John Boehner pulls out of ‘big deal’ on debt ceiling  —  Speaker John Boehner told President Barack Obama Saturday that he would not move forward with talks on a large-scale deficit reduction plan, pointing to taxes and entitlements as the main sticking points.

Gary Johnson Calls Family Leader Pledge “Offensive and Unrepublican”  —  July 9, 2011, Las Vegas, Nevada - Presidential candidate and former New Mexico Governor Gary Johnson charged today in a formal statement through his campaign that the Family Leader “pledge” Republican candidates for President …

U.S. Is Deferring Millions in Pakistani Military Aid  —  WASHINGTON — The Obama administration is suspending and, in some cases, canceling hundreds of millions of dollars of aid to the Pakistani military, in a move to chasten Pakistan for expelling American military trainers and to press its army to fight militants more effectively.

Conrad budget cuts $800B from Defense  —  The secret Senate Democratic budget resolution relies heavily on $800 billion in cuts to the Pentagon.  —  The secret Senate Democratic budget resolution drafted by Senate Budget Committee Chairman Kent Conrad (D-N.D.) and shared with the White House relies heavily …

After Years of Struggle, South Sudan Becomes a New Nation  —  JUBA, South Sudan — The celebrations erupted at midnight.  Thousands of revelers poured into Juba's steamy streets in the predawn hours on Saturday, hoisting enormous flags, singing, dancing and leaping on the back of cars.

The new oppo research: Spotting the labels on the wine on the politician's restaurant table.  —  Some busybody business professor named Susan Feinberg pulled this trick on Paul Ryan and Talking Points Memo is lapping it up: … So, Feinberg was appalled, stunned, and outraged.  That's got to hurt.

A real problem vs. an imaginary one  —  After the release of the June job numbers, there were plenty of worthwhile charts and graphs making the rounds, but this one from Paul Krugman was especially helpful.  —  In case it's a little hard to see, that red line is the unemployment rate …

Sixteen Senators Ask DOJ To Investigate Potentially Illegal State Voter Disenfranchisement Laws  —  Sixteen senators led by Sen. Michael Bennet (D-CO) submitted a letter to Attorney General Eric Holder last week asking him to examine whether the Voting Rights Act's prohibitions …

China vs. America: Which Is the Developing Country?  —  From new roads to wise leadership, sound financials and five-year plans, Beijing has the winning approach.  —  Recently I flew from Los Angeles to China to attend a corporate board-of-directors meeting in Shanghai, as well as customer and government visits there and in Beijing.

Clueless about jobs  —  America's economy grew by a minus cule 18,000 jobs in June, and unem ployment rose to an eye-popping 9.2 percent.  Since April, the economy has produced a mere 43,000 new jobs.  —  Responded President Obama yesterday: “We still have a long way to go and a lot of work …