless Fed  —  Back in 2002, a professor turned Federal Reserve official by the name of Ben Bernanke gave a widely quoted speech titled “Deflation: Making Sure ‘It’ Doesn't Happen Here.”  Like other economists, myself included, Mr. Bernanke was deeply disturbed by Japan's stubborn …

Cleveland comic-book legend Harvey Pekar dead 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,” portraying himself as a rumpled …

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.

Timing Unclear for Senate Vote on Finance Overhaul  —  WASHINGTON — Final passage of sweeping legislation to overhaul the nation's financial regulatory system is now a question of when — not if — according to Senate Democrats.  Yet, there still seem to be a lot of questions about when.

Wasted interviews  —  This New York Times article on Paul Volcker's view of the financial regulation bill is clearly and proudly set around a wide-ranging, on-the-record interview with Volcker himself.  But that interview, aside from a few isolated quotes, is nowhere to be found.

More Americans' credit scores sink to new lows  —  NEW YORK - The credit scores of millions more Americans are sinking to new lows.  —  Figures provided by FICO Inc. show that 25.5 percent of consumers — nearly 43.4 million people — now have a credit score of 599 or below, marking them as poor risks for lenders.

26 Year Old Woman Raped and Murdered by Basij Members for “Bad Hijab”  —  ACT NOW |  Stoning, Rape and Execution of Women is Bad Gender Policy; It is Time to Remove the Islamic Republic from the UN Commission on the Status of Women  —  According to sources, this was the last picture Elnaz Babazadeh uploaded …

Al-Qaida-linked militants claim Uganda blasts  —  Al-Shabab says it is responsible for attacks that killed 74 World Cup watchers  —  KAMPALA, Uganda — Simultaneous explosions tore through crowds watching the World Cup final at a rugby club and a restaurant in Uganda's capital on Sunday night …