Pawlenty clarifies Bachmann jab  —  (CNN) - Republican presidential candidate Tim Pawlenty walked back earlier criticism of rival Michele Bachmann's migraines on Wednesday, calling the attention over her headaches “a sideshow.”  —  “I think it's mostly a sideshow,” Pawlenty said on Fox News.

Wall St. Makes Fallback Plans for Debt Crisis  —  Lawmakers in Washington are racing to reach a deal to save the country from defaulting on its debt, but on Wall Street, financial players are devising doomsday plans in case the clock runs out.  —  These companies are taking steps to reduce …

President calls debt crisis ‘self-created’  —  Washington (CNN) - As President Barack Obama sat down with television stations from three key political states, he said he is still hopeful the White House and congressional leadership will come to an agreement to raise the nation's debt ceiling but said politics is interfering.

Barack Obama's 2008 bundlers flee political ‘machine’  —  When Senator Barack Obama began running for president in 2007, a small handful of determined, inspired supporters found a new political calling.  A new group of professionals - from a San Juan jewelry story owner to a West Coast biotech executive …

Sharpton Appears to Win Anchor Spot on MSNBC  —  After giving a nearly six-month tryout for the Internet talk show host Cenk Uygur, the cable news channel MSNBC is preparing to instead hand its 6 p.m. time slot to the Rev. Al Sharpton.  —  Mr. Sharpton's imminent hiring …

The Shuttle Ends Its Final Voyage and an Era in Space  —  The last space shuttle flight rolled to a stop at 5:58 a.m. on Thursday, closing an era of the nation's space program.  —  It was the 19th night landing at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida to end the 135th space shuttle mission.

Home Depot Co-Founder: Obama Is Choking Recovery  —  Bernie Marcus co-founded Home Depot (HD) in 1978 and brought it public in 1981 as the U.S. was suffering from the worst recession and unemployment in 40 years.  The company thrived, creating hundreds of thousands of jobs and redefining home improvement retailing.

15 Years After DOMA, Hearing Reveals a Nation Transformed  —  It's hard to remember that now-foreign country, which was almost unrecognizably hostile to lesbians and gay men  —  To the cynical, the staged political theater of Senate committee hearings can seem tedious and predictable.

Politico reporter who covered Palin quits for Democratic Party job  —  A Politico reporter who often penned stories about Sarah Palin and other Republicans has quit journalism to work with the Democratic Party in Arizona, sources tell The Daily Caller.  —  That reporter, Andy Barr …

Jobless claims rise above expectations  —  (Reuters) - New claims for unemployment benefits rose more than expected last week, a government report showed on Thursday, pointing to a labor market that is struggling to regain momentum after job growth faltered in the last two months.

Anita Perry encourages husband to run for president  —  AUSTIN, Texas — Gov. Rick Perry will need money, organization, staff and stamina if he runs for president.  —  But he appears to already have the support that's most important for the race — his wife's.

One Big, Happy Polygamous Family  —  SINCE the Supreme Court's 2003 decision in Lawrence v. Texas, Americans have enjoyed unprecedented freedom in their lifestyles and private relationships.  The decision held that states could no longer use the criminal code for social engineering …

Obama Maintains Sub-50% Job Approval in 10th Quarter  —  Too soon to say what 46.8% average approval portends for re-election  —  PRINCETON, NJ — President Barack Obama earned a 46.8% average approval rating in his 10th quarter in office ending July 19, essentially unchanged from the 9th quarter …

Al Qaeda magazine pokes fun at fall of sexting pol Anthony Weiner  —  WASHINGTON - Even terrorists are making Weiner jokes.  —  In Al Qaeda's latest edition of its chilling e-magazine, “Inspire,” the terror network's Arabian Peninsula syndicate settles a score with former Queens Rep. Anthony Weiner …

Cathie Black smashes car into trees after Hamptons bash  —  Ousted Schools Chancellor Cathie Black found a Hampton's driveway tougher to navigate than the city's education system — she smashed her brand-new SUV into tree after tree following a boozy Bastille Day bash.

Rent vs buy datapoint of the day  —  It's never possible to know for sure, at any given time, whether it's a better idea to rent or to buy.  If rents and prices both go up in the future, then buying's likely to have been a good idea.  And if they both go down, then renting is sure to have been the better idea.

Layoffs Pick Up as Recovery Hopes Ebb  —  Companies are laying off employees at a level not seen in nearly a year, hobbling the job market and intensifying fears about the pace of the economic recovery.  —  Cisco Systems Inc., Lockheed Martin Corp. and troubled bookstore chain Borders Group Inc …

Allen West Says He Apologized to Wasserman Schultz  —  Freshman Rep. Allen West said Wednesday that he has apologized to Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz for calling her “vile, unprofessional and despicable” in an email.  —  “I just apologized,” West (R-Fla.) told a Huffington Post reporter.

The Gang of Six Disaster: The Worst Plan So Far  —  Confusion among congressional Republicans about their objectives in the debt-limit endgame has increased the possibility that they will stumble into a policy and political disaster over the next two weeks.  —  Only ten days ago …