Judge Blocks Key Parts of Immigration Law in Arizona  —  PHOENIX — A federal judge, ruling on a clash between the federal government and a state over immigration policy, has blocked the most controversial parts of Arizona's immigration enforcement law from going into effect.

Journolist veers out of bounds  —  This may be the most embarrassing thing I have ever written — and looking back on my writing, there is a lot of competition for that dubious distinction — but when I became a reporter, it was almost a holy calling.  —  We really believed we were doing good.

Filibuster reform is short of needed votes  —  Senate Democrats do not have the votes to lower the 60-vote threshold to cut off filibusters.  —  The lack of support among a handful of Senate Democratic incumbents is a major blow to the effort to change the upper chamber's rules.

Democratic Message: We May Be Incompetent, But They're Crazy  —  Only in meta-ville do you hold a press conference to announce a campaign message for the fall.  Today, the Democratic Party asked reporters to come over to their Ivy Lane headquarters to listen to the party chairman describe …

AMERICA'S NEW HEALTH CARE SYSTEM REVEALED  —  Updated Chart Shows Obamacare's Bewildering Complexity  —  Download a PDF version of the chart below  —  Washington, DC - Four months after U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi famously declared “We have to pass the bill so you can find out what's in it …

Angle: DISCLOSE Act already exists (except it doesn't)  —  It was rejected by the Senate this week.  But here's what Sharron Angle said to conservative talker Heidi Harris today (audio at right):  —  Harris: Interesting story, or I should say Op-Ed, in the Washington Post this morning …

WikiLeaks Reportedly Outs 100s of Afghan Informants  —  Hundreds of Afghan civilians who worked as informants for the U.S. military have been put at risk by WikiLeaks' publication of more than 90,000 classified intelligence reports which name and in many cases locate the individuals, The Times newspaper reported Wednesday.

SEC Says New FinReg Law Exempts It From Public Disclosure  —  So much for transparency.  —  Under a little-noticed provision of the recently passed financial-reform legislation, the Securities and Exchange Commission no longer has to comply with virtually all requests for information releases …

Our Divisive President  —  Barack Obama promised a new era of post-partisanship.  In office, he's played racial politics and further split the country along class and party lines.  —  During the election campaign, Barack Obama sought to appeal to the best instincts of the electorate …

Haphazard Firefighting Might Have Sunk BP Oil Rig … The Coast Guard has gathered evidence it failed to follow its own firefighting policy during the Deepwater Horizon disaster and is investigating whether the chaotic spraying of tons of salt water by private boats contributed to sinking …

In Study, 2 Economists Say Intervention Helped Avert a 2nd Depression  —  WASHINGTON — Like a mantra, officials from both the Bush and Obama administrations have trumpeted how the government's sweeping interventions to prop up the economy since 2008 helped avert a second Depression.

The Not-So-Scammy Interchange Fee Scam  —  When the great Credit Card Interchange Fee Debate began, I said I was generally skeptical of the idea of purely economic regulation (as opposed to regulation aimed at public safety or environmental hazards).  Kevin Drum followed up yesterday with a post on …

US Congress votes to cut cocaine sentencing disparity  —  WASHINGTON — The US Congress voted Wednesday to reduce sentencing disparities for offenders caught with crack cocaine versus the drug in powder form, a gap blamed for disproportionate jailing of black Americans.

The Case for $320,000 Kindergarten Teachers  —  How much do your kindergarten teacher and classmates affect the rest of your life?  —  Economists have generally thought that the answer was not much.  Great teachers and early childhood programs can have a big short-term effect.  But the impact tends to fade.

Schwarzenegger orders more furloughs for state workers  —  Less than one month after ending furloughs for about 200,000 state workers, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger this morning brought back a scaled-down version of the policy, effective Sunday.  —  The governor made the decision this week …

Rod Blagojevich: Not Guilty  —  It is impossible when covering a trial as a journalist not to start thinking like a juror.  The jobs are not all that different to begin with: sifting facts, weighing sides, judging trustworthiness, trying to be objective about it all.

50 Most Beautiful People 2010  —  Who made the cut this year?  Take a look at the most beautiful people on Capitol Hill.

John Callahan, Cartoonist, Dies at 59  —  John Callahan, a quadriplegic, alcoholic cartoonist whose work in newspapers and magazines made irreverent, impolitic sport of people with disabilities and diseases and those who would pity and condescend to them, died Saturday in Portland, Ore. He was 59 and lived in Portland.

The President Wears Prada  —  Glitzy Fundraisers, Posh Vacations, And Celebrity Concerts Show Obama's Elitist Disconnect From The American People “President Obama is coming to New York on July 28 for Democratic National Committee fundraising, but apparently he has two events planned on the day …

Senate Dems, GOP squabble may sink spill bill  —  Senate Democrats and Republicans appear on a collision course that would sink chances of passing oil-spill and energy legislation amid disagreements over both substance and process.  —  Democratic leaders Wednesday foretold the likely failure …