Mass. Legislature approves plan to bypass Electoral College  —  The Massachusetts Legislature has approved a new law intended to bypass the Electoral College system and ensure that the winner of the presidential election is determined by the national popular vote.

L.A. union members, activists to caravan to Arizona to protest immigration law  —  More than 550 people representing 32 unions plan to travel in 11 buses for a rally at the state Capitol and a vigil with local groups on the day the law is set to take effect.

Yet again, it all turns on Olympia Snowe  —  UPDATE, 11:34 a.m.: Senator Ben Nelson's spokesman, Jake Thompson, confirms that Nelson will vote Yes.  “He will vote for cloture on the Disclose Act,” Thompson emails.  “It's all about transparency.”  —  That removes one more element of suspense.

On the Surface, Gulf Oil Spill Is Vanishing Fast; Concerns Stay  —  The oil slick in the Gulf of Mexico appears to be dissolving far more rapidly than anyone expected, a piece of good news that raises tricky new questions about how fast the government should scale back its response to the Deepwater Horizon disaster.

Rendell: Obama Could Face Primary Challenge Over Afghanistan (VIDEO)  —  WHAT'S YOUR REACTION?  —  Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell predicted on Tuesday that if the president escalates America's military involvement in Afghanistan he could very well face a primary challenger in 2012.

My Apology to Shirley Sherrod — Withdrawn  —  Last week, I jumped the gun (as did many others) in taking what was a complex story and boiling it down to an video clip without its proper context.  I apologized to my readers and to Shirley Sherrod.  —  I hereby withdraw the apology to Mrs. Sherrod.

Netroots Schizo  —  I had a good time in Vegas, so I didn't spend a huge amount of time at NN, but I did spend enough time to take in the mood, and it was schizophrenic.  About half the people there are some combination of angry, disappointed and bitter with Democrats in general and Obama in particular.

Obama, Boehner Argue Over Tax Cuts  —  President Barack Obama and House Minority Leader John Boehner got into a cordial but firm standoff at the White House today over the fate of former President George W. Bush's tax cuts for the wealthy, according to aides.

House Democrats Buck President Obama on Afghanistan  —  President Needs Help From Republicans to Pass War Funding Measure  —  President Obama is facing something of a Democratic revolt against the war in Afghanistan — a revolt dramatically on display today as the House debated a $33 billion bill to fund the war.

Hoyer: “Drain the swamp” not my line  —  House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) on Tuesday noted that it was Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), not him, who promised to “drain the swamp” of corruption in Washington.  —  Pelosi famously vowed in 2006 to “drain the swamp” …

Ex-Washington Post blogger David Weigel joins Slate  —  Journalist David Weigel, who resigned from the Washington Post last month following a leaked email controversy, is joining Slate as a political reporter.  —  “I'm thrilled to be joining Slate, thrilled to be working with writers I've read …

NH looking more competitive  —  Kelly Ayotte's seen her appeal to moderate voters crumble in the wake of her endorsement by Sarah Palin and her lead over Paul Hodes has shrunk to its lowest level of any public polling in 2010- she has a 45-42 advantage over him, down from 47-40 in an April PPP poll.

Rep. Barney Frank causes scene demanding discount  —  Massachusetts Congressman Barney Frank caused a scene when he demanded a $1 senior discount on his ferry fare to Fire Island's popular gay haunt, The Pines, last Friday.  Frank was turned down by ticket clerks at the dock in Sayville …

How to end the filibuster with 51 votes  —  If you can't manage the 60 votes to overcome a filibuster, you can't manage the 67 votes to change the rules and end the filibuster.  At least in theory.  —  But in practice, there's another path open to the Senate's growing ranks of reformers …

Who's the Extremist?  —  As a progressive, I tend to think the Republican Party is much more ideologically extreme than the Democratic Party.  There are many reasons, some of which may be more legitimate than others.  But it turns out that my opinion isn't representative.

From Blagojevich Lawyer, Final Argument With Drama  —  CHICAGO — Rod R. Blagojevich has never been one for understatement, so it seemed fitting on Tuesday when a defense lawyer in his corruption case offered a final argument peppered with whispers, shouts, gasps, sarcasm and slang …

Head of Capitol Visitors Center gets fired  —  The head of the Capitol Visitor Center has been fired, sources told The Hill on Tuesday.  —  Terrie Rouse was fired from her position as the chief executive officer for the multi-million dollar Capitol Visitor Center (CVC) …

On Walking Away: Is Strategic Default All That's Left to Stressed Homeowners?  —  Near the end of our foreclosure panel, we finally got into the meat of the situation: what it will take given a government unwilling to do more for struggling borrowers to actually reset the broken housing market.

Al Qaeda No. 2 Threatens More U.S. Attacks  —  Ayman Al-Zawahiri Also Mentions Times Square Attack in Audio Message  —  Al Qaeda's second in command Ayman Al-Zawahiri has surfaced again, this time threatening more attacks against the U.S. and the West.  —  “Oh American people …

Two women to face off for Okla. gov.  —  Republican Rep. Mary Fallin and Democratic Lt. Gov. Jari Askins won their gubernatorial primaries Tuesday evening, ensuring that Oklahoma will elect its first female governor in November.  —  Fallin enters the fall campaign as the favorite …

Sen. Kerry to pay $500K tax on yacht  —  Senator John Kerry said today he will voluntarily cut a check to the state of Massachusetts for some $500,000 in sales tax for a yacht he purchased in Rhode Island earlier this year.  —  “We've reached out to the Massachusetts Department of Revenue …

Why Some Republicans Want to ‘Restore’ the 13th Amendment  —  No, it's not about slavery; like so much of our politics these days, it's about Barack Obama.  —  If there is an aspect of the human condition that is unaddressed by the platform of the Republican Party of Iowa …

Oliver Stone apologises for claim Hitler was a ‘scapegoat’ in World War Two ‘who did more damage to Russia than Jews’  —  Director Oliver Stone has been forced to apologise over a ‘Mel Gibson-style’ rant against Jews.  —  The double Academy Award winner claimed that the Russians suffered …

“Journolist” Was Not a Progressive Idea (July 27, 2010 2:20 AM) … You can't argue that there's a careerist element lurking beneath the surface of Reihan Salam's latest defense of Journolist.  It's pretty much right there on top.  Salam explains that Ezra Klein's secretuve off-record web group represented …