Letter to Senator Patty Murray, Chair Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee  —  Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee  —  Dear Senator Murray:  —  For many months now, your colleagues in the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee leadership have engaged in a series of disparagements …

BREAKING: Bachmann pledges to ban pornography  —  Tonight, Michele Bachmann became the first presidential candidate to sign a pledge created by THE FAMiLY LEADER, an influential social-conservative group in Iowa.  By signing the pledge Bachmann “vows” to “uphold the institution of marriage …

Mexican Citizen Is Executed as Justices Refuse to Step In  —  WASHINGTON — In a 5-to-4 decision that split along ideological lines, the Supreme Court on Thursday evening rebuffed a request from the Obama administration that it stay the execution of a Mexican citizen on death row in Texas.

Will Republican Race's First In Be the First Out?  —  AMES, Iowa — Tim Pawlenty was first in line to enter the Republican presidential race.  He is now fighting to avoid becoming the earliest major candidate to be shown the door.  —  No contender for the Republican nomination has followed …

What Obama Wants  —  On Thursday, President Obama met with Republicans to discuss a debt deal.  We don't know exactly what was proposed, but news reports before the meeting suggested that Mr. Obama is offering huge spending cuts, possibly including cuts to Social Security and an end …

News of the World phone-hacking scandal - live updates  —  • Former NotW royal correspondent Clive Goodman re-arrested  —  • Cameron announces two inquiries, one by judge  —  • Ed Miliband calls for Cameron apology over Coulson  —  12.56pm: Shiv has also spotted this tweet from @rosettastone57 at 10.37am:

Chase Gets Man Thrown In Jail For Fraudulent Check.  Except The Check Is Legit.  —  Ikenna, a 28-year old construction worker, went to deposit a $8,463.21 Chase cashier's check at his local Chase branch, only for the teller to decide that neither he nor his check looked right and he got tossed in jail for forgery, KING5 reports.

Why the Republicans Resist Compromise  —  The chart that I'm going to show you is one of the more important ones that we've presented at FiveThirtyEight in some time.  It helps explain a lot of what's going on in American politics today, from the negotiations over the federal debt ceiling to the Republican presidential primaries.

Top Obama adviser says unemployment won't be key in 2012  —  President Obama's senior political adviser David Plouffe said Wednesday that people won't vote in 2012 based on the unemployment rate.  —  Plouffe should probably hope that's the case, since dismal job figures aren't expected …

Exclusive: ‘The Undefeated’ Trailer - Daughter.  Wife.  Mother.  Warrior.  —  The much anticipated Sarah Palin documentary by filmmaker Steve Bannon comes out in theaters next Friday, July 15th.  People can now see the trailer for the first time.  I've now seen the film three times …

Say No To the Dems' July Surprise  —  Many times in the past, Congress has voted to raise the nation's debt ceiling with little or no controversy.  Not so this year.  The Republicans turned the vote on the debt ceiling into a major political issue by threatening to vote No …

How Republicans and Tea Partiers Alike Used the Heritage Foundation's #AskObama Script  —  Yesterday, President Obama held a live chat session on Twitter.  Billed as a “townhall,” the President spent an hour fielding questions from Twitter users about the state of the nation.

To Slow Piracy, Internet Providers Ready Penalties  —  Americans who illegally download songs and movies may soon be in for a surprise: They will be warned to stop, and if they don't, they could find their Internet access slowing to a crawl.  —  After years of negotiations with Hollywood …

Why Jamie Leigh Jones Could Lose Her KBR Rape Case  —  Her story of a brutal attack in Iraq sparked a national outcry—but how much of it is true?  —  Post Comment  —  The allegations were explosive when they first hit in 2007: A 20-year-old woman named Jamie Leigh Jones alleged that four days …

DeMint would accept ‘serious disruptions’ to economy in debt debate  —  Sen. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.) said Wednesday night that Republicans should maintain their hardline position in the debt ceiling debate even if it results in “serious disruptions” to the economy.

Orrin Hatch: The ‘Poor’ Should Do More To Shrink Debt, Not The Rich (VIDEO) … WASHINGTON — Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) voted against beginning debate on a measure that would have the Senate declare the rich should share the pain of debt reduction Thursday, a day after arguing that it's the poor and middle class who need to do more.