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 …

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.

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.

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.

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 …

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.

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 …

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 …

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 …

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.

NAACP considers resolution decrying racist elements in tea-party movement  —  The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People will propose a resolution this week condemning racism within the tea party movement.  —  The resolution, scheduled for a vote as early as Tuesday …

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.

On second thought...  Boston city councilors backtrack on Arizona boycott bid  —  Red-faced Boston city councilors who boldly voted to shun the state of Arizona over its new immigration crackdown are now showing signs of boycotter's regret.  —  The grandstanding pols kept a low profile …

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 …

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 …

Senator LeMieux Endorses Rubio and Discusses Victory Strategies (VIDEO)  —  Regular readers of the Tank know that we have pulled no punches towards soon-to-be Democrat Governor Charlie Crist, which is why we're reposting Senator George LeMieux's endorsement of Marco Rubio.

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 …

GOP's Angle rejects political makeover  —  Candidate focuses on economy  —  Republican Sharron Angle said Saturday she won't change her staunch conservative views to win the U.S. Senate race, although she acknowledged softening some of her rhetoric to avoid giving Sen. Harry Reid and other Democrats more sound bites to attack.

Senate Candidate Ken Buck: Liberal Movement is ‘Largest Threat’ to America, More Than al Qaeda or Iran  —  ABC News' Rick Klein reports: Republican Senate candidate Ken Buck last week distanced himself from former Rep. Tom Tancredo, R-Colo., when Tancredo called President Obama “the greatest threat to our way of life.”