The Republican Retreat  —  In the negotiations over the debt ceiling, the Republican Party had everything mapped out except the endgame.  —  For months, Republican leaders used all the tools at their disposal — the anti-spending intensity of their base, the White House's desire for a deal …

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 of the World phone-hacking whistleblower found dead  —  Death of Sean Hoare - who was first named journalist to allege Andy Coulson knew of hacking - not being treated as suspicious  —  Sean Hoare, the former News of the World showbiz reporter who was the first named journalist …

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.

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.

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.

New O'Keefe investigation uncovers Medicaid fraud [VIDEO]  —  Conservative filmmaker James O'Keefe released the first installment in a new video investigation Monday morning, this one focused on Medicaid fraud.  The first video in the series shows government employees in Ohio assisting two men …

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.

Gay conservative group reaches out to Bachmann  —  As gay-issue advocacy groups increase pressure on Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann over her views about homosexuality, the gay conservative group GOProud is requesting a meeting with the Republican presidential candidate to possibly lend a hand.

Roemer to launch W.H. bid Thursday  —  It's official: Buddy Roemer will formally announce his presidential campaign Thursday from New Hampshire.  —  While the former Louisiana governor's campaign has not set a location for the announcement, he's scheduled to speak at Dartmouth College …

Fitch: ‘AAA’ rating in jeopardy  —  Another major bond rating firm on Monday reiterated its threat to downgrade the U.S. government to a B-plus rating if the debt ceiling isn't raised by August 2 and the government defaults on its debts.  —  The warning from Fitch Ratings comes after Moody's …

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 …

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.

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 …