Biden: Tea partiers like ‘terrorists’  —  Vice President Joe Biden joined House Democrats in lashing tea party Republicans Monday, accusing them of having “acted like terrorists” in the fight over raising the nation's debt limit.  —  Biden was agreeing with a line of argument made by Rep. Mike Doyle …

Giffords's Return Marks Moment of Unity in Divided House  —  The clock was running down, and the debt ceiling compromise did not yet have enough ayes to pass.  Then, slowly, applause started trickling through the House chamber.  The clapping grew over the next half minute, until finally …

Boehner: I got 98 percent of what I wanted  —  CBS Evening News anchor Scott Pelley sat down with Speaker of the House John Boehner in his office at the Capitol on Monday.  —  With a brutal partisan fight over the debt ceiling drawing to an apparent close, Boehner said he understands …

Most of Newt Gingrich's Twitter Followers Are Fake  —  Yesterday Newt Gingrich laid out a new argument for why he should be the GOP presidential nominee: He's got the most Twitter followers.  But according to a former Gingrich staffer, he bought them.  —  Gingrich complained yesterday …

We The Stupid  —  I stand here in abject stupefaction.  The so-called “right” or “Tea Party” in this republic is being so thoroughly rolled and defeated that I am struggling to come up with an adequate violent submission metaphor that does not involve prison rape . . . and they honesty think that they're “winning.”

Amidst Debt Fight, Discontent With Congress  —  Time for recess: The debt battle that turned Congress upside-down nears end.  —  Amidst a tumultuous fight over raising the debt ceiling, Americans are deeply dissatisfied with Washington and eager to elect fresh faces to Congress …

The collapse of America's middle class  —  People seem to act irrationally when they have nothing to lose.  Often we observe in wars that the losing side expends more blood and treasure after its position becomes hopeless.  —  The American South sustained most of its casualties in the Civil War …

Egyptians Turn Against Liberal Protesters  —  CAIRO—Mobs of ordinary Egyptians joined with soldiers to drive pro-democracy protesters from their encampment in Tahrir Square here Monday, showing how far the uprising's early heroes have fallen in the eyes of the public.

Matt Damon weighs in on the debt ceiling  —  Last week, Ben Affleck briefly became part of the conversation about the debt ceiling.  And now his longtime buddy and fellow actor Matt Damon has weighed in on the debate.  —  “I'm so disgusted man. ...  I don't know what you do in the face of that kind of intransigence.

The Winner of the Power Line Prize Is...  “The Spending Is Nuts,” by Justin Folk:  —  “Squirrels,” as we call it informally, is a beautiful piece of work.  (View it on YouTube in HD here.)  We asked Justin to share his thoughts on the contest and his video:

Who gains from debt deal?  The Pentagon, for one  —  WASHINGTON — The last-minute deal that Congress is considering to raise the federal debt limit probably will mean trillions of dollars in government spending reductions for most agencies.  But one department stands to gain: the Pentagon.

The red and the black  —  Where federal taxes are raised and spent  —  SOME American states receive more in federal spending than they pay in federal taxes; others receive less.  Over twenty years these fiscal transfers can add up to a sizeable sum.  From 1990 to 2009 …

Zakaria: Tea Party held America hostage  —  On Friday night, Fareed Zakaria talked to Anderson Cooper about the Tea Party.  Fareed argued that the Tea Party held America hostage and undermined the democratic process throughout the debt crisis.  Here's the transcript of that conversation, lightly edited:

Whiteboard Archives  —  I'VE BEEN WORKING ON A DEBT DEAL: President Obama shifts his focus to labor Tuesday morning as he meets privately in the East Room with the executive committee of the AFL-CIO.  In guidance to reporters, the White House said Obama will “discuss issues important to working families …

Union chief warns of job losses from debt-ceiling deal  —  The agreement to lift the debt ceiling will lead to job losses, according to the president of the nation's main public workers union.  —  Gerry McEntee, president of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees …

Putin says U.S. is “parasite” on global economy  —  (Reuters) - Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin accused the United States Monday of living beyond its means “like a parasite” on the global economy and said dollar dominance was a threat to the financial markets.

What we wish Obama had said  —  Does anyone else have a sick sense of déjà vu this morning?  —  After months of slow-motion capitulation, President Obama has cut an eleventh-hour deal with Republican leaders to raise the debt ceiling.  After vowing to heed the public outcry …

Somalis Waste Away as Insurgents Block Escape From Famine  —  MOGADISHU, Somalia — The Shabab Islamist insurgent group, which controls much of southern Somalia, is blocking starving people from fleeing the country and setting up a cantonment camp where it is imprisoning displaced people who were trying to escape Shabab territory.