In debt talks, Obama offers Social Security cuts  —  President Obama is pressing congressional leaders to consider a far-reaching debt-reduction plan that would force Democrats to accept major changes to Social Security and Medicare in exchange for Republican support for fresh tax revenue.

Phone hacking: families of war dead ‘targeted’ by News of the World  —  The bereaved relatives of soldiers killed in Iraq and Afghanistan may have had their phones hacked by a private investigator working for the News of the World.  —  The bereaved relatives of soldiers killed in Iraq and Afghanistan may have had their phones hacked

Father spoke of having Obama adopted  —  US immigration files from '61 reveal Kenyan student's plan  —  President Obama as a young boy, with his father, who left when his son was 2.  (Obama for America via Associated Press)  —  In the spring of 1961, President Obama's father revealed …

‘Fast & Furious’ gets hotter for Holder  —  Don't look now, but the real action in Washington this week isn't the parti san wrangling over the debt ceiling but something — literally — even more incendiary: Operation Fast and Furious, which seems about to explode right in the face …

The Only Reform That Will Restrain Spending  —  All 47 Senate Republicans now support changing the Constitution to balance the federal budget.  —  Whatever happens when President Obama meets with congressional leaders of both parties at the White House today, no long-term solution is on the table …

Casey Anthony Sentenced to 4 Years  —  Casey Anthony, who earlier this week was found not guilty of killing her daughter, was sentenced on Thursday to four years in jail, not including the nearly three years she has already served.  The precise amount of time she will spend in jail has not yet …

Appropriators move bill sending strong ‘message’ to EPA  —  House appropriators on Thursday morning approved a bill slashing funding for the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), which committee Chairman Hal Rogers (R-Ky.) called the “poster child” for President Obama's regulatory overreach.

Michele Bachmann on Iowa TV: ‘Waterloo’  —  Michele Bachmann is going up in Iowa with the first television ad of her presidential campaign, a 30-second spot titled “Waterloo” that Bachmann's team says will start running statewide today.  —  The bio spot, produced by Strategy Group Media …

Exclusive: Treasury secretly weighs options to avert default  —  (Reuters) - A small team of Treasury officials is discussing options to stave off default if Congress fails to raise the debt limit by the August 2 deadline, sources familiar with the matter said on Wednesday.

Brody File Exclusive: GOP Presidential Candidates Will be Asked To Sign A Marriage Vow  —  The Brody File has learned that The Family Leader, an influential pro-family group in Iowa will ask each of the 2012 presidential candidates to sign a marriage pledge that professes everything …

Thinking Outside the Box: Let's Lower the Debt Ceiling  —  In the midst of our economic emergency, which is beginning to resemble a full-on Greece-style meltdown, every politician in America has taken to the soap box to say the exact same thing: We need to reduce our national debt and cut spending to get America back on track.

Ruthless People  —  Libs to Ginsburg: Drop dead.  —  Some legal observers would like to be rid of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, the Associated Press reported over the weekend.  These aren't conservatives who find her too activist but liberals who find her too old and worry that if she doesn't get out soon …

The Great Recession, Part II  —  The world could be headed for another economic disaster if we continue to listen to free-market ideologues.  —  Just a few years ago, a powerful ideology—the belief in free and unfettered markets—brought the world to the brink of ruin.

GOP bill weakens light bulb efficiency law  —  House Republicans plan to bring to the floor next week legislation that would water down a provision in a 2007 energy law that requires light bulbs to be more energy efficient.  —  House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Fred Upton (R-Mich.) …

Weprin To Be Dem Candidate In NY-9  —  A Democratic source has confirmed that Assemblyman David Weprin is going to be the Democrats' candidate in the Sept. 13 special election in NY-9 for the seat left vacant following ex-Rep. Anthony Weiner's Twitter scandal-inspired resignation.

Richard Dawkins Gets into a Comments War with Feminists  —  Players: Famed evolutionary biologist, Richard Dawkins; Rebecca Watson, female activist.  —  Opening Serve: Richard Dawkins made an unexpected appearance in the comments section of biologist PZ Myers' post at Scienceblogs.com last week.

Project aims to change Americans' opinions about LGBTs  —  Armed with a two-year grant from the Ford Foundation, the Face Value project is on a mission to change the way Americans think and feel about LGBT people.  —  The grant, said Julie R. Davis, executive director of the project …