Top Dems Provide Fresh Detail On High-Income Tax Proposal That Led GOP To Abandon Debt Talks  —  Two of the top Democrats in Congress are calling out their Republican counterparts for abandoning high-stakes debt talks, and have provided new details about the tax proposals that sent the GOP packing.

Their Temper Tantrum  —  Congressional Republicans, who played a major role in piling up the government's unsustainable debt in the first place, have thrown a tantrum and walked out of the debt limit talks.  This bit of grandstanding has brought the nation closer to the financial crisis that Republicans have been threatening for weeks.

President ‘becoming an absolute monarch’ on war powers, Dem says  —  A House Democrat warned Friday that the U.S. president is becoming an “absolute monarch” on matters related to the authority to start a war.  —  Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.) said Congress must act to limit funding …

Osama wanted new name for al-Qaida to repair image  —  WASHINGTON (AP) — As Osama bin Laden watched his terrorist organization get picked apart, he lamented in his final writings that al-Qaida was suffering from a marketing problem.  His group was killing too many Muslims and that was bad for business.