Franken Destoys Focus On The Family Witness, Exposes Misuse Of HHS Study  —  During this morning's Senate DOMA hearings, Sen. Al Franken (D-MN) destroyed Focus on the Family's Tom Minnery's argument that children are better off with opposite-sex parents by demonstrating how Minnery misrepresented an HHS study.

Obama tries to box in House GOP  —  President Obama stopped by the White House briefing room, offering an update on the status of the debt-ceiling process.  I've seen some reports suggesting the president endorsed the Gang of Six's compromise, but that's not quite what he said, and it seems to miss the point of Obama's comments.

Allen West tirade: Wasserman Schultz ‘vile...despicable...not a Lady’  —  Florida GOP Congressman Allen West this afternoon dispatched a scathing personal email to Democratic National Committee Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz, calling her “vile, unprofessional ,and despicable,” “a coward …

Democratic senator Hansen retains seat in recall attempt  —  Tea party activist, attorney are winners in Republican primaries  —  By Tom Tolan, Lee Bergquist and Georgia Pabst of the Journal Sentinel  —  Democratic state Sen. Dave Hansen of Green Bay was the first of nine state senators …

Cost-Cutters, Except When the Spending Is Back Home  —  WASHINGTON — Freshman House Republicans who rode a wave of voter discontent into office last year vowed to stop out-of-control spending, but that has not stopped several of them from quietly trying to funnel millions of federal dollars into projects back home.

Cantor's wealthy backers: raise our taxes  —  House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.) has scuttled any possible debt-reduction compromise, insisting House Republicans can't agree to so much as a penny in new revenue.  Every tax cut billionaires enjoy is sacred; every corporate-jet owner mustn't …

The tide of public opinion keeps turning  —  For the better part of the year, congressional Republicans were able to argue, accurately, that Americans opposed raising the debt ceiling.  It was arguably the only honest claim the GOP made in this debate: poll after poll showed public opposition to doing the right thing.

Larry Summers calls Winklevoss twins ‘A**holes’  —  NEW YORK (Fortune) — What did Larry Summers really think of the Winklevoss twins?  —  “Rarely, have I encountered such swagger, and I tried to respond in kind,” the former president of Harvard said in an interview at Fortune's Brainstorm Tech conference.

Nearly 10 Years Ago Today, The U.S. Began Borrowing Billions To Pay For The Bush Tax Cuts  —  As debates about deficit reduction continued to be heavily tilted toward cutting spending, which threatens to undermine a fragile recovery, rather than raising revenue from those who can afford it …

Why I foam-pied Rupert Murdoch |  Jonnie Marbles  —  Some people might think my action played into Murdoch's hands, but I did it for all the people who couldn't  —  First things first: I don't hate octogenarians.  I don't have a vendetta against anyone over 80 who likes to begrudgingly give evidence to parliamentary committees.

Rep. Allen West calls DNC chair ‘vile ... despicable’ - Tracy Schmaler promoted at Justice - What Chris Christie told the tycoons - GOP losing perception war - Jamal Simmons, Ed Henry are 40  —  THE NARRATIVE — Jake Tapper, on “Good Morning America,” re new WP-ABC: “Horrible numbers for President Obama …

State Dept. contract officer steers $52 million to secret husband, daughter  —  A special investigation by The Daily Caller has discovered that a State Department contract specialist participated in awarding more than $52 million in taxpayer-funded contracts to a company owned and operated by her husband and daughter.

NOM Rabbi Blames Gay Marriage For 8 Year Old's Murder  —  The National Organization for Marriage (NOM) recently invited Rabbi Yehuda Levin to join them at a rally protesting New York's same sex marriage bill, despite Levin's long history of offensive comments.

Report: Obama top recipient of News Corp. donations  —  Political donations by News Corp., its employees and their families were evenly split between Democrats and Republicans, with President Obama the all-time leading recipient, according to a report from the Sunlight Foundation.

Christie on the decline  —  Chris Christie's popularity has declined significantly over the first half of 2011 and he would have a very difficult time winning reelection if voters in New Jersey went to the polls today.  —  Only 43% of voters in the state approve of the job Christie is doing to 53% who disapprove.

Romney as Job Creator Clashes with Bain Record of Job Cuts  —  Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney's campaign misses few opportunities to promote his record creating jobs, including his role in taking Staples Inc. (SPLS) from a start-up to the world's largest office-supply retailer.

Former Senator Judd Gregg Says Shutdown Needed Before House Will Agree To Debt Limit Deal  —  Former Senator Judd Gregg (R-NH) says Social Security checks will need to be halted before House Republicans will agree to a deal to raise the debt limit.  —  A deficit hawk and former Chairman …

Michele Bachmann faces more migraine questions  —  On the campaign trail in South Carolina, Michele Bachmann should have been basking in the glow of new polls showing her surging among national Republican primary voters.  —  Instead, the day was overshadowed by her acknowledgment Tuesday …

Interactive Map: No Debt Limit Increase Means Big Cuts to State Services  —  On August 2, if Congress fails to raise the debt limit, the United States will have its credit rating downgraded, interest rates will likely rise dramatically, and the federal government will be forced …

GOP Rep. Walsh Yells At Chris Matthews: 'Obama Doesn't Send A Thrill Up My Leg'  —  Add today's debate between Chris Matthews and Republican Congressman Joe Walsh to the Hardball hall of fame for the most exciting and in-your-face political discussions ever recorded.

Is Grassley Hinting That Maggie Gallagher Was Too Scared To Testify Against DOMA?  —  During his opening statement at the Senate Judiciary Committee's hearing on repealing the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act, Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) vehemently defended the discriminatory law and reiterated …