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 …

Phone hacking scandal: enemies of free press are circling  —  The phone hacking scandal may have put paid to the News of the World - but robust journalism must endure.  —  ‘The truth has been dragged kicking and screaming [from News International],’ said Alastair Campbell

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 …

As Wall St. Polices Itself, Prosecutors Use Softer Approach  —  As the financial storm brewed in the summer of 2008 and institutions feared for their survival, a bit of good news bubbled through large banks and the law firms that defend them.  —  Federal prosecutors officially adopted …

DNC chairwoman a work in progress  —  When President Barack Obama selected Florida Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz to lead the Democratic National Committee, she was hailed as the best pick he could make.  —  Since her election to Congress, Wasserman Schultz has quickly earned a reputation …

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.

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 …

U.S. Payrolls Rise 18,000; Jobless Rate Climbs to 9.2%  —  U.S. employers added 18,000 workers in June, the fewest in nine months, and the unemployment rate unexpectedly climbed, indicating a struggling labor market.  —  The increase in payrolls followed a 25,000 gain that was less than half …

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.

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.

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 …

Public Wants Changes in Entitlements, Not Changes in Benefits  —  GOP Divided Over Benefit Reductions  —  OVERVIEW  —  As policymakers at the state and national level struggle with rising entitlement costs, overwhelming numbers of Americans agree that, over the years, Social Security …

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 …

Political Turns Personal: Mayor Will Officiate at Gay Advisers' Wedding  —  Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg summoned his chief policy adviser, John Feinblatt, to his desk at City Hall a few days ago for what seemed like a routine conversation with the boss.  “Let's get a cup of coffee,” the mayor told him, motioning to the office kitchen.

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 …

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.