Betty Ford, Former First Lady, Dies at 93  —  Betty Ford, the outspoken and much-admired wife of President Gerald R. Ford who overcame alcoholism and an addiction to pills and helped found one of the best-known rehabilitation centers in the nation, died Friday in Palm Springs, Calif. She was 93.

Rep. Ryan Tastes The Grapes Of Wrath  —  Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI), a leading advocate of shrinking entitlement spending and the architect of the plan to privatize Medicare, spent Wednesday evening sipping $350 wine with two like-minded conservative economists at the swanky Capitol Hill eatery Bistro Bis.

Following Controversy Over Pledge, Family Leader Clarifies Anti-Porn Statement  —  GOP presidential candidates Michele Bachmann and Rick Santorum both signed a candidate pledge by the influential social conservative group THE FAMiLY LEADER which ThinkProgress, ABC, the Washington Post …

Obama turns to small-scale solutions to a weak economy  —  The White House, threatened by the high unemployment rate, proposes free-trade agreements and more spending on high-speed rail in the absence of more ambitious tools, such as stimulus spending.  —  President Obama delivers a statement …

I Received ‘Ex-Gay’ Therapy at Marcus Bachmann's Clinic  —  TWO Exclusive Investigative Report by John M. Becker  —  The date was Thursday, June 30, 2011.  I turned on the television and listened half-heartedly to the commercials as I busied about doing other things.

President Obama Receiving Sycophantic Laughter  —  While President Obama certainly has an above-average sense of humor for a politician — easy-going, self-effacing, maybe a little corny at times — he's not known as one of the planet's foremost comedians.  Yet photographic evidence compiled …

Worst President Ever, Revisited  —  No, I'm not ready to crown Barack Obama the Worst President Ever just yet, but consider this:  —  Yes, George W. Bush wrecked our economy, destroyed New Orleans, turned a budget surplus into massive deficits, ignored warnings of a major terrorist attack …

Our Excuser-In-Chief  —  We haven't yet said anything about today's disastrous employment news.  What is to be said?  Unemployment is up to 9.2%, with underemployment much higher.  A mere 18,000 jobs were added in June, less than one-fifth of what economists expected.

House liberals launch organizing drive against entitlements cuts  —  House liberals are launching an organizing drive inside the Democatic caucus, in an effort to line up Democrats and get them to commit to opposing any final deficit deal that contains any cuts to entitlements benefits, according to a letter I've obtained.

Trailing G.O.P. With Cameras, Seeking Gaffes  —  AMHERST, N.H. — Aaron Fielding quietly stalks his prey — Republicans — with his video camera, patiently waiting for a political moment worthy of YouTube.  —  At 27, he is a full-time “tracker” for American Bridge 21st Century …

No, Seriously: No Excuses  —  In the early days of the education-reform movement, a decade or so ago, you'd often hear from reformers a powerful rallying cry: “No excuses.”  For too long, they said, poverty had been used as an excuse by complacent educators and bureaucrats who refused …

Religion, Rangel and the Debt Ceiling  —  In what seemed more like a Sunday church service than a Capitol Hill press conference, Rep. Charlie Rangel, D-N.Y., called out for his fellow lawmakers and all Americans to do “the Lord's work” as a solution to fixing the debt ceiling.

Perry calling Iowa activists as potential donors convene  —  Rick Perry has started calling Iowa Republicans and a former RNC finance chairman is helping to convene a meeting of national donors later this month in Austin to discuss financing a potential 2012 campaign — signs that the Texas governor …

DSCC fires back at Koch brothers  —  The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, after soliciting funds from the Koch Brothers, have decided that they're a much better foil.  DSCC executive director Guy Cecil writes a letter in response, blaming the DSCC campaign solicitation on a staff error:

FACT CHECK: Treasury General Counsel George Madison Responds to New York Times Op-Ed on 14th Amendment  —  Treasury's General Counsel George Madison submitted to the New York Times today the following letter to the editor:  —  620 Eighth Avenue  —  New York, NY 10018  —  To the Editor:

What Really Matters  —  I don't want to take it too seriously, but I think this Gallup data on who is and isn't expressing satisfaction with their lives helps us understand which dimensions of economic inequality in America do and don't matter:  —  What you're seeing here is that being unemployed or being seriously poor is terrible.