In New Poll, 44 Percent of Americans Approve of Supreme Court  —  WASHINGTON — Just 44 percent of Americans approve of the job the Supreme Court is doing and three-quarters say the justices' decisions are sometimes influenced by their personal or political views, according to a new poll conducted by The New York Times and CBS News.

Going dark to urge congressional action: Who will protect the freedom to blog?  —  My syndicated column today covers the crucial battle between truth-telling bloggers versus convicted bomber Brett Kimberlin and his band of malicious online thugs.  In honor of the National Day of Blogger Silence called …

No, Dems were not outspent 7 to 1 in Wisconsin  —  Politico's Glenn Thrush is the poster boy for hackery rationalizing Gov. Scott Walker's victory in the WI recall election: … You'll find less shouty, but still misleading, versions of this all over the media, e.g., Reuters, NPR …

Noonan: What's Changed After Wisconsin  —  The Obama administration suddenly looks like a house of cards.  —  What happened in Wisconsin signals a shift in political mood and assumption.  Public employee unions were beaten back and defeated in a state with a long progressive tradition.

(Video) AFSCME boss gives race-baiting speech at Occupy Milwaukee rally  —  On Wednesday, the day after Governor Scott Walker's recall election victory, Occupy Milwaukee held a rally in Pere Marquette Park, A march followed, which was at times was violent.  But the ugliest occurrence yesterday …

House defies veto threat, votes to repeal medical device tax  —  The House passed legislation Thursday that would repeal the healthcare reform law's tax on medical device manufacturers.  —  The measure won the support of 37 Democrats despite a veto threat from the Obama administration.

PAC Behind GOP Candidate For Gabby Giffords Seat Shows Gun In Email Appeal  —  A PAC supporting Jesse Kelly, a former Marine running to replace Rep. Gabrielle Giffords in a special election on Tuesday, is using an image Kelly's campaign has avoided thus far — the candidate holding a gun.

Data show US experiencing hottest year on record thus far  —  Federal data released Thursday show the United States has had its warmest spring, it's warmest year to date, and warmest 12-month stretch on record.  —  The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration released figures showing …

Rand Paul endorses Romney  —  File this under signs the Ron Paul campaign is really, truly over: Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul threw his support tonight to Mitt Romney.  —  The endorsement came in an appearance on “Hannity,” a little less than 24 hours after the elder Paul acknowledged in an email …

Campaigns Blitz 9 Swing States in a War of Ads  —  HENDERSON, Nev. — The presidential campaigns and their allies are zeroing in mainly on nine swing states, bombarding them with commercials in the earliest concentration of advertising in modern politics.  —  With so many resources focused …

TPMDC  —  Scheiber: Romney's Claim About My Book Is ‘False’  —  The author of a book documenting the White House's policy making strategy, cited multiple times by GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney, says the former Massachusetts governor is using the book to dishonestly accuse President Obama of intentionally harming the economy.

Reagan Was a Keynesian  —  There's no question that America's recovery from the financial crisis has been disappointing.  In fact, I've been arguing that the era since 2007 is best viewed as a “depression,” an extended period of economic weakness and high unemployment that …

Former ACORN Director Gets $445 Mil From U.S. Treasury … The Obama Administration has given a former director at the scandal-plagued Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN) nearly half a billion dollars to offer “struggling” Illinois homeowners mortgage assistance, a Judicial Watch investigation has found.

House panel gives TSA advice on improving its image  —  One suggestion was that the agency stop doing pat-down searches of well-known passengers such as Donald Rumsfeld and Henry Kissinger.  —  A Transportation Security Administration agent stops Shay McCall and her Chihuahua during …

Democrats paralyzed on tax cuts  —  Senate Democratic leaders are politically paralyzed on how to proceed on the Bush-era tax rates.  —  With five months to go before the election, President Obama and key congressional Democrats remain at odds on whether the threshold for extending …

Heitkamp Leads Berg in Latest Poll  —  UPDATE: Campaigns weigh in on our poll.  Click here to view  —  POLL SHOWS HEITKAMP WITH SLIM LEAD  —  The latest polling in the North Dakota U.S. Senate race shows Democrat Heidi Heitkamp holding a very slim lead over likely Republican nominee Rick Berg.

Between the Lines: By Mark Halperin  —  FILE - In this June 4, 2012 file photo, President Barack Obama speaks in New York.  President Barack Obama and Democrats awoke Wednesday to the cruel reality of June, the political blows from the bitter loss in Wisconsin's gubernatorial recall election …

Here's one Wall Street regulation that Republicans love  —  The GOP has largely has a “just say no” approach to bank regulation: promise to repeal Dodd-Frank and, in the meantime, water down the pending rules.  But at a Senate Banking hearing on Wednesday, some Republicans suggested …

Testimony  —  Economic Outlook and Policy  —  Before the Joint Economic Committee, U.S. Congress, Washington, D.C.  —  Chairman Casey, Vice Chairman Brady, and other members of the Committee, I appreciate this opportunity to discuss the economic outlook and economic policy.

Colorado: Obama 45%, Romney 45%  —  President Obama and Mitt Romney are neck-and-neck in Rasmussen Reports' first look at the presidential race in Colorado.  —  A new statewide telephone survey of Likely Voters shows both the president and his likely Republican challenger receiving 45% support in the Centennial State.