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.”

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.

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 …

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.

Wall Street Volatile After Big Plunge  —  Stock indexes on Wall Street bounced around like a yo-yo on Friday, a day after they lost 4 percent of the value.  —  After a quick sigh of relief on better-than-expected jobs numbers, Wall Street moved lower as fears continued to hang over markets …

$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 …

Tzipi Livni Praises Obama for Pressuring Netanyahu, Suggests U.S. Should Keep Up the Heat  —  An interview with the leader of Israel's largest opposition party  —  Tzipi Livni, the leader of Israel's Kadima Party, the largest opposition party in the Knesset — and the largest party in the entire Knesset …

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.

‘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 …

Rick Perry's Religious Event Mired in Controversy  —  ABC News' Arlette Saenz (@arlettesaenz) reports:  —  A prayer event initiated by Texas Governor Rick Perry will take place tomorrow in Houston, Texas, but the religious revival is mired in controversy concerning exclusion of non-Christian religions …

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.

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.

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 …

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.

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.

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.

Behind a GOP Contender's Iowa Surge  —  MARION, Iowa—To understand why presidential candidate Michele Bachmann has surged in Iowa, watch when she is handed a baby.  On a recent stop here, she took off her bracelet, dangled it before the infant and cradled him while he teethed on the pearls.

The Death of Super Tuesday?  —  The venerable one-day delegate jackpot has been a mainstay of presidential primaries, but all that will change in 2012.  McKay Coppins on what it means for Palin, Romney, and Perry.  —  Pundits have hyped it.  Candidates have built entire campaigns around it.

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 …

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 …

Postal Service delivers more bad news, reports $3.1B loss  —  The U.S. Postal Service reported Friday that it suffered a net $3.1 billion loss in the three months ending June 30.  —  Without the intervention of Congress, the service said, it will default on payments it owes the federal government in September.

Potential jurors shouldn't be dismissed for being gay, court told  —  An appellate panel hears arguments in an assault case against a gay inmate in which a lesbian was dismissed during jury selection.  Defense lawyers want the panel to consider constitutional issues.