The Mother of All No-Brainers  —  The Republicans have changed American politics since they took control of the House of Representatives.  They have put spending restraint and debt reduction at the top of the national agenda.  They have sparked a discussion on entitlement reform.

A grand old cult  —  Someone ought to study the Republican Party.  I am not referring to yet another political scientist but to a mental health professional, preferably a specialist in the power of fixations, obsessions and the like.  The GOP needs an intervention.  It has become a cult.

Time in House Could Be Short for Republican Newcomers  —  WASHINGTON — Just when freshman House Republicans have finally learned their way to the Cannon Caucus Room, how to vote on a motion to proceed and which commissary serves the best tuna sandwiches, someone back home — worse …

Boat People  —  Some questions for the “activists” aboard the Gaza flotilla.  —  The tale of the Gaza “flotilla” seems set to become a regular summer feature, bobbing along happily on the inside pages with an occasional update.  A nice sidebar for reporters covering the Greek debt crisis …

Administration Offers Health Care Cuts as Part of Budget Negotiations  —  WASHINGTON — Obama administration officials are offering to cut tens of billions of dollars from Medicare and Medicaid in negotiations to reduce the federal budget deficit, but the depth of the cuts depends …

BMW layoffs exemplify the evisceration of the middle class  —  Every working American should be dismayed by — and afraid of — what BMW is doing.  —  By all accounts, BMW's parts distribution warehouse in Ontario was one of the jewels of the company's system.

DA set to drop charges vs. DSK  —  Pop the champagne, DSK.  —  Prosecutors will agree to drop the charges against Dominique Strauss-Kahn — either on his next court date in two weeks or even sooner, according to a top investigator in the case who called the eventual dismissal “a certainty.”

Solid Majority of Jewish Americans Still Approve of Obama  —  Changes in approval among Jews continues to reflect broader U.S. patterns  —  PRINCETON, NJ — Jewish Americans gave President Barack Obama a 60% job approval rating in June, down from 68% in May, but statistically unchanged from 64% in April.

Newt Gingrich offers bleak view of campaign finances  —  Presidential candidate Newt Gingrich talks with residents of Clear Lake, Iowa during the town's Independence Day parade Monday.  (Charlie Neibergall/AP)  —  Newt Gingrich, whose presidential bid has been beset by problems including …

Obama can't dump Biden  —  The commentariat is foolishly enamored of the fantasy that Andrew Cuomo could replace Joe Biden as the president's running mate in 2012  —  Not all that long ago, a group of pundits, including myself, addressed the questions swirling around the re-election prospects …

Op-Ed: Jews becoming commonplace in conservative ‘new media’  —  PHILADELPHIA (JTA) — Many reviews already have appeared of “The Undefeated,” the soon-to-be-released documentary about Sarah Palin's tenure in Alaska.Yet none of them — even in The Los Angeles Times, Huffington Post or The Washington Post …

The Sorrow and Pity of Another Liquidity Trap  —  There is only one real law of economics: the law of supply and demand.  If the quantity supplied goes up, the price goes down.  —  Back in the third quarter of 2008, the public held about $5.3 trillion of U.S. Treasury bills, notes and bonds.

Behind the Scenes, Christian Right Leaders Rally Behind Rick Perry  —  In early June, TIME has learned, a group of prominent figures on the Christian Right held a conference call to discuss their dissatisfaction with the current GOP presidential field, and agreed that Rick Perry would be their preferred candidate if he entered the race.

Voting Blocs to Watch as 2012 Nears  —  There's a long way to go before next year's presidential election, but it's already possible to frame the decisive question: Will the giant demographic trends benefiting President Barack Obama and his Democrats be enough to offset the erosion caused by a poor economy?

AP Enterprise: The man who hunted Osama bin Laden  —  WASHINGTON (AP) — After Navy SEALs killed Osama bin Laden, the White House released a photo of President Barack Obama and his Cabinet inside the Situation Room, watching the daring raid unfold.  —  Hidden from view, standing just outside …

White House's New Anti-Terror Strategy: Kill the Suspects?  —  Usama bin Laden has been killed.  The U.S. is poised to begin withdrawing troops from Afghanistan.  And the Obama administration's shift in counterterrorism strategy from land wars to precision strikes and raids is raising concerns …

Nikki Haley's rise raises tensions back home  —  Even the basics of Haley's relationships with the legislators have suffered.  —  “We used to have this problem with Sanford.  He'd veto items in the budget that he put in there and asked us to pass,” said GOP state Sen. Larry Grooms.

The Missing US Ambassador at the feast for Ronald Reagan  —  Last night's Guildhall dinner in honour of Ronald Reagan's centenary was a truly glittering and warm occasion.  —  The British roasted lamb and the sunny Californian chardonnay evoked the close Anglo-US relationship of Reagan …

Pakistan's Spies Tied to Slaying of a Journalist  —  ISLAMABAD, Pakistan — Obama administration officials believe that Pakistan's powerful spy agency ordered the killing of a Pakistani journalist who had written scathing reports about the infiltration of militants in the country's military, according to American officials.

America's Troubling Investment Gap  —  For the first time in decades, America is on net losing, not attracting, growth capital.  —  In June, President Obama celebrated a rare sliver of good economic news: Foreign investment was up 49% last year over 2009.  The president says that this boost …