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.

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 …

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.

Cantor Opposed Short-Term Debt Ceiling Increase, Now Calls Obama's Opposition to Short-Term Increase ‘Indefensible’  —  Today, Speaker John Boehner told the House GOP caucus that he is preparing a short-term bill that would raise the debt ceiling for about six months, despite Obama's pledge to veto such a measure.

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 …

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.

Michele Bachmann launches scathing attack on Tim Pawlenty  —  In a statement just released from her presidential campaign, Michele Bachmann delivers a harsh counterattack on her former home-state governor, hitting back at his charge that she lacks the experience to be president and blaming Tim Pawlenty for a …

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.

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 …

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 …

Norway suspect borrowed from Unabomber's manifesto  —  DENVER (AP) — Parts of the manifesto written by the suspect in Norway's terrorist attack were taken almost word for word from the writings of “Unabomber” Ted Kaczynski.  —  The passages copied by Anders Behring Breivik appear in the first few pages of Kaczynski's manifesto.

Obama cancels fundraisers amid debt negotiations  —  Washington (CNN) - A campaign official for President Barack Obama tells CNN the president has cancelled two political fundraising appearances Monday night because of the debt ceiling situation.  —  The president's week-ahead schedule …

Amid Tears, Flickering Candles and Flowers, a Shaken Norway Mourns  —  OSLO — Sunday was a day of remembrance and self-examination for Norway, a small country shaken by the massacre of at least 93 of its people, many of them children, by one of its own.  —  The royal family and average citizens alike …