Charlotte zings Reid from beyond the grave  —  Election 2010 has just heard from a member of the Silent Majority.  —  You know, from a deceased person.  —  Chances are good you never met Charlotte McCourt during her 84 years, but I'm willing to bet you'll be hearing about her in the coming days …

EXCLUSIVE: Bristol Palin, Levi Johnston Are Engaged!  —  Bristol Palin and Levi Johnston reveal exclusively in the new Us Weekly that they are getting married.  —  And, they tell Us Weekly, former vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin has been kept in the dark about their plans ... until now.

On being labeled as ‘racist’  —  A clear pattern of behavior has emerged over the last 16 months.  According to liberals, if you disagree with their thinking, and if you disagree with the Obama administration, you are not only wrong, you are a “racist.”  —  The latest strike by the left comes …

House Dems to vent frustrations over midterm strategy to Obama  —  House Democrats will vent their frustrations with the White House's political strategy during a Wednesday meeting with President Obama.  —  The session comes amid an uproar in the House over comments made by White House press …

Megyn Kelly's minstrel show  —  I don't really get a chance to watch TV in Unalaska, and the one thing I miss is Megyn Kelly of Fox News.  The last week or so of her work — her one woman crusade against the New Black Panther Party — has been truly riveting television.

McInnis's Colo. gubernatorial bid derailed by plagiarism charges  —  Former Rep. Scott McInnis's (R-Colo.) gubernatorial campaign is in a fight for its life as charges of plagiarism have led to questions of whether McInnis can stay in the race.  —  Republicans in Colorado say he's a dead man walking …

NBC, CBS refuse ground zero mosque ad  —  CBS and NBC have refused to air a provocative ad from the confrontational, well-funded National Republican Trust PAC that calls on Americans to oppose the building of a mosque two blocks from the World Trade Center site.

How Bad is the Job Situation, Really?  —  (cross-posted at ProgressiveFix.com and FrumForum.com)  —  When it comes to economic conditions, I'm generally a glass-three-quarters-full kind of guy.  Take unemployment.  Quick—what was the risk in 2008 that an American worker would experience at least one bout of unemployment?

Journalism Needs Government Help  —  Media budgets have been decimated as the Internet facilitates a communications revolution.  More public funding for news-gathering is the answer.  —  We have entered a momentous period in the history of the American press.

VP Favorable Ratings: Gore Down, Cheney Up, Biden Flat  —  Americans more negative than positive toward Gore, Cheney  —  PRINCETON, NJ — Americans' current views of former Vice President Al Gore have become significantly more negative compared with three years ago, and are among the worst for him in more than a decade.

The Reeducation of Rand Paul  —  Soon after Rand Paul won Kentucky's GOP Senate primary in May, his campaign was rocked — not by an affair or a kamikaze YouTube clip, but by his own textbook libertarianism.  In a series of post-election interviews, Paul criticized parts of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 …

This is what a fierce advocate looks like  —  Argentina is the latest country to consider same-sex marriage rights; the legislature is set to debate the issue today.  President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner supports the legislation and gave this interview to a Chinese news crew while visiting the country on a diplomatic mission.

CBS News Poll: 7/13/10  —  Complete Data and Questions on the CBS News Poll on Obama, The Economy, Health Care and Other Issues  —  cbs_poll_071310  —  MORE FROM OPINION: CBS NEWS POLLS

GOP senators float amendment to stop Arizona lawsuit  —  Two Republican senators announced Wednesday they will attempt to amend legislation to prevent the Obama administration from suing Arizona over its controversial immigration law.  —  Sens. Jim DeMint (S.C.) and David Vitter (La.) …

Nobody Understands The Liquidity Trap (Wonkish)  —  Sigh.  In an otherwise useful article about divisions in the Fed, Jon Hilsenrath says this: … Sorry, but that's totally wrong.  The question is whether, at the zero bound, the Fed has the ability to increase aggregate demand — full stop.

Memo to media: Pamela Geller does not belong on national television  —  Numerous mainstream media outlets have recently hosted right-wing “Atlas Shrugs” blogger Pamela Geller to discuss the controversy surrounding a proposed Islamic community center set to be built blocks away from Ground Zero.

Time for Obama to make sacrifices  —  Later this week, the White House budget office is due to produce its midyear report on the nation's fiscal health.  —  If history is any guide, the administration will try to paint a rosy picture, but the truth is already obvious: Washington under President Barack Obama …

Developments in Financial Markets and the Federal Reserve's Balance Sheet  —  The Manager of the System Open Market Account (SOMA) reported on developments in domestic and foreign financial markets during the period since the Committee met on April 27-28, 2010.

Libtalker Bill Press Blames ‘Spoiled Americans’ For Obama's Poll Collapse  —  IT'S YOUR FAULT  —  Lefty Meltdown Over WaPo Poll, Libtalker Lashes Out  —  Are you ready to accept your share of the blame for Obama's collapsing poll numbers?  If only “spoiled Americans” …

WHEN AN ENTIRE POLITICAL PARTY MOVES TO BIZARRO WORLD.... Senate Minority Whip Jon Kyl (R-Ariz.) probably didn't realize the impact his remarks would have.  The right-wing Arizonan was asked on Fox News how his party would pay for $678 billion in tax cuts for the wealthy, which Republicans are currently demanding.

White House to Unveil List of Free Preventative Services  —  WASHINGTON - The Obama administration on Wednesday will unveil new rules specifying which preventive health services will be free to consumers under the new health law.  —  Cancer screenings, including mammograms and colonoscopies …