Half Brother of Afghan President Is Killed in Kandahar  —  By ALISSA J. RUBIN, CARLOTTA GALL and RUHULLAH KHAPALWAK  —  KABUL, Afghanistan — The powerful half brother of Afghan President Hamid Karzai was shot dead on Tuesday by a close family associate, according to Karzai family friends who were nearby.

'C'mon, Man!'  Exclaims VP in Deficit Meeting.  'Let's Get Real!'  —  Officials familiar with the negotiations say today's meeting began with President Obama asking House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, R-Va., to lay out what was agreed upon in the deficit reduction talks led by Vice President Biden.

Fresh doubt cast on Obama's health care story  —  During the 2008 presidential campaign, Barack Obama often discussed his mother's struggle with cancer.  Ann Dunham spent the months before her death in 1995, Obama said, fighting with insurance companies that sought to deny her the coverage she needed to pay for treatment.

Gordon Brown Says Newspaper Hired ‘Known Criminals’  —  LONDON — Former Prime Minister Gordon Brown brought new and alarming charges on Tuesday to the broadening scandal enveloping Rupert Murdoch's media empire in Britain, accusing one of the most prestigious newspapers in the group of employing …

Michele Bachmann Clinic: Where You Can Pray Away the Gay?  —  A former patient who sought help from the Christian counseling clinic owned by GOP presidential hopeful Michele Bachmann and her husband, Marcus, told ABC News he was advised that prayer could rid him of his homosexual urges and he could eventually be “re-oriented.”

Bachmann opens door to raising debt limit — if it repeals healthcare bill  —  Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.) opened the door to voting to raise the debt ceiling on Monday — in the extraordinarily unlikely instance that it's tied to a repeal of President Obama's healthcare law.

Wisconsin recall elections underway  —  (CNN) - Six Democratic state senators in Wisconsin face recall elections Tuesday stemming from the state battle over collective bargaining rights that shut down the state legislature for weeks in February and March.  —  Protest Democrats …

Darrell Issa questions White House's 2012 actions  —  House Oversight Committee Chairman Darrell Issa is probing what he sees as signs of an unseemly overlap between President Barack Obama's official and political activities.  —  In what could be considered the committee's sharpest probe …

Huntsman goes on offense against Romney  —  Greer, South Carolina (CNN) - Former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman signaled Monday that he intends to sharpen his campaign message against former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, the front-runner in the Republican presidential race and the candidate Huntsman's team views …

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 …

Obama: Job Losses Prove Stimulus Worked  —  (CNSNews.com) - Three days after the U.S. Department of Labor reported that the national unemployment rate had ticked up from 9.1 percent in May to 9.2 percent in June, President Barack Obama said that the loss of jobs in the public sector is …

Unruly passenger on flight diverted to Cleveland faces federal charges  —  Passenger helps flight crew restrain suspect  —  Last Updated: 14 hours and 16 minutes ago  —  CLEVELAND - The unruly passenger who caused a commercial jet flying from Chicago to Germany to divert to Cleveland Friday is facing federal charges.

2nd Living Recipient Awarded Medal of Honor  —  At a White House ceremony later today, Sgt. 1st Class Leroy Petry, an Army Ranger, will become only the second living recipient of the Medal of Honor for the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.  Petry lost his right hand while throwing a live grenade away from his fellow soldiers.

U.S. Jobless Numbers Dragging Obama Down in Florida  —  Romney beats president in hypothetical match-up as independents swing toward GOP  —  A slipping economy has Floridians moving away from President Barack Obama and warming up to Republican Mitt Romney, a Sunshine State News Poll shows.

Israel parliament passes anti-boycott bill  —  Israel's parliament has passed a controversial bill making it illegal for any citizen advocating a boycott of Israel or West Bank settlements.  —  The Knesset voted 47-38 in favour after a stormy debate, during which opposition members accusing …

The Future Deficit Can Inherently Exists In The Future  —  Kicking the can down the road is generally understood to be a bad thing.  But it's crucial to note that in the context of discussion of America's long-term structural deficit, the can in question inherently exists in the future.

The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities Thinks We're Still in the Bush Era  —  Another day, another chart from the “non-partisan” Center on Budget and Policy Priorities on what “accounts” for the public debt.  At some level, these exercises are silly: all prior legislation could be equally said to …

Video: President Obama promises ‘massive job killing taxes’ if re-elected  —  From today's presser on the debt ceiling debate.  Check out how the prez frames the debate over taxes.  —  Click here to view the embedded video. … Re-elect me to get massive job killing tax hikes when I'm a lame duck and you can't do a thing about it.

Our National Jobs Emergency  —  Immediate government spending cuts would only make things worse.  A new jobs tax cut for companies repatriating their profits could help.  —  Last Friday's employment report landed with a loud thud.  Only 18,000 net new jobs in June?  How could that be?

Polygamist, Under Scrutiny in Utah, Plans Suit to Challenge Law  —  Kody Brown is a proud polygamist, and a relatively famous one.  Now Mr. Brown, his four wives and 16 children and stepchildren are going to court to keep from being punished for it.  —  The family is the focus of a reality TV show …

The ‘randy’ rabbi  —  A prominent Long Island Jewish leader was caught with his dreidel out in a string of sordid sex tapes, according to sensational Manhattan court records.  —  Rabbi Avraham Rabinowich — who leads the wealthy, Conservative Bellmore Jewish Center and is vice president …

Police reports show different side of Michele Bachmann  —  From complaining about her house being egged to filing a report that she was being held “against my will” in a public restroom, Michele Bachmann has left a trail of police reports showing a seldom-seen side of a presidential candidate.

‘South California’ proposed as 51st state by Republican supervisor  —  The 51st state should be named South California, says Jeff Stone, a Republican on the the Riverside County Board of Supervisors.  But the proposed 13 southern California counties that would split off from the Golden State would not include Los Angeles.

TIR Poll: Look Out for Chris Christie  —  While Michele Bachmann is the frontrunner in the Iowa Caucuses, she has yet to seal the deal with Iowa caucus goers.  TheIowaRepublican.com poll shows that Bachmann is head and shoulders above the current crop of candidates campaigning in Iowa …

Supreme Court Picks One EPA Enforcement Case Over Another and Attorneys Ask Why  —  When the Supreme Court decided last week to take up a case over whether U.S. EPA enforcement of the Clean Water Act can lead to constitutional violations, many veteran environmental lawyers scratched their heads.

Returning Jeter's Big Hit: No Good Deed Goes Untaxed (Perhaps)  —  Here is the fan's fantasy: You go to the ballpark and under a picture-perfect sky not only do the Yankees win, but in recognition of your exemplary behavior, the team also showers you with free season tickets …

Six months in, handful of House freshmen haven't offered a bill  —  More than six months after being sworn in to office, a handful of Republican freshman lawmakers have yet to introduce a single piece of legislation.  —  The three House Republicans and a GOP senator were swept into office …

Betty Ford, Pioneer  —  THE obituaries for Betty Ford, who died Friday at the age of 93, were filled with colorful stories about an incongruous life: former Martha Graham dancer, dispenser of scandalous comments to the media, alcohol and drug addict.  So colorful, in fact …