NAACP STATEMENT ON THE RESIGNATION OF SHIRLEY SHERROD  —  (BALTIMORE, MD) - NAACP President and CEO Benjamin Todd Jealous issued the following statement today after a careful investigation into the presentation of former USDA Official Shirley Sherrod.  —  “The NAACP has a zero tolerance policy …

California Official's $800,000 Salary in City of 38,000 Triggers Protests  —  Hundreds of residents of one of the poorest municipalities in Los Angeles County shouted in protest last night as tensions rose over a report that the city's manager earns an annual salary of almost $800,000.

Lindsey Graham's vote on Elena Kagan ensures primary challenge  —  South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham's (R) announcement that he will vote in favor of Elena Kagan's nomination to the Supreme Court is likely to further incite conservatives already unhappy with him and, according to close observers …

The Scariest Unemployment Graph I've Seen Yet  —  The median duration of unemployment is higher today than any time in the last 50 years.  That's an understatement.  It is more than twice as high today than any time in the last 50 years.  —  OK, you're saying, but what does this mean?

Breaking Impasse, Senate Extends Jobless Benefits  —  WASHINGTON — The Senate broke a stalemate on Tuesday over extending unemployment benefits for Americans who have been out of work for six months or more, voting to override Republican objections that the bill's costs would add to the federal deficit.

The Corruption Of Journo-list  —  The latest revelations from Journo-list are deeply depressing to me.  What's depressing is the way in which liberal journalists are not responding to events in order to find out the truth, but playing strategic games to cover or not cover events and controversies in order to win a media/political war.

Ben Stein: The Unemployed Are People With 'Unpleasant Personalities...Who Do Not Know How To Do A Day's Work'  —  Today, the Senate extended unemployment benefits for millions of jobless Americans.  Despite the terrible shape of the economy, conservatives resisted extending unemployment insurance …

How to Talk Liberaltarian  —  Nick Schulz weighs in on the liberaltarianism debate: … This seems completely wrong to me.  Conservatives care about “protecting individual liberty” for some people, but the conservative movement includes many people who are indifferent, if not hostile …

(2 of 2)  —  Traylor is also currently involved in a romantic relationship with Denise Lively, the estranged wife of his stepson, Ryan Ellington, the son of Noble Ellington.  —  Lively and Ryan Ellington remain legally married, but both he and Traylor said the Lively-Traylor relationship began …

Handel and Deal Lead Georgia Governor Primary  —  ATLANTA — Karen Handel, a former secretary of state who was endorsed by Sarah Palin, came in first in Georgia's Republican gubernatorial primary Tuesday evening and will face Nathan Deal, a former Congressman, in an Aug. 10 runoff.

Obama to campaign in Texas  —  WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama plans fundraisers for fellow Democrats in Republican-controlled Texas, but his party's nominee for governor said Tuesday he would not join the event scheduled in the city that he used to run.

David Axelrod won't commit Obama to Meek campaign  —  President Barack Obama's top political adviser declined to say Tuesday whether the commander in chief would campaign for Florida Senate candidate Kendrick Meek — even amid reports that Vice President Joe Biden may hit the trail to assist the fourth-term Democratic House member.

The ‘Tax Expenditure’ Solution for Our National Debt  —  The credits and subsidies that make the tax code so complicated cost big bucks.  Reduce them by third and the debt will be 72% of GDP in 2020 instead of 90%.  —  When it comes to spending cuts, Congress is looking in the wrong place.

GOP's Schilling Leads Democrat Incumbent Phil Hare, 45-32  —  Few of my assessments in this cycle have met with more derision than my argument that Phil Hare, an Illinois Democrat, is supremely vulnerable.  —  His GOP opponent, Bobby Schilling, hired Magellan Strategies to conduct a poll of the district.

VOTER REGISTRATION FRAUD CASE: ACORN finances leave questions  —  High court clears way for trial to proceed  —  The political advocacy group ACORN is “limping along” near bankruptcy, which could affect a pending voter registration case in Nevada, a lawyer for the group said Monday.