Strauss-Kahn Case Faces Test in Hearing  —  The sexual assault case against Dominique Strauss-Kahn is on the verge of collapse as investigators have uncovered major holes in the credibility of the housekeeper who charged that he attacked her in his Manhattan hotel suite in May, according to two well-placed law enforcement officials.

Minnesota government begins historic shutdown  —  Dayton renewed his call to tax the rich; GOP pointed to harm of long-term debt.  The governor and legislative leaders worked into the evening in a last-ditch bid for resolution.  —  Talks imploded Thursday between DFL Gov. Mark Dayton …

Whiteboard Archives … JUNE 30, 2011 - 04:38PM

Two Top Republican Lawmakers Form Unusual Bond  —  WASHINGTON — When Speaker John A. Boehner was pressed on whether he shared Senator Mitch McConnell's view on wringing savings out of Medicare in the continuing debt limit fight, he hardly waited for the questioner to finish.

Why Mark Halperin Is a D—k  —  The political commentator erred in speaking disrespectfully of the president.  His far greater sin: being so cowed by conservatives that he's offended by Obama's mild poke at the GOP.  —  Here's why Mark Halperin is a disgrace.

Employees had been increasingly troubled by Gingrich's Tiffany purchases  —  Employees of presidential candidate Newt Gingrich grew increasingly concerned in recent years about their boss's purchases from luxury jeweler Tiffany & Co., worried that if he followed through on plans to run …

Union curbs rescue a Wisconsin school district  —  “This is a disaster,” said Mark Miller, the Wisconsin Senate Democratic leader, in February after Republican Gov. Scott Walker proposed a budget bill that would curtail the collective bargaining powers of some public employees.

W.H. picks counterterrorism chief  —  President Barack Obama plans to nominate the top lawyer at the National Security Agency as the next director of the National Counterterrorism Center, replacing a predecessor who started on the job during the Bush administration, the White House announced Friday afternoon.

Mark Kelly: I'm not running for office  —  Rep. Gabrielle Giffords's astronaut husband is ruling out a run for public office, at least for the time being.  —  “She's the politician in the family, I'm the space guy,” Mark Kelly said Friday afternoon at the National Press Club in Washington.

EXCLUSIVE: FOX6 talks to four of the seven Wisconsin Supreme Court Justices  —  Grabbing the microphone - and the spotlight.  Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice David Prosser did both when FOX6's Mike Lowe attempted to speak with him about the serious allegations of a physical altercation with Justice Anne Walsh Bradley on Thursday.

To the Limit  —  In about a month, if nothing is done, the federal government will hit its legal debt limit.  There will be dire consequences if this limit isn't raised.  At best, we'll suffer an economic slowdown; at worst we'll plunge back into the depths of the 2008-9 financial crisis.

7/1: Independence Day — Seventeen Seventy When?  —  Just in time for the July 4th weekend, the Marist Poll has asked Americans in which year the United States declared its independence.  And, the result is many Americans need to brush up on their American history.

Official Calls For Riverside, 12 Other Counties To Secede From California  —  RIVERSIDE (CBS) — Is the state of California about to go “South”?  —  Riverside County Supervisor Jeff Stone apparently thinks so, after proposing that the county lead a campaign for as many as 13 Southern California counties to secede from the state.

Reid: Millionaires should pay more taxes for deficit reduction  —  The Democratic leader of the Senate has introduced a measure asking the wealthy to make a large contribution to deficit reduction.  —  The resolution offered by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) …

Senate GOP mocks president with video of Obama on golf course  —  Senate Republicans on Friday said President Obama should look in the mirror before questioning their work ethic.  —  The National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC), the Senate GOP's campaign arm, released a Web video …

Glenn Beck to move to Texas; rents $20,000-a-month house  —  New Yorkers better get their heckling in fast, because Glenn Beck is headed for the Lone Star State.  —  The TV host and commentator recently sold his New Canaan, Conn., mansion, to Maura Abeln Smith, recently named general counsel of PepsiCo, for $3.6 million.

Cory Maye To Be Released From Prison … MONTICELLO, Miss. — After 10 years of incarceration, and seven years after a jury sentenced him to die, 30-year-old Cory Maye will soon be going home.  Mississippi Circuit Court Judge Prentiss Harrell signed a plea agreement Friday morning …

Firefighters union throws cold water on 9-11 float  —  These days, almost anything can get caught in the blender of Wisconsin's union politics.  —  It can even happen to a Fourth of July parade float honoring firefighters and cops killed on Sept. 11, 2001.

The Case for Not-Quite-So-High-Speed Rail  —  The bad news: Republicans have torpedoed plans for American bullet trains.  The good news: The Obama administration is quietly building a slower, but potentially much better, rail system.  —  This principle is also illustrated by Amtrak's highly successful …

Pawlenty raises $4.2M in second quarter  —  GOP presidential candidate Tim Pawlenty raised around $4.2 million between April and June, according to his campaign.  —  The number is considered low for someone trying to position himself as a top-tier candidate.

Amazon fights California sales tax requirement  —  Amazon seeks to avoid collecting sales taxes from California consumers by cutting ties to affiliates in California who steer business to its site.  —  Reporting from Sacramento and Los Angeles— Saying it won't force California customers …

Dems dig in: GOP trying to sabotage economy on purpose  —  In recent weeks, there's been some question as to how far Dems are willing to go in making the explosive charge that Republicans are deliberately trying to sabotage the economy in order to improve their chances of defeating President Obama in 2012.

Mika: ‘Morning Joe’ Being Pressured To Invite More Pro-Obama Flacks  —  Jay Carney admits calling MSNBC yesterday to complain about Mark Halperin's crack [that we were first to report] that the President, at his Wednesday press conference, acted like a “d—k.”