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.

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 …

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.

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.

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.

Obama Takes On Critics of Education Plan  —  WASHINGTON — Saying that reforming education is perhaps “the economic issue of our time,” President Obama went before a major civil rights organization on Thursday to defend his main education program against criticisms from some minority and teachers groups.

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 …

Local Woman Convicted of Drug Fraud Joins Obama at the Podium … Charlottesville resident Leslie Macko was once employed at ACAC in the Albemarle Square Shopping Center.  In April 2009, she lost her job as an aesthetician in the spa at ACAC.  —  President Barack Obama called on Congress last week to extend unemployment insurance.

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 …

Fed Member's Deflation Warning Hints at Policy Shift  —  WASHINGTON — A subtle but significant shift appears to be occurring within the Federal Reserve over the course of monetary policy amid increasing signs that the economic recovery is weakening.  —  On Thursday, James Bullard …

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 …

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.”

GOP hands Reid second legislative setback of the week  —  Senate Republicans blocked progress on small-business legislation Thursday morning, handing Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) his second legislative defeat of the week.  —  A vote to cut off debate on a substitute amendment offered …