Obama's Hip-Hop BBQ Didn't Create Jobs  —  POLITICO EXCLUSIVE — The President's private 50th birthday bash, not listed on his public schedule: His gift to the press corps was a travel/photo lid shortly after 4 p.m., prompting what pooler Julie Mason called “general cheering in WH workspace.”

Rick Perry's College Transcript: A Lot Of Cs and Ds … WASHINGTON — As governor of Texas, Rick Perry has pursued a controversial agenda that would gut Texas' vaunted public university system in favor of something that more closely resembles a business.  —  As the Washington Post reported on Thursday …

Click on the video link to see raw video of police and sheriff's deputies investigating the scene.  —  Did you witness the attacks outside State Fair, or were you attacked?  Were you hurt?  E-mail us your story!  —  WEST ALLIS - Witnesses tell Newsradio 620 WTMJ and TODAY'S TMJ4 of a mob …

The Wrong Worries  —  In case you had any doubts, Thursday's more than 500-point plunge in the Dow Jones industrial average and the drop in interest rates to near-record lows confirmed it: The economy isn't recovering, and Washington has been worrying about the wrong things.

GOP austerity agenda damaging Obama's reelection chances  —  The Republican austerity agenda is continuing to hamper job growth, making Obama's defeat in 2012 all the more likely.  —  Today's jobs numbers were better than expected, but as Matthew Yglesias points out, a fundamental problem remains …

John Kerry: Media Has “Responsibility” To “Not Give Equal Time” To Tea Party  —  Sen. John Kerry (D-MA) told MSNBC's “Morning Joe” on Friday that the media has the responsibility to not give equal time or credence to the Tea Party's views: SEN. JOHN KERRY: “And I have to tell you, I say this to you politely.

‘Rent is Too Damn High’ candidate facing eviction from rent-controlled apartment  —  The man who ran for governor because the “Rent is Too Damn High” claims he's being kicked out of his Manhattan apartment — because the rent is too damn low!  —  Jimmy McMillan says he pays $872.96 …

$30 Million Pouring In to Influence Wisconsin Recall Elections  —  A voter in Glendale, Wis., casts a ballot in a Democratic primary on Thursday, July 12, 2011, as part of recall efforts against Republican state Sen. Alberta Darling.  Darling is one of six Republican state senators being targeted …

Arctic ‘tipping point’ may not be reached  —  The team said they had found an indirect method to give a picture of the ice cover dating back 11,000 years  —  Scientists say current concerns over a tipping point in the disappearance of Arctic sea ice may be misplaced.

Perry to meet with GOP leaders in South Carolina  —  (CNN) - Rick Perry is set to meet privately with dozens of grassroots Republican activists when he visits the crucial early primary state of South Carolina next week, another sign that the Texas governor is taking steps to join the 2012 presidential race.

Obama ‘smarter’ than critics, says Alan Simpson  —  Former Sen. Alan Simpson, a Republican who co-chaired President Barack Obama's fiscal commission, says that the president is “a little bit smarter” than some of his critics, who “ought to give it up.”  —  Simpson, who represented Wyoming …

Cantor Opposes Extending Unemployment Benefits: We Need To Stop ‘Pumping Up’ Jobless Americans  —  The unemployment rate inched downwards to 9.1 percent today, with private sector jobs increasing by 154,000.  While a slight improvement, these better-than-expected figures provide little comfort …

Teachers union disavows internal memo endorsing deception of parents  —  American Federation of Teachers officials have disavowed an internal report after it was posted on the union's website following its annual conference, embedded on each of its 19 pages with the union's logo and signed by a union official.

Nader: ‘Almost 100 percent’ chance of a Democratic primary challenger to Obama  —  Ralph Nader, the consumer advocate and perennial third-party presidential candidate, announced last month that he would work to find a Democrat to challenge President Barack Obama in 2012.

Pawlenty To Sign NOM's Anti-Gay Marriage Pledge  —  The National Organization for Marriage's (NOM) Brian Brown announced that Tim Pawlenty will sign on to the group's anti-gay marriage pledge, after initially refusing to join Mitt Romney, Rick Santorum, and Michele Bachmann in agreeing to the document.

Can Obama's 2012 hopes survive 9%+ unemployment? … The consensus used to be that President Obama might be OK if the jobless rate fell below 8 percent by Election Day.  That seems increasingly unlikely.  The economy is, at best, in slow-growth mode, just churning and churning, creating few jobs.

Pulling Rank  —  John Quiggin has some fun with an economist named Stephen Williamson who attacks his work from a position of robust ignorance; Noah Smith has even more fun.  —  I'll pass the specific arguments by, and note another feature of this “debate” that has struck …

Walsh tries to clear air at town hall-style meeting … WAUCONDA - When controversy erupts, public figures can hide or face their critics.  —  U.S. Rep. Joe Walsh seems to have chosen the latter, facing his constituents for the first time after the debt ceiling battle and allegations …

Washington's appetite for self-destruction  —  It is difficult to remember a more dismal moment in American politics.  The debt ceiling crisis and the agreement that ended it point to deep dysfunction in our system.  In a variety of ways, the episode portends continued short-term economic misery and long-term national decline.

The FAA shutdown and the new rules of Washington  —  Congressman John Mica, the Florida Republican blamed for single-handedly shutting down the Federal Aviation Administration, sounded like a beaten man when he called me Thursday evening.  —  The usually biting chairman …

TSA Confiscates Pregnant Woman's Insulin, Ice Packs  —  Security Tells Woman Isulin Vial Was An Explosives Risk  —  DENVER — A Denver couple has filed a formal complaint with the Transportation Security Administration after a pregnant woman's insulin and ice packs were confiscated by screeners at Denver International Airport.

Santorum: Courts have created ‘super-right’ of sexual liberty  —  GOP presidential candidate Rick Santorum, talking about same-sex marriage, said today that the courts have created a right to “sexual liberty” that diminishes the right to religious liberty.  —  Santorum was meeting with the Register editorial board this morning.