Obama Offered To Raise Medicare Eligibility Age As Part Of Grand Debt Deal … WASHINGTON — In his press conference on Monday morning, President Barack Obama repeatedly insisted that he was willing to tackle some sacred cows as part of a larger package to raise the debt ceiling.

News International papers targeted Gordon Brown  —  Newspapers obtained information from the former prime minister's bank account, legal file and family medical records  —  Journalists from across News International repeatedly targeted the former prime minister Gordon Brown …

TIR Poll: Bachmann Overtakes Romney in Iowa  —  Minnesota Congresswoman Michele Bachmann has surpassed former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney in a recent Iowa poll that was conducted by TheIowaRepublican.com.  With Bachmann now leading in Iowa, Romney has fallen to second place …

Panetta appears to link al-Qaeda presence with Iraq invasion  —  Pool/Reuters - U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta delivers remarks to U.S. troops as he visits Camp Victory in Baghdad July 11, 2011.  Panetta arrived in Iraq on Sunday on his first trip there as U.S. defence secretary.

EXCLUSIVE: Mila Kunis Says She'll Accompany U.S. Marine to Corps Ball  —  Most men will spend their lives dreaming about going on a date with Mila Kunis - but for one U.S. Marine, that fantasy may very well turn into a reality.  —  Sgt. Scott Moore, of the 3rd Battalion 2nd Marines in Musa Qala …

Economy Faces a Jolt as Benefit Checks Run Out  —  An extraordinary amount of personal income is coming directly from the government.  —  Close to $2 of every $10 that went into Americans' wallets last year were payments like jobless benefits, food stamps, Social Security and disability, according to an analysis by Moody's Analytics.

Michelle Obama orders 1,556-calorie meal at Shake Shack  —  First lady Michelle Obama ordered a whopper of a meal at the newly opened Washington diner Shake Shack during lunch on Monday.  —  A Washington Post journalist on the scene confirmed the first lady, who's made a cause out of child nutrition …

Sarah Palin as Newsweek cover girl — again  —  As celebrity glamour shots go, Sarah Palin's cover photo on this week's Newsweek is danged good!  The best-selling author and reality-TV star looks young and vibrant.  Her devil-may-care countenance aided and abetted by the wind conspicuously blowing hair back.

Obama vs. Obama  —  Not long ago, Obama warned that raising taxes in a struggling economy is “the last thing you want to do.”  —  In a 75-minute meeting Sunday night, President Obama once again demanded that more than $1 trillion in tax increases be part of any deficit reduction package attached to a vote on the debt ceiling.

Top Senate Dems privately warn: Deep Medicare cuts will squander our big advantage on issue  —  Top Democrats in charge of keeping the Senate in Dem hands and maintaining the political health of the party — DSCC chair Patty Murray and messaging chief Chuck Schumer — have privately expressed frustration …

BELTWAY CONFIDENTIAL  —  Paul Ryan accuser won't talk  —  Susan Feinberg, an associate professor of management and global business at Rutgers University, caused a stir in the left-wing blogosphere over the weekend with her account of witnessing House Budget Committee chairman Paul Ryan drinking …

The Glum and the Restless  —  Nearly one in five recent grads is out of work.  Could that hurt Obama's reelection bid?  —  Still waiting: A college job fair at Rutgers University.  —  Here's a fact that should give economists—and maybe President Obama's political team—heartburn …

No, We Can't?  Or Won't?  —  If you were shocked by Friday's job report, if you thought we were doing well and were taken aback by the bad news, you haven't been paying attention.  The fact is, the United States economy has been stuck in a rut for a year and a half.

Dick Harpootlian: Jon Huntsman had ‘lips planted’ on Barack Obama  —  As Jon Huntsman prepares to speak at a South Carolina county GOP fundraiser tonight, state Democratic Party Chairman Dick Harpootlian let loose on a conference call just now.  —  Kasie Hunt reports that Harpootlian …

The Great Fiction  —  Catherine Rampell, Bruce Bartlett, and Matt Yglesias are all pushing the chart below from a paper by Suzanne Mettler.  According to this gang, people who use, for example, the mortgage interest deduction or who have a 529 college savings program are willfully ignorant …

MOVE TO TEXAS CONFIRMED: BECK ANNOUNCES HE WILL OPEN NEW RADIO & TV BROADCAST FACILITY IN DALLAS  —  Glenn Beck is moving to Dallas.  —  The news may not surprise his loyal listeners — the host has been dropping plenty of clues and for many months.  —  And there were a flurry of internet posts …

Bobblehead Alert: It's Clarence Thomas' Turn  —  The Supreme Court justice bobbleheads that you see on the desks or mantels of lawyers around town will soon have a new colleague to keep them company.  This one depicts Justice Clarence Thomas, just in time for his 20th anniversary on the Supreme Court in October.

McConnell: Casey Anthony verdict a warning  —  The Casey Anthony acquittal shows why U.S. civilian courts should not be trusted to handle terror-suspect cases, Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell said.  —  “We just found with the Caylee Anthony case how difficult is to get a conviction in a U.S. court …

‘South California’ for 51st state?  —  Fed up with Sacramento, a Riverside County politician seeks to break 13 counties away to form a state called South California  —  Supervisor Jeff Stone, a Republican pharmacist from Temecula, called California an “ungovernable” financial catastrophe …

Publicopoly Exposed  —  How ALEC, the Koch brothers and their corporate allies plan to privatize government.  —  On February 25, 2011, Florida State Representative Chris Dorworth (R-Lake Mary) introduced HB 1021.  The bill sought to curtail the political power of unions by prohibiting public employers …