U.S. SENATE CAMPAIGN: Angle, Reid race still tight  —  More voters picking sides as senator's clout comes into play  —  Locked in a dead heat, both U.S. Sen. Harry Reid and Sharron Angle picked up support in the past two weeks, according to a poll for the Las Vegas Review-Journal and 8NewsNow …

FULL AUDIO: Dr. Laura Schlessinger's N-word rant  —  On August 10, Dr. Laura Schlessinger launched into a racially charged rant, during which Schlessinger — in her own words — “articulated the ‘n’ word all the way out — more than one time.”  Among other things, Schlessinger also told …

Obama closes curtain on transparency  —  President Obama has abolished the position in his White House dedicated to transparency and shunted those duties into the portfolio of a partisan ex-lobbyist who is openly antagonistic to the notion of disclosure by government and politicians.

Sacrilege at Ground Zero  —  A place is made sacred by a widespread belief that it was visited by the miraculous or the transcendent (Lourdes, the Temple Mount), by the presence there once of great nobility and sacrifice (Gettysburg), or by the blood of martyrs and the indescribable suffering of the innocent (Auschwitz).

Lessig On Obama  —  Very nicely put: … I am crestfallen over two profound issues: civil rights and accountability for war crimes.  Maybe in the long run, it will come out all right.  And I understand the necessity of pragmatism and the awful legacy this president inherited.

Defense chief Gates orders review of Marines' role  —  Acknowledging concerns among current and former Marines that the Corps has evolved into another ground combat force, the Defense secretary aims to define the service's future path.  —  Reporting from San Francisco …

OUR DAUGHTER ISN'T A SELFISH BRAT; YOUR SON JUST HASN'T READ  —  ATLAS SHRUGGED.  —  I'd like to start by saying that I don't get into belligerent shouting matches at the playground very often.  The Tot Lot, by its very nature, can be an extremely volatile place—a veritable powder keg …

Op-Ed Columnist: Paralysis at the Federal Reserve  —  Ten years ago, one of America's leading economists delivered a stinging critique of the Bank of Japan, Japan's equivalent of the Federal Reserve, titled “Japanese Monetary Policy: A Case of Self-Induced Paralysis?”

Fun With Paul Ryan and the Washington Post  —  The Washington Post really really hates Social Security.  They hate Medicare almost as much.  Therefore they are willing to give its critics space to say almost anything against the program (the real cause of September 11th) …

Elizabeth Warren, likely to head new consumer agency, provokes strong feelings  —  Somewhere along the line, Elizabeth Warren became a symbol.  —  She's either the plain-spoken, supremely smart crusader for middle-class families that her supporters adore, or she's the power-hungry headline seeker …

‘Professional left’ not ready to back an Obama primary challenger in '12  —  As angry as they might be, the professional left isn't ready to back a primary challenger to President Obama just yet.  —  Two high-profile liberals on Thursday said they are not interested in running against the president in 2012 …

Legislator resigns after ‘dead Palin’ comment  —  State Rep. Timothy Horrigan made the remarks Wednesday night in a thread discussing the Alaska plane crash that killed former Sen. Ted Stevens.  —  “Well a dead Palin wd be even more dangerous than a live one...she is all about her myth …

Democratic Seats Vulnerable on Jobs  —  ALBION, Mich.—Michelle Rena Jones cheered when candidates Barack Obama and Joe Biden visited south-central Michigan in 2008.  She supported Mr. Obama that November along with a slate of Democrats, including Mark Schauer in the 7th congressional district.

AFL-CIO chief to assail Whitman and Fiorina as ‘clueless CEOs’  —  California Republicans' candidates for Senate and governor are just a pair of “clueless CEOs,” AFL-CIO chief Richard Trumka is set to charge Friday.  —  Trumka will take to the steps of City Hall in Los Angeles for a rally …

Disappointed, down, despondent  —  And not about to rush to the polls in November, either  —  WHY, asks a Democrat leading a training session for fellow activists, doesn't “Yes we can” work as a slogan any more?  “Because we haven't,” a jaded participant responds.

The Anti-Obama Democrats  —  Democrats in deep-red states who voted against health reform and higher spending may yet survive the midterm.  —  It's 81 days to the election.  Expect many of them to be filled with the explanations Democrats are now serving up as to why Nov. 2 is likely to be a terrible, horrible, no-good, very bad day.

Ex-Inmate's Dilemma: $2.2 Million or a Lawsuit  —  HOUSTON — Since a judge let him out of prison for a rape that prosecutors now say he did not commit, Michael A. Green has had trouble sleeping.  —  Late at night, he walks the neat, quiet sidewalks in the neighborhood where he is staying with an aunt …

Rep. Maxine Waters mounts a forceful public defense  —  Rep. Maxine Waters delivered a presentation to help sway public opinion in her favor.  AP  —  Rep. Maxine Waters mounted a forceful public defense Friday in the face of House ethics committee charges that she improperly assisted a bank in which her husband held stock.

First thoughts: First Read's Field of 64  —  Note: On Fridays during this month of August, we're scaling back our morning note.  But we're still providing something to read as you head to the beach or take advantage (hopefully) of a long weekend.  —  From NBC's Chuck Todd, Mark Murray, Domenico Montanaro, and Ali Weinberg