GOP Resumes Favorable Standing on Generic Ballot  —  Democratic enthusiasm for voting in midterms is the lowest seen this year  —  PRINCETON, NJ — Registered voters favor Republicans by 48% and Democrats by 43% in Gallup's generic congressional ballot for the week of July 26 through Aug. 1.

Newt Gingrich, pushing prejudice at Ground Zero  —  Newt Gingrich, his doctorate notwithstanding, has offered us an illogical and ahistorical context to the ugly dispute about building an Islamic cultural center and mosque near Manhattan's Ground Zero.  For a while, I thought that Sarah Palin …

Did She Just Say That Out Loud?  —  During yesterday's Fox News Channel's special elections show on primaries and midterms around the country, Sharron Angle had the following exchange with an incredulous Carl Cameron about her media strategy so far: … Angle then goes on to repeat a statement …

GOP leader McConnell: Fourteenth Amendment is in need of review  —  Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) told The Hill on Monday that Congress “ought to take a look at” changing the 14th Amendment, which gives the children of illegal immigrants a right to U.S. citizenship.

Breaking: Federal judge refuses to dismiss Virginia challenge to ObamaCare  —  The federal bench giveth ... and the federal bench taketh away.  Federal judge Henry Hudson has refused to dismiss a challenge from Virginia on the constitutionality of the individual mandate in ObamaCare.

The Obama Agenda and the Enthusiasm Gap  —  In case after case, the administration went far enough to fuel the opposition but not far enough to provide immediate help to the average voter.  —  Whatever the outcome of the upcoming midterm elections, the activist phase of the Obama administration has likely come to a close.

Harman Media buys Newsweek from Washington Post Co. for undisclosed amount  —  Iconic but troubled Newsweek magazine has been sold by one Washington power family to another.  —  Washington philanthropist, education innovator and hi-fidelity stereo pioneer Sidney Harman will buy Newsweek …

Stimulus Slammed: Republican Senators Release Report Alleging Waste  —  Sens. Coburn, McCain Rip Stimulus Spending ‘Waste’; Defenders Question Report's Details  —  The Obama administration has credited its $862 billion stimulus program with pulling the economy out of the worst recession since the Great Depression.

Welcome to the Recovery  —  THE devastation wrought by the great recession is still all too real for millions of Americans who lost their jobs, businesses and homes.  The scars of the crisis are fresh, and every new economic report brings another wave of anxiety.

Oil spill dumped 4.9 million barrels into Gulf of Mexico, latest measure shows  —  The blown-out well in the Gulf of Mexico gushed 12 times faster than the government and BP estimated in the early weeks of the crisis and has spilled a whopping 4.9 million barrels, or 205.8 million gallons …

Frank warned colleague not to aid troubled bank  —  “I said, 'Look, it's a Boston institution.  You should stay out of it.  It's a legitimate constituency thing for me.' ” — Rep. Barney Frank.  (Gretchen Ertl for The Boston Globe/ File)  —  WASHINGTON — US Representative Barney Frank …

Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner: Unemployment Could Go Up Before It Comes Down  —  Unemployment Could Rise ‘Temporarily’ As More People Enter Labor Force  —  Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner acknowledged that it is still a “tough economy” for most Americans, and warned it's possible …

Remarks by the President at Disabled Veterans of America Conference in Atlanta, Georgia  —  THE PRESIDENT: Thank you.  Thank you.  Thank you so much.  Thank you.  Thank you.  Everyone, please have a seat.  Thank you.  Thank you very much.  Thank you.  —  AUDIENCE MEMBER: Happy birthday!

Democratic Party to Keep Controversial Superdelegates  —  A reform effort to take away party bigwigs' presidential-nominating power suffers a setback.  —  A Ringside View of the History of U.S. Political Conventions  —  Before 2008, your average American might not have known what a Democratic Party superdelegate was.

In journalism's crossfire culture, everyone gets wounded  —  The nastiness index keeps on rising, and all of us are getting sullied in the process.  —  Media outlets, which once merely chronicled this era of hyper-partisanship, now seem to be both the purveyors and often the targets of ugly attacks.

The sun sends a charged cloud hurtling our way  —  An unusually complex magnetic eruption on the sun has flung a large cloud of electrically charged particles towards Earth.  When the cloud hits, which could be anytime now, it could spark aurorae in the skies around the poles and pose a threat …

In Kandahar, U.S. tries the lessons of Baghdad  —  KANDAHAR, AFGHANISTAN — This city is starting to feel a lot like Baghdad.  —  Tall concrete blast walls, like those that surround the Green Zone, are seemingly everywhere.  Checkpoints supervised by U.S. soldiers have been erected on all major roads leading into the city.

Virginia legal opinion supports checks of immigration status  —  RICHMOND — Virginia joined the national debate over immigration Monday when Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli II issued a legal opinion that authorizes law enforcement to check the immigration status of anyone stopped by police officers for any reason.

Raise My Taxes, Mr. President!  —  We can't afford the Bush cuts anymore.  —  For the last few months, we have heard powerful, passionate arguments about the need to cut America's massive budget deficit.  Republican senators have claimed that we are in danger of permanently crippling the economy.

Democrats increase pressure on Senate GOP ahead of critical vote on state aid  —  Democrats sought Monday to pressure Senate Republicans ahead of an expected vote on a state aid bill.  —  Republicans who vote against the legislation, which extends aid to state governments' health and education programs …