Top Items:

EXCLUSIVE: What Boehner said to the caucus — From a source familiar with the call, this is what House Speaker John Boehner told House Republicans on Sunday: … That suggests to me that the House Republicans will pass a bill, send it to the Senate and let the Democrats decide if they want to send the country into default.
Discussion:
Don Surber, The Lonely Conservative, Babalú Blog, msnbc.com, Taegan Goddard's …, Hot Air, The Right Scoop, Shakesville and The Hill
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Barack the Mad — The American presidency comes off the rails. — On Friday, right after his Democrat colleagues in the Senate used a procedural maneuver to kill the Cut, Cap and Balance Act without a real vote, President Obama held a town hall meeting at the University of Maryland …
Discussion:
Doug Ross, The Lonely Conservative, No More Mister Nice Blog and The Hill

BLACK MONDAY? Obama's Debt-Ceiling Crisis Strategy Could Sink Wall Street


Cantor Opposed Short-Term Debt Ceiling Increase, Now Calls Obama's Opposition to Short-Term Increase ‘Indefensible’
Discussion:
White House.gov Blog, NationalJournal.com, The Note and Alan Colmes' Liberaland

Obama takes political, policy gamble on ‘big deal’
Discussion:
The Huffington Post, The Hankster and AMERICAblog News

U.S. Stock Futures Decline After Lawmakers Fail to Reach Debt-Ceiling Deal
Discussion:
Booman Tribune, odd time signatures and Washington Monthly

Live Blog: The U.S. Debt Battle
Discussion:
Washington Monthly, National Review, MarketBeat, Politics, RedState and Wall Street Journal

Boehner Urges GOPers To ‘Stick Together’ As He Works On A Compromise
Discussion:
Firedoglake and The Note


Killings in Norway Spotlight Anti-Muslim Thought in U.S. — The suspect behind the attacks in Norway said he believed multiculturalism to be a threat. Here, mourners at Oslo Cathedral. More Photos » — The man accused of the killing spree in Norway was deeply influenced …
Discussion:
ThinkProgress, Guardian, Online NewsHour, NewsBusters.org, Tikun Olam and Newsbook
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Norway suspect borrowed from Unabomber's manifesto
Discussion:
Weasel Zippers

Why the European Right Can't Be Blamed for the Attacks in Norway
Discussion:
New York Times, The Reaction, The Washington Independent and loonwatch.com

Bill would force Obama to pay Social Security, military if US defaults — Tea Party conservatives hope to make a push on the House floor to force President Obama to avoid a national default if Congress fails to raise the debt limit. — Members of the Senate Tea Party Caucus have met …
Discussion:
The Mahablog, Balloon Juice, The Gateway Pundit, The Politico and RedState
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Wonkbook: Republicans have won. But can they stop there? — (YURI GRIPAS - REUTERS) We don't yet know what the final deal to raise the debt ceiling will be. But now that Harry Reid is developing a proposal with $2.7 trillion in cuts and nothing in revenues, it's a safe bet that it won't include any tax increases.
Discussion:
Betsy's Page, Washington Wire, Swampland, TPMDC, The Hill and Balloon Juice


Boehner, Reid key to path out of debt crisis
Discussion:
Ben Smith's Blog, Taylor Marsh and Washington Monthly

Debt-limit compromise elusive as separate strategies take shape in House, Senate

What Were They Thinking? — Someday people will look back and wonder …

CNN: Reid Working on His Own All-Cuts Debt Limit Proposal
Discussion:
Associated Press, Taylor Marsh and The Politico


Wu won't resign; Pelosi seeks probe — Embattled Rep. David Wu will not seek reelection in 2012, but he won't resign from office now despite allegations that the Oregon Democrat had an “unwanted sexual encounter” with the teenage daughter of a close friend last Thanksgiving.
Discussion:
Mediaite, americanthinker.com, Weasel Zippers, The Raw Story, Washington Post and Gawker
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Rep. David Wu won't resign, won't run again, will face ethics investigation
Discussion:
OpenSecrets.org, USA Today and National Review

Rep. David Wu won't resign, Nancy Pelosi calls for ethics investigation
Discussion:
Power Line, Washington Post and Associated Press

Palin doc headed for PPV as ticket sales plummet — LOS ANGELES (TheWrap) - With its Sarah Palin documentary “The Undefeated” increasing its playdates by 40 percent this weekend, only to watch box office revenue decline by more than 63 percent, distributor Arc Entertainment announced Sunday …
Discussion:
Ben Smith's Blog, Outside the Beltway and GOP 12


Rick Perry Eyes Late August Campaign Launch — Texas Gov. Rick Perry is all but certain to launch a presidential campaign and is nearing an announcement set for the second half of August, according to sources familiar with his political team's planning. — For months, Republican activists …
Discussion:
The Note, GOP 12, Hotline On Call, americanthinker.com, Taegan Goddard's … and Outside the Beltway
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Obama administration's charm offensive fails to win over business groups — The Obama administration's push to mend its relationship with business has gone cold only six months into the effort. — Complaints abound about the regulations pouring out of federal agencies to implement …
Discussion:
Red Dog Report and Right Wing News

Messing With Medicare — At the time of writing, President Obama's hoped-for “Grand Bargain” with Republicans is apparently dead. And I say good riddance. I'm no more eager than other rational people (a category that fails to include many Congressional Republicans) to see what happens if the debt limit isn't raised.
Discussion:
ThinkProgress and Prairie Weather
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The Hill Poll: Most voters see media as biased and unethical — Likely voters hold a dismal view of the news media, generally regarding reporters as biased, unethical and too close to the politicians they purport to cover, according to a new poll for The Hill.
Discussion:
NewsBusters.org and JammieWearingFool

U.S. trucking funds reach Taliban, military-led investigation concludes — A year-long military-led investigation has concluded that U.S. taxpayer money has been indirectly funneled to the Taliban under a $2.16 billion transportation contract that the United States has funded in part to promote Afghan businesses.
Discussion:
The Politico, The Jawa Report, Marine Corps Times and The Western Experience


The Secret-Keeper — On the eve of her 101st birthday, reclusive philanthropist Bunny Mellon, the wealthy zelig who cavorted with Kennedys and stood by John Edwards, talks exclusively to Meryl Gordon about life with Paul, her famous friends, and the secrets buried in her gardens.
Discussion:
The Politico, Ben Smith's Blog and Taegan Goddard's …


The Maid's Tale — She was paid to clean up after the rich and powerful. Then she walked into Dominique Strauss-Kahn's room—and a global scandal. Now she tells her story. — “Hello? Housekeeping.” — The maid hovered in the suite's large living room, just inside the entrance.
Discussion:
FP Passport, Feministing, ABCNEWS, TalkLeft, New York Times, The Politico, The Raw Story, Runnin' Scared and Media Decoder, more at Mediagazer »