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1:45 PM ET, July 25, 2011

Top Items:

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: Firedoglake, The Moderate Voice, Washington Monthly, Washington Wire, Shot in the Dark, Keith Hennessey, The Hill, Don Surber, Taylor Marsh, Betsy's Page, The Heritage Foundation, Swampland, The Politico, TPMDC, ourfuture.org/blogs_chrono/* and Balloon Juice

Nate Silver / FiveThirtyEight:

Speaker Boehner's Big Gamble — The Republican Speaker John A. Boehner, following the collapse of negotiations with President Obama, appears to be considering a path that would involve the House Republicans voting to raise the federal debt ceiling on their own terms, with little expectation of Democratic support.

Discussion: Outside the Beltway, NationalJournal.com, Taegan Goddard's …, The Hill, Washington Monthly and The Politico

Matthew Yglesias / ThinkProgress:

Harry Reid Calls House Republicans' Bluff — Something you often see in negotiations is a mismatch between one side's stated sticking points and its real sticking points. In the debate over the debt ceiling, for example, Republicans have sought to portray themselves as having two bottom lines.

Discussion: JustOneMinute and Talking Points Memo

Jennifer Rubin / Washington Post:

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 Reaction, Bloomberg, Booman Tribune, NationalJournal.com, The Lonely Conservative, Taegan Goddard's …, Babalú Blog, msnbc.com, The Right Scoop, Hot Air, Politics, Shakesville and The Hill

Jennifer Rubin / Washington Post:

White House stokes debt-ceiling crisis — A Republican aide e-mails me: “The Speaker, Sen. Reid and Sen. McConnell all agreed on the general framework of a two-part plan. A short-term increase (with cuts greater than the increase), combined with a committee to find long-term savings …

Discussion: The Politico, Pajamas Media, Pundit & Pundette, Hot Air, Washington Times, Poor Richard's News, CNN, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion and The Gateway Pundit

Byron York / Washington Examiner:

BELTWAY CONFIDENTIAL — Reid played key role on debt bill before Obama nixed plan — Aides to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid worked closely over the weekend with staff for House Speaker John Boehner and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell on a bill to resolve the debt-ceiling standoff …

Discussion: Verum Serum, Weasel Zippers and Pajamas Media

First Read / msnbc.com:
First Thoughts: Finger-pointing, posturing, and politics

Discussion: Washington Post and Mother Jones

Brian Beutler / TPMDC:
GOP Stumbles Over Surprise Dem Debt Limit Offer

Discussion: Washington Monthly, Gawker and Daily Kos

Zachary A. Goldfarb / Washington Post:
Obama takes political, policy gamble on ‘big deal’

Discussion: The Huffington Post, Hullabaloo, The Hankster, AMERICAblog News, The Impolitic, Paul Krugman and The Politico

John Avlon / CNN:
Our stupid self-inflicted debt crisis

Discussion: current.com, MN Progressive Project and Guardian

David Kurtz / Talking Points Memo:
What To Expect Today — If you're shaking off the cobwebs …

Discussion: The Moderate Voice

Jake Sherman / The Politico:
GOP pushes another balanced budget amendment vote

Discussion: Hot Air and Washington Post

Alexander Bolton / The Hill:
Bill would force Obama to pay Social Security, military if US defaults

Discussion: The Note, Washington Post, Scared Monkeys, The Mahablog, The Gateway Pundit, Balloon Juice, The Politico and RedState

Major Garrett / The Atlantic Online:
Washington Wants to Avoid Default, but It Can't Without a Plan

Discussion: Felix Salmon

Dan Pfeiffer / White House.gov Blog:
Some Republicans in Congress Once Argued Against Short-Term Solutions - They Were Right

Discussion: USA Today, TPMDC, The Daily Caller, ThinkProgress, Washington Monthly, Politics and Alan Colmes' Liberaland

Russell Berman / The Hill:
Reid to offer $2.7T deficit cutting plan

Discussion: ThinkProgress, Chicago Tribune and Hot Air

Robert Stacy McCain / The Other McCain:
BLACK MONDAY? Obama's Debt-Ceiling Crisis Strategy Could Sink Wall Street

Discussion: Human Events, Washington Monthly and And So it Goes in Shreveport

Scott Shane / New York Times:

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 …

Bruce Bawer / Wall Street Journal:
Inside the Mind of the Oslo Murderer

Discussion: ThinkProgress, Washington Post, The Daily Dish, Runnin' Scared, Roger Ailes and Towleroad News #gay

William Saletan / Slate Magazine:
If Muslims are responsible for Islamic terrorism, are Muslim-bashers responsible for the massacre in Norway?

Discussion: Dean's World

New York Times:
Norway Attacker May Have Had Accomplices; Death Toll Lowered

Discussion: NewsBusters.org, FP Passport and Althouse

John Hinderaker / Power Line:
In Defense of Blond Norwegians

Discussion: alicublog

Joshua Foust / The Atlantic Online:
Why the European Right Can't Be Blamed for the Attacks in Norway

Discussion: New York Times, The Reaction, loonwatch.com and Instapundit

Niall Stanage / The Hill:

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: Questions and Observations, Big Journalism, Weasel Zippers, Red Dog Report, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, NewsBusters.org and JammieWearingFool

Ben Smith / Ben Smith's Blog:

Politics of a downgrade — A bond trader forwards on a note from Bank of America analysts today, anticipating a short term debt deal, likely followed at some point by a downgrade of America's bond rating from AAA to AA: — We expect the US credit rating to remain on negative outlook …

Discussion: Politics

Paul Krugman:
Moody's Blues, Poor Standards, and the Debt

Discussion: Mother Jones, Economist's View and Rortybomb

Daniel Frankel / Yahoo! News:

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: The Moderate Voice, Ben Smith's Blog, Outside the Beltway and GOP 12

Jessica Taylor / NationalJournal.com:

Rep. Mike Ross the Latest Blue Dog Dem to Not Seek Reelection — Rep. Mike Ross, D-Ark., will not seek reelection in 2012, according to a senior source. … Rep. Mike Ross, D-Ark., will not seek reelection in 2012, according to a senior source, becoming the fourth moderate Blue Dog Democrat …

Discussion: TPMDC and The Daily Caller

Cameron Joseph / Ballot Box:
Rep. Mike Ross to retire

Discussion: CNN

The Hill:

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

Bunny Mellon / Newsweek:

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, USA Today, Ben Smith's Blog and Taegan Goddard's …

Michael O'Brien / The Hill:

First lady says ‘N-O’ to career in politics post-White House — First Lady Michelle Obama isn't looking to follow up her time in the White House with a career in politics, she said Monday in a new interview. — Obama said she's not interested in following in the footsteps of Hillary Clinton …

Discussion: Weasel Zippers

Washington Times:
CURL: Is Obama a pathological liar?

Discussion: BizzyBlog

Alexander Burns / The Politico:

Donald Trump mocks ‘tough guy’ Tim Pawlenty — Donald Trump, still playing the role of 2012 provocateur from his perch on “Fox and Friends,” gave voice today to the nagging doubts among some Republicans about whether Tim Pawlenty has the grit to fight and win a presidential campaign.

Discussion: GOP 12 and Red Dog Report

Christine Haughney / New York Times:

To Reach Simple Life of Summer Camp, Lining Up for Private Jets — Gov. Paul LePage of Maine happened to be waiting for his flight at Augusta State Airport on a recent Saturday when the weekend crush began. — A turboprop Pilatus PC-12 carrying Melissa Thomas, her daughter …

Discussion: ThinkProgress, Gothamist and Gawker

Paul Krugman / New York Times:

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, Prairie Weather and The Incidental Economist