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.

Bachmann vs. Romney … - Walter Kirn: Catch-22 Isn't Joseph Heller's Best Book - Devastating Photos of the Famine in Somalia - Sex Selection Happens in the U.S., Too.  How Should Doctors Deal With Such Cases?  - When They Test Birth-Control Pills, Who Takes the Placebos?

In debt deal, the triumph of the old Washington  —  To keep Democrats honest, the trigger would bring automatic cuts to some federal agency spending.  To keep Republicans honest, Democrats wanted to trigger automatic cuts to the Pentagon's budget.  —  By Sunday afternoon …

'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.

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.

Washington Chain Saw Massacre  —  Even before Emanuel Cleaver, the Democratic congressman from Missouri, called the debt deal “a sugar-coated Satan sandwich” and Nancy Pelosi tossed in a side of “Satan fries,” the whiff of sulfur was rising from the Capitol.

Republicans Attack Obama For Having A Birthday Party  —  Apparently, you're not allowed to do anything other than create jobs, if you're Barack Obama (Mr. Boehner, where are the jobs?).  The right wing is going apoplectic because there is a star-studded Chicago fund-raiser in conjunction with his 50th birthday.

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.

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 …

How John 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 …

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.

Senate Democrats' frustration with media begins to show in FAA fight with House  —  After an acrimonious, months-long debate over raising the national debt limit, a battle many Democrats think the Republicans won, Senate Democratic leaders are becoming increasingly frustrated over how the media reports …

Exclusive: Operation Shady rat—Unprecedented Cyber-espionage Campaign and Intellectual-Property Bonanza  —  For at least five years, a high-level hacking campaign—dubbed Operation Shady rat—has infiltrated the computer systems of national governments, global corporations, nonprofits …

The Scariest 4 Economic Graphs I've Seen This Year  —  This is a remarkable sequence of pictures from Calculated Risk showing that no major economic indicator has returned to its pre-crisis level.  In other words, after two years of recovery, not a single key broad measure of the economy has actually recovered.

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.

Just Watch This of the Day: Why the Internet Exists, Reason #143,106: “Mariachi Connecticut performing for a beluga whale at Mystic Marinelife Aquarium.”  —  [thanks tracey!]

Debt ceiling gaffes part two: Lamborn apologizes for ‘tar baby’ remark  —  A House Republican apologized to President Obama Wednesday for saying that being associated with Obama's policies is like “touching a tar baby.”  —  Rep. Doug Lamborn, (R-Colo.), made the gaffe last week on a Denver radio show …

Moving forward after the debt deal  —  At last Washington has reached a deal that raises the debt limit and averts a default that would have been a national embarrassment and an economic and geopolitical catastrophe.  The forces shaping the deal are multifaceted and so are reactions.

The economy and 2012 loom over Obama's bus tour of the Midwest  —  President Obama will travel the Midwest by bus this summer to talk up the White House's job-creation efforts and to try to shore up political support in battleground states.  —  Obama will embark on a three-day tour, from Aug. 15 to 17.

Flying blind  —  ON DECEMBER 16th, 2008, President-Elect Barack Obama met in Chicago with key members of his economic team to discuss their response to the deteriorating economic situation.  Just two weeks earlier, the Bureau of Labour Statistics reported that 533,000 jobs had been lost in November …

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 …

Memo to the Super Committee  —  I know you haven't been established yet.  Neither you, nor I, know who you really are.  Still, it's possible you'll be pretty important between now and Thanksgiving so I thought I'd drop you this note.  —  I heard through the grapevine (OK, it was the internet) …