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.

Watching Arizona: Immigration Law Set to Take Effect, but Will It?  —  SB 1070 Set to Take Effect Thursday, Legal Challenges Continue  —  Arizona's tough new immigration law is just hours away from taking effect, but a federal judge has remained silent so far on a request for an injunction that would block the law from being enforced.

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 …

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

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 …

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.

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.

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.

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 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.

In Speech to Turkey, PM David Cameron Goes Full Idiot  —  Cameron gives a begging, blubbering pander of a speech to the Islamist goons in Turkey.  (Also read Claudia Rosett: “Prime Minister, It's Not a ‘Prison Camp’”  —  British Prime Minister David Cameron's July 27 speech in Turkey will not live on in history.

Democrats Split as House Backs War Funds  —  WASHINGTON — The House of Representatives agreed on Tuesday to provide $37 billion to continue financing America's two wars, but the vote showed deepening divisions and anxiety among Democrats over the course of the nearly nine-year-old conflict in Afghanistan.

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.

Blago jurors by the numbers: Who they are  —  Making the final jury cut is a little like succeeding at golf.  The lowest numbers win.  —  The final jury panel that will decide the fate of Rod Blagojevich includes a legal assistant, a public school math teacher, an avid marathon runner …

Obama's Legacy: Afghanistan  —  A US soldier at a base in the Dand district of Kandahar Province, Afghanistan, July 23, 2010  —  Most presidents start wondering—or, more often, worrying—about their “legacy” well into their first term.  Or, if they have a second term …

Ex-Judge Recommends No Charges Against Paterson  —  The retired judge investigating Gov. David A. Paterson's intervention in a domestic violence case involving a former top aide will not recommend any charges against the governor, according to a report released on Wednesday.

Two women to face off in Oklahoma  —  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 …

House Democrats head for a thumping at the polls  —  Democratic spin doctors have set out how their side is going to hold onto a majority in the House.  They'll capture four at-risk Republican seats, hold half of the next 30 or so Democratic at-risk seats, and avoid significant losses on target seats lower on the list.

New Calculator Shows How Much More Taxes Will You Pay Next Year  —  We are on the precipice of the largest tax increase in United States history.  On January 1, 2011, the 2001/2003 tax relief will expire.  All Americans who earn income will see their taxes go up as a result …

Tim Scott Rises in South Carolina  —  Tim Scott is the most heralded Republican House candidate this year, and for good reason.  He's likeable, experienced in politics at the local and state level, a self-described “bleeding heart conservative” of the Jack Kemp school, and the champion …

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 …

Lawyer: Blago's not ‘sharpest knife’  —  Rod Blagojevich's own lawyer said Tuesday that his client is “foolish” and not the “sharpest knife in the drawer,” but said that is no reason to convict the former Democratic governor of Illinois of corruption.  —  In his closing argument …

GM Volt's price induces some sticker shock  —  The long-anticipated Chevrolet Volt, General Motors' electric car, will cost $41,000, the company announced Tuesday, leaving consumers to decide whether its environmental appeal is worth a price far above that of similarly sized conventional autos.

John Podesta, UFO Guy  —  John Podesta is a distinguished Washington insider.  He is currently the president of the liberal Center for American Progress, and previously served as co-chair of Barack Obama's presidential transition team (2008-2009) and White House chief of staff for Bill Clinton.

EXCLUSIVE: DOJ Accused of Stalling on MOVE Act for Voters in Military  —  U.S. Army Sgt. George Scheufele prepares to mail in his completed absentee ballot after voting in the American Presidential and Congressional election while at Camp Eagle in the battle-torn Sadr City neighborhood of Baghdad, Iraq.

An Absolutely Abysmal Poll for Sharron Angle  —  Harry Reid now leads in the Rasmussen poll, 45 percent to 43 percent.  —  The firm now classifies the seat as “Leans Democrat.”  —  I've talked to Nevada Republicans who aren't giving up.  Some of them say that Angle is getting a bit better …

Updated Governor and Senate ratings!  —  The Fix and Post senior political reporter — and all-around good guy — Dan Balz sat down last night to mull over our ratings of the top Senate and governors races around the country.  —  With the election now less than 100 days away …

Sherrod Critic: She Used ‘Lynching’ To Gin Up Democratic Voters  —  On Monday, former Reagan administration official Jeffrey Lord astonished the left and the right by penning an article in the conservative American Spectator attacking former-USDA official Shirley Sherrod for using the term …

Image Boost: What Is The President Doing On Daytime Talk Show?  —  President Obama to Take in a Different ‘View’ With Talk Show Visit  —  Unlike most guests who come to ABC's “The View,” President Obama does not have a new movie, album or reality show to promote.

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.