Poll: 71% shun GOP handling of debt crisis  —  CBS News Poll analysis by the CBS News Polling Unit: Sarah Dutton, Jennifer De Pinto, Fred Backus and Anthony Salvanto.  —  Americans are unimpressed with their political leaders' handling of the debt ceiling crisis, with a new CBS News poll showing …

News and Its Critics  —  A tabloid's excesses don't tarnish thousands of other journalists.  —  When News Corp. and CEO Rupert Murdoch secured enough shares to buy Dow Jones & Co. four years ago, these columns welcomed our new owner and promised to stand by the same standards and principles we always had.

The Slow, Painful Coming Death Of The Independent, Conservative Blogosphere  —  Way, way back in 2001, when I got started in the blogosphere, the Right side of the blogosphere was bigger and more influential than the Left.  Why?  Well, in American politics, the energy tends to be with the party that's out of power.

Video of a brutal Taliban execution of Pakistani policemen emerges  —  Warning, the video below is extremely graphic in nature.  If you choose to watch this video, you will see the Taliban brutally execute more than a dozen bound Pakistani policemen.  The Taliban then proceed to pump rounds into those who survived the initial firing.

Moody's suggests U.S. eliminates debt ceiling  —  * Says ceiling brings periodic uncertainty to bond holders  —  * Suggests example of Chile in curbing debt  —  Ratings agency Moody's on Monday suggested the United States should eliminate its statutory limit on government debt to reduce uncertainty among bond holders.

Coburn to unveil $9T deficit-reduction plan  —  Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) said Sunday the federal government can save $1 trillion though tax reform, a proposal that will put him at odds with some GOP colleagues.  —  Coburn plans to unveil a $9 trillion deficit-reduction package Monday …

Chance for quick budget deal fades  —  Timing of special session is in doubt as GOP legislative leaders try to line up enough votes to end state shutdown.  —  Four days after the announcement of a budget deal, fresh signs emerged Sunday that the agreement is not coming together as first hoped …

Gallup Finds Unemployment at 8.9% in Mid-July  —  Underemployment remains at 18.3% — the same as in June 2011 and mid-July 2010  —  PRINCETON, NJ — Unemployment, as measured by Gallup without seasonal adjustment, is at 8.9% in the middle of July — up from 8.7% at the end of June.

Get Ready for a 70% Marginal Tax Rate  —  Some argue the U.S. economy can bear higher pre-Reagan tax rates.  But those rates applied to a much smaller fraction of taxpayers than what we're headed for without spending cuts.  —  President Obama has been using the debt-ceiling debate …

A Big Week for the New Consumer Agency  —  This is a big week for the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB).  Today, the President will announce his intent to nominate Richard Cordray to serve as the first Director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.

Robert Samuelson Wants Us to Follow the Example of a Country With 7 Years of Double-Digit Unemployment  —  Yes, I am serious.  In his column today Samuelson holds up Latvia as the model for the United States to follow.  The unemployment rate in Latvia is currently close to 20 percent.

How Much Longer Can Obama Defy Political Gravity?  —  ANALYSIS By AMY WALTER (@amyewalter): Although President Obama's job approval rating of 48 percent (according to Pollster.com average) isn't exactly stellar, it is remarkably high given the level of economic pessimism and despair among American electorate.

Letting Bankers Walk  —  Ever since the current economic crisis began, it has seemed that five words sum up the central principle of United States financial policy: go easy on the bankers.  —  This principle was on display during the final months of the Bush administration …