America Goes Dark  —  The lights are going out all over America — literally.  Colorado Springs has made headlines with its desperate attempt to save money by turning off a third of its streetlights, but similar things are either happening or being contemplated across the nation, from Philadelphia to Fresno.

86 Days to Decide: Activists Say Tea Party Imposters Infiltrating Elections  —  In this April 27 photo, a 'Don't Tread On Me' flag flies over Republican and Tea Party protesters during a rally at Leo O'Laughlin Inc. on the eve of President Obama's visit to Macon, Mo. (AP Photo)

Why I'm Not Hiring  —  When you add it all up, it costs $74,000 to put $44,000 in Sally's pocket and to give her $12,000 in benefits.  —  With unemployment just under 10% and companies sitting on their cash, you would think that sooner or later job growth would take off.  I think it's going to be later—much later.

TRENDING: Gingrich ramps up Iowa activity  —  Gingrich is stepping up his activities in Iowa.  —  Washington (CNN) - With his busy travel schedule and penchant for wading into heated national debates, Newt Gingrich has gotten plenty of presidential buzz.  —  But the former House speaker …

Dem Gov Primary Too Close To Call As Malloy Closes, Quinnipiac University Connecticut Poll Finds; McMahon Up 22 Points In GOP Senate Primary  —  The Democratic primary for governor in Connecticut is going down to the wire with businessman Ned Lamont at 45 percent and former Stamford Mayor Dan Malloy …

Republican Party starts to kill its own: S.C. Rep. Bob Inglis ousted for not hating Obama enough  —  There are landmarks all over our city named after LaGuardia and Javits and Rockefeller, names out of the city's great Republican past, when the party was one of intelligence, not fear-mongering and hate.

Early Struggles of Soldier Charged in Leak Case  —  CAMBRIDGE, Mass. — He spent part of his childhood with his father in the arid plains of central Oklahoma, where classmates made fun of him for being a geek.  He spent another part with his mother in a small, remote corner of southwest Wales …

Some Companies Struggle to Fill Jobs  —  In Bloomington, Ill., machine shop Mechanical Devices can't find the workers it needs to handle a sharp jump in business.  Job fairs run by airline Emirates attract fewer applicants in the U.S. than in other countries.

SOAK THE VERY, VERY RICH  —  The fight on Capitol Hill over whether to extend the Bush tax cuts is about many things: deficit reduction, economic stimulus, supply-side ideology.  But at its core is a simple question: who counts as rich?  The Obama Administration's answer is that you're rich …

Across Texas, 60,000 babies of noncitizens get U.S. birthright  —  sjacobson@dallasnews.com  —  As Republican members of Congress press for changes to the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, preventing automatic citizenship for babies born to illegal immigrants, opponents insist the debate is not really about babies.

The end of responsibility  —  This was the rumor last week.  It sounds laughable.  I don't want to believe it.  The Treasury Department denied it.  —  But when it comes to the Magic Kingdom that is the Obama administration, the fantastical has a way of coming true.

Dem pollster Mark Penn raising money for Charlie Crist  —  Big shot Democratic pollster and former Hillary Clinton senior adviser Mark Penn and his wife Nancy Jacobson are hosting a $4,800-per person fundraising reception for Charlie Crist at their Washington home Wednesday.  Here's the invite

The Marriage Ideal  —  Here are some commonplace arguments against gay marriage: Marriage is an ancient institution that has always been defined as the union of one man and one woman, and we meddle with that definition at our peril.  Lifelong heterosexual monogamy is natural; gay relationships are not.

Republicans Ask ‘What Do I Do Now?’  —  Republicans are starting to think about how to answer the Robert Redford question.  —  You know the scene.  In the 1972 movie “The Candidate,” the Redford character, having won the election, turns to his political consultant and asks, “What do I do now?”

Franken visit part fact-finding, part politics  —  PINE RIDGE — Lakota artist Joe Pulliam thought Sen. Al Franken's visit to the Oglala Lakota Nation Powwow on Saturday was pure politics, and that was just fine with him.  —  “I liked him from his ‘Saturday Night Live’ days,” Pulliam, 41, said.

Deadly Moscow summer kills 700 daily  —  The number of deaths in Moscow has increased to 700 daily during the deadly summer with record-breaking heat and toxic smog smothering the Russian capital, the head of the Moscow healthcare department said on Monday.  —  Moscow region has seen …

Roles of the President's White House economic advisors  —  The White House has announced that Dr. Christina Romer, Chair of the President's Council of Economic Advisers, will soon resign and return to California.  This comes on the heels of Budget Director Peter Orszag's resignation.

In Harlem, Rangel faces Powell: The next generation  —  NEW YORK — Forty years ago, a Harlem political legend named Adam Clayton Powell Jr. refused to step down from his House seat in the face of an ethics scandal.  Rather than allowing Powell to retire on his own time …

GOP sees balanced budget amendment as potent campaign weapon  —  Senate Republicans are planning a new push for a balanced budget amendment to the Constitution when lawmakers return to Washington after the August recess.  —  GOP Sens. Jim DeMint (S.C.), Lindsey Graham (S.C.), John McCain …

Representatives Return From Break  —  The House makes an unscheduled return this week to approve a $26 billion package of aid to schools and states that cleared the Senate last week though the fate of two other Senate measures on immigration and child nutrition remains uncertain.