Conservatives denounce Boehner plan  —  The chairman of the conservative Republican Study Committee wasted little time announcing his opposition to the House GOP leadership's two-step plan to raise the debt ceiling.  —  Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), who stood — visibly uncomfortable …

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 …

SMASH THE CEILING  —  In the past few years, the U.S. economy has been beset by the subprime meltdown, skyrocketing oil prices, the Eurozone debt crisis, and even the Tohoku earthquake.  Now it's staring at a new problem—a failure to raise the debt ceiling, which would almost certainly throw the economy back into recession.

Black Student Can't Be Valedictorian  —  PINE BLUFF, Ark. (AR) - A high school southeast of Little Rock would not let a black student be valedictorian though she had the highest grade-point average, and wouldn't let her mom speak to the school board about it until graduation had passed, the graduate claims in Federal Court.

Glenn Beck compares Norway's dead teenagers to Hitler youth  —  Glenn Beck, the leading Right-wing American broadcaster, has prompted outrage after comparing the teenage victims of the Utoya Island massacre to the Hitler Youth.  —  Beck said that the Labour party youth camp on the island …

Captain America's Fictitious, Integrated 1940s America  —  In the vein of what Ta-Nehisi Coates referred to as a “convenient suspension of disbelief” in X-Men First Class, Captain America: First Avenger dutifully ignores the civil-rights struggles of the 1940s.

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.

Steve King on default: Obama could be impeached  —  Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa) said Monday that President Barack Obama “would be impeached” if the nation falls into default.  —  “STOP talking about default,” he wrote on Twitter.  “The 1st dime of each $1 of revenue services debt.

The Absolution I Cannot Give  —  In the past 48 hours I have had call after call after call from members of the United States Congress.  They've read what I've written.  They agree.  But they feel the hour is short and the end is nigh.  —  So some are calling looking for alternatives.

Washington Isn't Broken, the Republican Party Is  —  Democrats have repeatedly sought a compromise deal on the debt.  Why blame the whole city for Republican intransigence?  —  Watching yesterday's Sunday shows was a reminder that, of all the bromides that are popular among D.C. pundits …

Feds Silent on How Convicted Felons Bought Guns in ‘Operation Fast and Furious’  —  EXCLUSIVE: In the latest chapter of the gunrunning scandal known as Operation Fast and Furious, federal officials won't say how two suspects obtained more than 360 weapons despite criminal records that should have prevented them from buying even one gun.