14th Amendment: Democratic Senators See Debt Ceiling As Unconstitutional … WASHINGTON — Growing increasingly pessimistic about the prospects for a deal that would raise the debt ceiling, Democratic senators are revisiting a solution to the crisis that rests on a simple proposition: The debt ceiling itself is unconstitutional.

BREAKING: 6th Circuit Upholds Constitutionality of Affordable Care Act  —  The majority writes: “We find that the minimum coverage provision is a valid exercise of legislative power by Congress under the Commerce Clause and therefore AFFIRM the decision of the district court.”  Key passage:

Lennon was a closet Republican: Assistant  —  John Lennon was a closet Republican, who felt a little embarrassed by his former radicalism, at the time of his death - according to the tragic Beatles star's last personal assistant.  —  Fred Seaman worked alongside the music legend from 1979 …

Christie Loses Support for Second Term as Residents Oppose Cuts  —  More than half of New Jersey residents say they wouldn't back Governor Chris Christie for a second term, disapproving of his choices on a range of policy and personal issues, from killing a commuter tunnel to using …

Obama: Republican Leaders Must Bend on Taxes  —  President Obama said Wednesday that he believed Republicans would concede to tax increases as part of a deficit reduction package in time to avoid a default on the nation's debt.  —  “Call me naive,” he told reporters at a mid-day news conference in the East Room of the White House.

Republican Voters Lack Enthusiasm for Presidential Contenders, Poll Shows  —  Republican voters are not satisfied with the candidates running for the Republican nomination and wish they had more choices, according to the latest New York Times/CBS News poll.  None of the candidates currently hoping …

What Does Newt Gingrich Know?  —  Let's consult the literature — all 21 books by the self-proclaimed ideas man of politics.  (Gingrich cites 23 books on his Web site.  We are not counting the Contract With America or the coffee-table book “Ronald Reagan: Rendezvous With Destiny.")  —  Multimedia

Obama: Marriage Should Be Left To States; Process Of NY Passing Same-Sex Marriage Law ‘Was A Good Thing’  —  President Obama was asked if he believes that civil marriage is a constitutional right during his press conference this morning.  Rather than answering that question …

Rudy breaks vows  —  The gay car dealer who opened his home to Rudy Giuliani in 2001 during his humiliating divorce battle says the former mayor offered to preside at his wedding if same-sex marriage were ever legalized — but is now ducking his calls to make good on the offer.

Jewish Dems losing faith in Obama  —  David Ainsman really began to get worried about President Barack Obama's standing with his fellow Jewish Democrats when a recent dinner with his wife and two other couples — all Obama voters in 2008 — nearly turned into a screaming match.

TRENDING: Bachmann: Media wants a ‘mud wrestling fight’ with Palin  —  Daniel Island, South Carolina (CNN) - Presidential candidate Michele Bachmann claimed Wednesday that the media is rooting for a catfight between her and Sarah Palin.  —  “They want to see two girls come together …

Greece Passes Austerity Budget.  Did they Make a Mistake?  —  This morning, Greece passed another austerity budget.  This has been, to put it mildly, unpopular.  The country has been beset by days of riots in protest of the spending cuts, apparently led by self-proclaimed anarchists who seem …

DCCC raising off Boehner's tears  —  The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee is circulating a fundraising pitch asking donors to “Make John Boehner Cry.”  —  “We all know it doesn't take much to make Speaker Boehner get teary-eyed.  But let's give him something to really cry about …

Exclusive: Myspace to Be Sold to Specific Media for $35 Million  —  Closing another chapter on one of the Internet's most iconic properties, Myspace has been sold to to Specific Media, an advertising network, for $35 million.  —  Sources close to the situation said the deal is being completed today …

Obama needs to create jobs, not fight for them  —  (Mark Wilson - Bloomberg) Ron Klain, former chief of staff to both Al Gore and Joe Biden, thinks President Obama needs to make more of a show of fighting for job-creating policies.  “The greatest risk to the president will be if the American people believe …

Sarah Palin Blasts Hollywood Stars as ‘Full of Hate’ at Movie Premiere (Exclusive Audio) … PELLA, Iowa — Sarah Palin stared a bit uncomfortably at a movie screen Tuesday night watching a montage of Matt Damon, David Letterman, Madonna, Howard Stern, Bill Maher, Louis C.K. and other celebrities malign her …

Taking Action Matters  —  Something I like to ask people who are disgruntled with the performance of the political system is what have you, personally, done about it?  When was the last time you wrote or called your member of Congress?  Can you even name the people who represent …

Debt-limit delay would jeopardize Social Security payments  —  WASHINGTON — Social Security payments to millions of retirees and people with disabilities could be threatened if President Obama and Congress can't agree to increase the government's debt limit by Aug. 2, a new analysis shows.

Clinton: Stimulus wasn't big enough  —  Former President Bill Clinton said he likes the economic stimulus - it just wan't big enough.  —  “I think the stimulus did as well as it could have done — there just wasn't enough of it,” Clinton told reporters on Tuesday.

Dem group hits back at Rove  —  (CNN) - The Democratic super PAC Priorities USA launched a television ad Wednesday in states they deem competitive in the next election, directly responding to an ad from the conservative Crossroads GPS, an independent group founded by Karl Rove.

Do Incentives Shape Teacher Behavior Or Don't They?  —  Picking up a thread again from last week, Dana Goldstein says there's a difference between testing and test-based accountability and uses as an example a teacher who constructed a particularly inane-sounding poetry lesson on the theory …

Kabul hotel siege leaves at least 11 civilians dead  —  KABUL — Kamel Khan, 32, a businessman, was chatting with two friends on the poolside terrace of the hilltop Intercontinental Hotel Tuesday night when he heard a burst of gunfire and looked up.  A man carrying a machine gun …