Confidence in Obama reaches new low, Washington Post-ABC News poll finds  —  Public confidence in President Obama has hit a new low, according to the latest Washington Post-ABC News poll.  Four months before midterm elections that will define the second half of his term …

Dems, AARP want to make IRA enrollment automatic  —  The White House and congressional Democrats, with the backing of the AARP, will soon put forth a plan to automatically enroll new private-sector employees in investment retirement accounts (IRAs).  —  The measure will apply to new workers …

Obama strategy against Palin, or other GOP foes?  Run against Bush  —  White House spokesman Robert Gibbs didn't talk about Sarah Palin specifically yesterday, but he did address any Republican who is thinking about challenging President Obama in 2012.  —  The bottom line …

A Congressman, Held Accountable  —  If you don't think voters are up in arms about the discriminatory policies of Barack Obama's Department of Justice, check out this video of a town hall meeting held by Democratic Congressman Brad Sherman, CA-27.  A constituent asks him about DOJ's dismissal …

George Steinbrenner, owner of New York Yankees, has died in Tampa at age of 80  —  George Steinbrenner, a towering and intimidating figure who dominated the New York sports scene for 35 years, winning 11 American League pennants and seven world championships as owner of the Yankees …

Beyond Guns: N.R.A. Expands Agenda  —  WASHINGTON — Fresh off a string of victories in the courts and Congress, the National Rifle Association is flexing political muscle outside its normal domain, with both Democrats and Republicans courting its favor and avoiding its wrath on issues that sometimes seem to have little to do with guns.

Tea party groups choose to stand mute on same-sex marriage ruling  —  While many conservative organizations immediately decried a federal judge's decision last week to invalidate the federal ban on recognizing gay marriages, tea party groups have been conspicuously silent on the issue.

Mort Zuckerman Admits He Helped Write One Of Obama's Speeches  —  Media mogul Mort Zuckerman tells FOX News he helped write one of Obama's speeches.

Reader Thoughts: Why Pickup Artists Are Lame  —  Reader DavidBN explains some of the sadness of pickup artists: … Incidentally, I'm being accused in the comments of engaging in some sort of conspiracy to keep the Beta Man down.  More on primate theory later, but for now let me point …

Media Maven  —  The strategic genius of Sarah Palin.  —  Like most great women of mystery, Sarah Palin is at once everywhere and nowhere.  On any given evening, you might see the former Alaska governor-turned-conservative- icon on Fox News, chatting up like-minded travelers about the political buzz du jour.

Dems hit 60 on Wall Street bill  —  Democrats appeared on Monday to have won the 60 votes they need to move Wall Street reform through the Senate when Republican Sens. Olympia Snowe (Maine) and Scott Brown (Mass.) announced their support for a conference report.

Republican senator says he backs birther lawsuits  —  WASHINGTON — Republican Sen. David Vitter of Louisiana says he supports conservative organizations challenging President Barack Obama's citizenship in court.  —  Vitter, who is running for re-election, made the comments at a town hall-style event …

N.Y. Congressman Calls for Inquiry Into Funding of Mosque Near Ground Zero  —  May 25: Community members both for and against the plan to build a mosque and cultural center near Ground Zero in Lower Manhattan speak during board meeting.  —  NEW YORK — The ranking Republican …

4 missionaries charged in Dearborn festival proselytizing  —  Dearborn — Four Christian missionaries were arraigned today on misdemeanor charges of disturbing the peace following their June 18 arrest at the Arab International Festival.  —  Negeen Mayel, 18, of California; Nabeel Qureshi …

Strategic Defaulters as the New Welfare Queens  —  A well placed Washington contact wrote: … Yves here.  What continues to amaze me is how fast the disinformation is being shoveled out: … So why all this hysteria about strategic defaulters?  If I were conspiracy-minded …

Farrakhan Demands Reparations from Jews  —  Louis Farrakhan recently sent a three-page letter along with two books to the heads of 16 Jewish organizations.  —  Dated June 24, 2010, the letter is resplendent with a crescent-and-moon flag and Farrakhan's impressive-sounding title …

The Coming Birth Control Battle  —  Health-care reform raised the possibility that birth control could soon be free for most women.  But not if conservative activists have their way.  Dana Goldstein reports.  —  Could prescription birth control—whether the pill, an IUD, or a diaphragm …

Corporations not hoarding cash  —  Over the past couple of weeks, a lot of people have been talking about how corporations are sitting on $1.8 trillion in cash reserves and that if we could just get them to feel more confident, we could unleash a massive private-sector stimulus.

EXCLUSIVE AUDIO: Another Mel Gibson Slur Caught On Tape In Crazed Rage - Listen To It Here  —  Warning: This audio may not be reproduced or republished.  —  Mel Gibson is caught using yet another ethnic slur while going on a crazed rampage on new audio exclusively obtained and released by RadarOnline.com.

Taranis: The £143million unmanned stealth jet that will hit targets in another continent  —  Looming ominously like a space ship from Star Wars, this is the future of unmanned flight.  —  Defence firm BAE Systems today officially unveiled its first ever high-tech unmanned stealth jet.

Admirers Give ‘Son of Sam’ Image Makeover  —  During a yearlong string of shootings before his arrest in the summer of 1977, David Berkowitz, known as the Son of Sam, killed six people and wounded seven others in New York City.  —  Multimedia  —  Upon his confession to the shootings …

JON KYL DOUBLES DOWN.... Over the weekend, Senate Minority Whip Jon Kyl (R-Ariz.) was asked on Fox News how he'd pay for extending the Bush tax cuts for the wealthy, at a cost of $678 billion.  After initially dodging the question, Kyl said what he really believed: “You do need to offset …

Kagan vote delayed one week  —  The Senate Judiciary Committee on Tuesday delayed its vote on Supreme Court nominee Elena Kagan.  —  Washington (CNN) - The Senate Judiciary Committee on Tuesday delayed its vote on Supreme Court nominee Elena Kagan for a week at the request of the panel's ranking Republican.