Fired USDA employee Sherrod to sue conservative blogger Andrew Breitbart  —  Ousted USDA employee Shirley Sherrod says she will sue conservative blogger Andrew Breitbart, the Associated Press reports.  —  Sherrod made the announcement Thursday in San Diego at the National Association of Black Journalists annual convention.

Sources: Rangel Cuts Deal, Avoids Trial  —  Embattled Representative Reportedly To Admit Ethical Wrongdoing  —  NEW YORK (CBS) ― New York Congressman Charles Rangel has reportedly cut a deal to admit to ethical wrongdoing and avoid a potentially humiliating public trial.

White House proposal would ease FBI access to records of Internet activity  —  The Obama administration is seeking to make it easier for the FBI to compel companies to turn over records of an individual's Internet activity without a court order if agents deem the information relevant to a terrorism or intelligence investigation.

The Plight of Afghan Women: A Disturbing Picture  —  Our cover image this week is powerful, shocking and disturbing.  It is a portrait of Aisha, a shy 18-year-old Afghan woman who was sentenced by a Taliban commander to have her nose and ears cut off for fleeing her abusive in-laws.

Poll shows opposition to health care overhaul declining  —  Opposition to the landmark health care overhaul declined over the past month, to 35 percent from 41 percent, according to the latest results of a tracking poll, reported Thursday.  —  Fifty percent of the public held a favorable view of the law …

What Judge Bolton's Injunction Doesn't Say — By: NRO Staff  —  In enjoining Arizona's landmark immigration law, U.S. District Judge Susan Bolton maintains the Obama administration's carefully cultivated fiction: that what concerns the White House regarding S.B. 1070 is its effect on legal, rather than illegal, aliens.

The BP Spill: Has the Damage Been Exaggerated?  —  An extensive network of oil booms surround marsh lands off the coast of Louisiana.  July 18, 2010.  —  Mario Tama / Getty Images  —  President Obama has called the BP oil spill “the worst environmental disaster America has ever faced,” and so has just about everyone else.

The Barack Obama-Nancy Pelosi event...  President Barack Obama's endless summer of fundraising is heating up — with the addition of a big-money August house party to help out House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's imperiled Democrats, POLITICO has learned.  —  Obama plans to headline an Aug. 16 fundraiser …

Political operatives on Journolist worked to shape news coverage  —  Despite its name, membership in the liberal online community Journolist wasn't limited to journalists.  Present among the bloggers, reporters and editors were a number of professional political operatives …

Dem memo: No, we won't lose the House  —  In another sign that House Dem leaders are eager to silence talk about them losing the House, top Democrats are circulating a memo on Capitol Hill that lays out a detailed case for why Republicans will come up short this fall.

House GOP leaders: 9/11 first responders aid bill ‘a massive new entitlement program’  —  House Republican leadership is advising its members to vote against a bipartisan bill that would, among other things, bolster medical support to Sept. 11 victims.  —  The James Zadroga 9/11 Health …

Grayson bills taxpayers for DVD of term's highlights  —  WASHINGTON — If U.S. Rep. Alan Grayson were a rock star, his latest PR blitz — a DVD sent to tens of thousands of Central Florida residents — would be called Grayson's Greatest Hits.  —  The 90-minute disc features video highlights …

Graham eyes ‘birthright citizenship’  —  Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) announced Wednesday night that he is considering introducing a constitutional amendment that would change existing law to no longer grant citizenship to the children of immigrants born in the United States.

Evidence Ties Manning to Afghan Leaks  —  WASHINGTON—Investigators have found concrete evidence linking Pfc. Bradley Manning with the leak of classified Afghanistan war reports, a defense official said.  —  A search of the computers used by Pfc. Manning yielded evidence he had downloaded …

Tim Lahaye, Evangelical Christian Minister, Warns Obama Bringing Us Closer To ‘The Apocalypse’ (VIDEO)  —  WHAT'S YOUR REACTION?  —  Evangelical Christian minister Tim LaHaye says that the policy initiatives put forth by the Obama administration are bringing the country “closer to the apocalypse.”

Taxes: A Defining Issue  —  Barack Obama knows taxes define worldview.  The GOP should offer voters an alternative.  —  If the Obama presidency didn't exist, we would have to invent it.  —  At a time when the American people need to make some decisions about the nation's purpose …