Romney Campaign Declaring Cease Fire on Health Care  —  In the aftermath of the Supreme Court health care ruling, the early conventional wisdom was that an unfavorable health care ruling at the court would be good for Republicans politically, even as it was a serious policy setback for conservatives.

CONSERVATIVES TO MITT: QUIT NOW IF YOU WON'T FIGHT OBAMATAX!  —  The Obama campaign has seized on remarks made by Romney adviser Eric “Etch-A-Sketch” Fehrnstrom this morning on MSNBC, to the effect that the individual mandate in Obamacare (and Romneycare) is not a tax.

House to prohibit IRS from implementing healthcare law  —  The House as early as next week will pass legislation prohibiting the IRS from receiving any money from the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to implement the 2010 healthcare reform law.  —  Passage of the financial …

Andy Griffith Dead — TV Icon Dies at 86  —  DEAD AT 86  —  R.I.P.  —  8:15 AM — Ron Howard just went to Twitter to post a message about his friend Andy Griffith ... writing, “His pursuit of excellence and the joy he took in creating served generations & shaped my life I'm forever grateful RIP Andy.”

Where the Money Lives  —  For all Mitt Romney's touting of his business record, when it comes to his own money the Republican nominee is remarkably shy about disclosing numbers and investments.  Nicholas Shaxson delves into the murky world of offshore finance, revealing loopholes that allow …

Rigged Rates, Rigged Markets  —  Marcus Agius, the chairman of Barclays, resigned on Monday, saying “the buck stops with me.”  His was the first departure since the British bank agreed last week to pay $450 million to settle findings that, from 2005 to 2009, it had tried to rig benchmark interest rates to benefit its own bottom line.

Exclusive  —  Over the years, as the media fixated on Anderson Cooper's sexuality, Kathy Griffin talked around the questions.  Now that he's come out, she explains why she thinks her friend needs to be careful.  —  My friend Anderson Cooper is the scion of one of America's great shipping and railroad families, the Vanderbilts.

Obama braces for June jobs data  —  Weak June manufacturing numbers released Monday intensified concern about the fragility of the economic recovery and turned election-watchers' attention toward unemployment numbers due out at the end of this week.  —  The reports, just four months …

I-1192's marriage initiative won't make ballot  —  The citizen initiative that would spell out that marriage is only between a man and a woman won't qualify for the November ballot.  Its sponsor, Stephen Pidgeon of Everett, says Initiative 1192 is more than 140,000 signatures short ahead …

Allen West: President Obama Wants Americans To ‘Be His Slave’ … REACT:  —  FOLLOW:  —  Allen West, Allen West, Elections 2012, Video, Allen West Obama, Allen West Obama Slave, Politics News  —  WASHINGTON — Rep. Allen West (R-Fla.) can't seem to stay out of the spotlight, for better or for worse.

Mayor Villaraigosa, KTLA's Lu Parker end relationship  —  TV reporter's publicist confirms that the couple have broken up after three years.  Villaraigosa declines to answer questions about Parker, who had been living at mayor's mansion.  —  Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and Lu Parker at the 2011 Clive Davis Pre-Grammy Gala.

8,733,461: Workers on Federal ‘Disability’ Exceed Population of New York City  —  (CNSNews.com) - A record of 8,733,461 workers took federal disability insurance payments in June 2012, according to the Social Security Administration.  That was up from 8,707,185 in May.

N.C. Rep. Kissell bucks Democratic party with Holder, health care votes  —  Democratic U.S. Rep. Larry Kissell, whose rural North Carolina district has become even more Republican, is bucking his party again in two high-profile congressional votes.  —  Last week, Kissell was one of 17 Democrats …

This US summer is ‘what global warming looks like’  —  WASHINGTON (AP) - If you want a glimpse of some of the worst of global warming, scientists suggest taking a look at U.S. weather in recent weeks.  —  Horrendous wildfires.  Oppressive heat waves.  Devastating droughts.  Flooding from giant deluges.

Freedom Isn't Free  —  As Independence Day approaches, I've been thinking about that iconic American saying, “Freedom Isn't Free.”  —  Usually it refers to the sacrifice of the men and women who serve in the military and their families — and it's especially poignant now that Iraq …

Eric Holder says Republicans have made him a ‘proxy’ to attack President Obama  —  Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. sharply criticized lawmakers Monday for voting to hold him in contempt of Congress last week, saying Republicans have made him a “proxy” to attack President Obama in an election year.