Tensions increase after revelation of more leaked files  —  Read the full story as the US, Pakistan and Afghanistan trade angry accusations after documents reveal more attempts by coalition to cover up civilian casualties

The Partisan Tools At Journo-List And Trig  —  Remember all those liberals and lefties huffily denouncing this blog's attempts to make sense of Sarah Palin's bizarre stories about the pregnancy and birth of her alleged fifth child?  I was nuts, crazy, vile, disgusting, etc etc to indulge in what Dave Weigel …

Among House Democrats in Rust Belt, a sense of abandonment over energy bill  —  When Democratic Rep. John Boccieri went home to Ohio early this year to talk with voters in his Canton-based district, he figured he would have to do battle with at least some constituents over his support for health-care reform.

Rangel: ‘Trauma,’ ‘more alleged violations’  —  After sounding defiant in his first round with reporters just now, embattled Rep. Charles Rangel sounded sad and seemed downcast and somewhat gaslit as he talked about how “traumatic” he had found the experience.

Lawmakers Question Salaries at Nonprofits  —  State and federal officials are starting to take their knives to the pay of leaders of nonprofit groups they do business with to help share the pain of tighter budgets.  —  A provision in New Jersey's recently passed budget, for example …

BP names Robert Dudley, an American, as chief executive  —  BP announced Tuesday that it lost $17 billion in the second quarter of the year because of the mounting cost of halting and repairing damage from the massive oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.  —  The company also said the executive …

Kerry may need to pay $500k tax on yacht  —  (FOX 25 / MyFoxBoston.com) - There are new details in the controversy over Sen. John Kerry's brand new boat.  —  Kerry may still be on the hook for a half million dollars in excise taxes because he docked his yacht in Massachusetts less than six months after buying it.

Paul Ryan Schools Chris Matthews on Tax Hikes, Budgets and Economics 101  —  Chris Matthews on Monday got a much-needed lesson from Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wisc.) on how tax hikes impact the budget as well as the economy.  —  “Congressman Ryan, is there any tax role for reducing our $1.4 trillion …

Dems fear GOP oversight of Obama administration  —  Senate Judiciary Committee member Sen. Al Franken, D-Minn. (Alex Brandon/AP)  —  Speaking to a group of left-wing activists at the annual Netroots Nation convention in Las Vegas, Democratic Sen. Al Franken painted a bleak picture …

Obama Won't Speak In-Person at Boy Scouts' 100th Anniversary Celebration But Will Appear on ABC TV's ‘The View’  —  (CNSNews.com) - President Barack Obama, the honorary chairman of the Boy Scouts of America, will not speak in-person before the group on Wednesday at Fort A.P. Hill in Virginia …

Obama slams GOP on Disclose Act  —  President Obama called out Senate Republicans on Monday for holding up a vote on a contentious piece of campaign finance legislation.  —  Senate Democrats plan to vote on cloture for the Disclose Act on Tuesday, though it remains unclear whether they have the 60 votes necessary to end debate.

The Long Strategy  —  I was a liberal Democrat when I was young.  I used to wear a green Army jacket with political buttons on it — for Hubert Humphrey, Birch Bayh, John F. Kennedy and Franklin Roosevelt.  I even wore that jacket in my high school yearbook photo.  —  It's a magic green jacket.

BP Day 98: Where Did All the Oil Go?  —  As Size of Slick Shrinks, Experts Say Oil is Breaking Up, Staying Below Surface  —  For 86 days, oil spewed into the Gulf of Mexico from BP's damaged well, dumping some 200 million gallons of crude into sensitive ecosystems.

Former Body-Armor Executive on Trial for Fraud  —  Several years ago, David H. Brooks, the chief executive and chairman of a body-armor company enriched by United States military contracts, became fixated on the idea of a memory-erasing pill.  —  It was not just fanciful curiosity.

Turkey must join EU, says Cameron  —  David Cameron: UK will do everything it can to help Turkey “pave the road from Ankara to Brussels”  —  David Cameron has promised to “fight” for Turkey's membership of the European Union, saying he is “angry” at the slow pace of negotiations.

Democrats Maintain Advantage on Generic Ballot, 48% to 44%  —  Republicans continue to be more enthusiastic about voting  —  PRINCETON, NJ — Democrats have a 48% to 44% advantage for the week of July 19-25 in Gallup tracking of registered voters' preferences for the 2010 congressional elections.

Illinois Republican Clings To Breitbart, Invokes Apartheid Martyr  —  In a post today on Andrew Breitbart's BigGovernment.com, Republican congressional candidate Joel Pollak responded to opponent Rep. Jan Schakowksy's (D-IL) call for him to stop writing for Breitbart's site by likening himself …

Senator Barbara Boxer: serving in the military is like being a member of Congress  —  At a campaign event over the weekend in Inglewood, California, Democratic Sen. Barbara Boxer seemingly equated being a politician to serving in the military — and an Iraq War veteran supporting Boxer's November opponent is calling on her to apologize.

Why Elizabeth Warren Will Likely Be Confirmed  —  Administration, Hill, and industry sources do the math on what could be the summer's most contentious confirmation battle.  —  Last week, Senate Banking Committee Chairman Chris Dodd aroused the ire of progressive activists …

Two Cheers for the Administration on Megrahi  —  We noted yesterday the controversy over the Obama administration's reaction to Scotland's proposed release of Lockerbie bomber Abdelbaset Ali Mohment al-Megrahi on compassionate grounds, i.e., the claim that he was about to die.