'Maybe He Hasn't Noticed or Doesn't Care, But the Country is Giving Up On Him'  —  I'm not of the mind that Barack Obama doesn't care about his fortunes in the wake of the debt deal hammered out this week.  He obviously cares since he's now jetting off for his biggest fundraisers of his re-election campaign.

Where's Your Budget, Mr. President?  —  Ever since they fudged the numbers to pass ObamaCare, Democrats have abandoned credible spending plans.  —  During the negotiations over raising the debt ceiling, President Obama reportedly warned Republican leaders not to call his bluff by sending him a bill without tax increases.

How Boehner escaped disaster  —  In the midst of a rebellion from his own colleagues, John Boehner faced a big decision.  —  It was 10 p.m. last Thursday, the most stressful moment of his Speakership.  —  Boehner's debt-limit bill was short on votes, and the GOP leadership was forced …

Palin says she has no respect for Romney's debt-ceiling stance  —  Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin (R) joined the attacks against Mitt Romney's handling of the debt-ceiling debate, saying she has no respect for how the GOP presidential front-runner handled the issue.

Private sector added 114,000 jobs in July  —  (Reuters) - Private employers added more jobs than expected in July, though less than in June, but planned layoffs rose to a 16-month high, according to separate surveys on Wednesday.  —  The data comes ahead of the U.S. government's key jobs report on Friday …

Moderate Senate Dems prepare a balanced budget amendment  —  One of the big victories by tea-party Republicans in the debt-ceiling measure signed into law Tuesday was securing a requirement that Congress vote later this year on a balanced budget amendment to the Constitution.

Romney Advisor Robert Bork: Civil Rights Act Is ‘Unsurpassed Ugliness,’ But Contraception and Porn Bans Are Fine  —  Yesterday, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney (R) announced his presidential campaign's “Justice Advisory Committee,” along with its co-chair Robert Bork.

Debt Fight Over, Obama Promises Action on Jobs  —  WASHINGTON — Having ceded considerable ground to Republicans in the debt ceiling fight, President Obama set out Tuesday to reclaim the initiative on the economy, promising a new effort to spur job creation while seeking to position himself …

Matt Damon Gives Libertarian Reporter a Satisfying Smackdown  —  A reporter from libertarian rag Reason interviewed notorious Massachusetts liberal actor Matt Damon at this year's Save Our Schools March and she tried to throw some business at him about teacher tenure and Ayn Randy incentive stuff and he wasn't having it.

Tea party groups to join forces in Wisconsin  —  (CNN) - Two of the nation's prominent tea party groups will merge for a Wisconsin bus tour in support of six Republican state senators facing recall elections.  —  Kicking off their four-day “Restoring Common Sense” tour Friday …

D.B. Cooper Mystery: Alleged Niece Comes Forward  —  A woman claiming to be the niece of infamous skyjacker D.B. Cooper has spoken to ABC News in an exclusive interview about her role in the recently re-ignited 40-year-old cold case that has haunted the FBI for years.

Another politician forced to resign after sending naked pictures to woman he had online relationship with  —  A politician who emailed a woman nude photos of himself that were posted on a GOP activist's website has resigned and said he will consider all legal options to have the pictures taken down.

McConnell: ‘The debt ceiling will not be clean anymore’  —  (GETTY IMAGES) The most honest man in Washington did some more truth-telling on CNBC last night.  Speaking to Larry Kudlow, Mitch McConnell made perfectly clear that the hostage situation we just went through wasn't a one-shot deal.

Russia's Post issues stamps to mark Obama's 50th birthday  —  Russia's Post Office has issued a collection of stamps and envelopes to mark the 50th jubilee of the US President Barack Obama.  —  The US leader is celebrating his birthday on the 4th of August.

How the GOP lost on the debt deal  —  The deal reached by Congress eliminates the leverage that would have been created by another imminent default until after the next election, where it will be exercised by new and possibly differently constituted players.

K Street eyes super committee  —  K Street wasted little time putting clients on notice about the next phase of the debt ceiling debate with a simple message: Nobody is safe from the super committee.  —  Lobby shops say a much-broader-than-expected range of budget cuts and tax provisions could be in play …

Senate blocking recess appointments  —  Following the House, the Senate will hold a series of “pro forma” sessions over the next month, effectively blocking President Barack Obama from making any appointments during Congress' August recess.  —  That means Obama won't be able to seat his pick …

Report on ‘Operation Shady RAT’ identifies widespread cyber-spying  —  A leading computer security firm has used logs produced by a single server to trace the hacking of more than 70 corporations and government organizations over many months, and experts familiar with the analysis say the snooping probably originated in China.

Lawmakers say Palin donations came without any notice  —  The 13 lawmakers who received campaign donations from former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin (R) have one thing in common — none of them got advance notice the checks were coming.  —  Palin distributed $65,000 to candidates during the first half …

One shot on taxes: Don't blow it, Democrats  —  There are now two sides in the American tax debate: the Republican Party, which refuses to have a serious conversation about taxes, and the Democratic Party, which . . . refuses to have a serious conversation about taxes.

How Clinton Foiled Debt Ceiling Extortion  —  If you haven't already read Kara Brandeisky's story about how the Clinton administration handled the debt ceiling in 1995, you should definitely do it.  As she notes, the circumstances were different in 1995.  Republicans were somewhat less fixated …

U.S. Education Dep't Pushes Man-Made Global Warming, Saving the Earth at Children's Reading Event  —  (CNSNews.com) - During a July event at the U.S. Department of Education, children from D.C. schools and day care centers were treated to free books, including two featuring Nickelodeon characters …

Mormons Duck Political Duel  —  SALT LAKE CITY—The Mormon Church is preparing for the 2012 elections with a campaign message of its own: It has nothing to do with orchestrating or promoting the presidential candidacies of Mitt Romney and Jon Huntsman Jr., both Mormons.