Harry Reid super committee picks in place  —  In the first of what will be a closely watched selection process for a powerful new deficit panel, Democratic sources say Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid will appoint Democratic Sens. Patty Murray (Wash.), Max Baucus (Mont.) and John Kerry …

Reading the Wisconsin Recall Vote  —  Wisconsin residents on Tuesday voted on whether to recall six Republican state senators, whose backing of Gov. Scott Walker in the dispute over collective bargaining rights this year made them targets for Democratic-aligned groups.

McCain faces angry crowd at Gilbert town-hall meeting  —  U.S. Sen. John McCain's town-hall meeting Monday in Gilbert broke down into a shouting match at times as “tea-party” activists directed their anger and frustration toward the senator over issues ranging from his characterization of them as …

About that plane over S&P  —  Who sent an aerial message to Wall Street?  —  Courtesy of NY Observer  —  Earlier today, a plane flew over S&P headquarters trailing a banner that read: … Fortune has learned that the person who paid to fly the banner is a Midwestern broker …

For immediate release  —  Information received since the Federal Open Market Committee met in June indicates that economic growth so far this year has been considerably slower than the Committee had expected.  Indicators suggest a deterioration in overall labor market conditions in recent months, and the unemployment rate has moved up.

Flash mob attacks: Rising concern over black teen involvement  —  From Milwaukee to Philadelphia to Chicago, officials are enforcing curfews and requiring chaperones for teens, after several flash mob attacks allegedly involving black youths.  —  Atlanta  —  State police are roaming …

Clerks: Turnout steady to near presidential levels  —  Various clerks in the recall districts reported steady turnout so far with some projecting numbers that will rival a presidential election.  —  In the 10th SD in western Wisconsin, River Falls City Clerk Lu Ann Hecht said today's numbers …

Honor Fallen SEALs by Questioning Their Mission  —  Joshua Foust tweets that his PBS piece “Lessons from this weekend's Afghan helicopter crash” has been called “enemy propaganda” by some critics.  That charge fundamentally misunderstands patriotism.  He's not divulging troop locations or battle plans …

National Review: Obama Secretly Supports Violent London Rioters  —  Violent riots have swept London all week.  The Washington Post reports that last night, “Rampant looting and raging fires engulfed swaths of London on Monday as the wave of civil unrest that has gripped this sprawling capital escalated sharply.”

Dem spokesman accuses GOP of dirty tricks in Waukesha vote count  —  By Larry Sandler of the Journal Sentinel  —  A state Democratic Party spokesman accused a Republican official Tuesday night of tampering with votes in the tight 8th Senate District recall race.

U.S. Credit Downgrade Leaves ‘Horrible Impact’ … Steve Inskeep talks to former Republican Senator Alan Simpson of Wyoming about the S&P downgrade of U.S. credit.  Simpson has been saying that he hopes the S&P downgrade will cause lawmakers to take deficit deliberations more seriously.

S.F. gay married couple loses immigration battle  —  Washington —  Citing the Defense of Marriage Act, the Obama administration denied immigration benefits to a married gay couple from San Francisco and ordered the expulsion of a man who is the primary caregiver to his AIDS-afflicted spouse.

Looking Like Dems Come Up Short  —  As of just after 12:30 on the east coast it's looking like Sen. Alberta Darling (R) is pulling out a win in Wisconsin's 8th senate district.  If so, that means that state Democrats picked up two recall victories but fell short of the three needed to take control of the senate.

Michelle Obama Takes Secret Vacation to Oregon  —  First Lady Michelle Obama Slipped out of Washington unnoticed Monday for a secret trip to visit her brother, Oregon State University men's basketball coach Craig Robinson, at his home on Corvallis, Ore.  —  Mrs. Obama reportedly jetted …

S&P's Chambers: Balanced budget amendment would do more harm than good  —  (Scott Eells - BLOOMBERG) House and Senate Republicans have rallied around the notion of a balanced budget amendment to the Constitution as a solution to the country's dire fiscal straits.

Swing State Deficit Polling  —  We decided to look at public opinion on the debt deal in two swing states that could hold the key to Barack Obama's reelection, Colorado and North Carolina.  Here's what we found:  —Voters across party lines in both states think the deal will be bad for the economy.

John Derbyshire Wants To ‘Let Britain Burn’  —  It's been a while now since I've read a good old fashioned insane John Derbyshire post.  Fortunately, we've got this in today's National Review Online: … It's one thing if you want to call “deracinated moral universalism” a “sick” principle.

Lockdown in London, while trouble flares in Nottingham and Manchester  —  A firebomb was launched at a Nottingham police station, while shops were ablaze in Manchester  —  A police station in Nottingham was firebombed late on Tuesday by a group of up to 40 men, police said …

Bachmann's ‘Must-Read’ List Included A Book That Claims Blacks Were ‘Better Off In Nearly Every Way’ Under Slavery  —  Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann (R) has already made one slavery-related gaffe during her presidential campaign, signing a pledge produced by the Iowa FAMiLY LEADER …

Whole Foods: “We Should Not Highlight Ramadan” - UPDATED  —  ​Under pressure from right-wing bloggers who blindly associate Ramadan and Muslims with terrorism and burqas, Whole Foods has sent an email to its stores across the United States in which it specifically tells stores not to promote Ramadan this year.