Indiana abortion law ruled illegal  —  (CNN) - A controversial Indiana law that would keep low-income women from using federal Medicaid benefits to receive any kind of reproductive medical care from Planned Parenthood is unacceptable because it denies women the freedom to choose their health care providers …

TPMDC  —  One Chart That Shows What The Bush Tax Cut Battle Is All About  —  Considering all the Sturm und Drang over President Obama's plan to allow the Bush tax cuts to expire on income over $250,000 you'd think that Republicans and Democrats had hugely different ideas about where to set tax policy in 2013.

In Maryland, Higher Taxes Chase Out Rich: Study  —  A new report says wealthy Maryland residents may be moving out due to recent tax hikes - a finding that is sure to escalate the battle over taxing the American rich.  —  The study, by the anti-tax group Change Maryland …

Scorned Cottage Grove mom sets self ablaze  —  Police say the Cottage Grove woman, described as “vodka mom” on TV, was despondent over the asphyxiation death of her infant son.  —  A 29-year-old Cottage Grove woman set herself afire and died just weeks after being ridiculed as “vodka mom” …

Mick Jagger's affair with David Bowie revealed in new book: They ‘were really sexually obsessed with each other’  —  Bowie's wife found them in bed, backup singer and Playboy model claimed to share their bed  —  David Bowie's “Ziggy Stardust” era had Jagger wondering if this was the future.

BRAD PITT'S MOM IN FEAR AFTER SLAMMING OBAMA  —  Quaking after being attacked for opposing same-sex marriage  —  Jane Pitt, mother of actor Brad Pitt, has been scared into silence by the hate-filled, vulgar and even violent reaction to her public assertion that Barack Obama is …

Repealing health law would mean more benefits for members of Congress  —  Repealing President Obama's healthcare law would let members of Congress keep their government-subsidized insurance coverage after they retire — a benefit they lost under the health law.

Rep. West denies equating Social Security to slavery  —  Rep. Allen West (R-Fla.) on Monday blasted reports that he equated the Social Security program to “21st-century slavery,” writing on his Facebook page that he is “committed to protecting social security retirement benefits for retirees and future retirees.”

White Trash Reception Hits the Hill  —  Yeah, you read that headline right.  The lobbying and policy shop Strategic Health Care is hosting a “White Trash Reception on the Hill” next week.  We get forwarded a lot of reception invites here at the Alley and we've never seen one quite like this before.

Report: 83 percent of doctors have considered quitting over Obamacare  —  Eighty-three percent of American physicians have considered leaving their practices over President Barack Obama's health care reform law, according to a survey released by the Doctor Patient Medical Association.

Venezuela's Chavez says “totally free” of cancer, again  —  CARACAS (Reuters) - Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez declared himself fully recovered from cancer on Monday, three months before an election in which he is seeking another six-year term.  —  “Free, free, totally free,” …

China'S Import Growth Misses Estimates For June  —  China's imports rose less than anticipated in June, pushing the trade surplus to a three-year high and adding pressure on the government to support demand as the global economy slows.  —  Inbound shipments increased 6.3 percent from a year earlier …

Egypt parliament defies military  —  The interim constitutional declaration of 17 June gives the Scaf complete legislative power until a new parliament is elected and gives it a strong voice in the constitution-writing process.  The decree makes the military free from civilian oversight …

As Mine Protections Fail, Black Lung Cases Surge … Coal miners are tested for black lung at a clinic in West Virginia.  —  Part one of a two-part series.  —  It wasn't supposed to happen to coal miners in Mark McCowan's generation.  It wasn't supposed to strike so early and so hard.

President Obama, Mitt Romney deadlocked in race, poll finds  —  AP - A pair of tepid jobs reports, landmark Supreme Court decisions on health-care and immigration laws, and an unprecedented barrage of negative ads have shaped the opening months of the fall presidential campaign.

70 Students to Retake Exams After Cheating Case  —  Seventy students were involved in a pattern of smartphone-enabled cheating last month at Stuyvesant High School, New York City officials said Monday, describing an episode that has blemished one of the country's most prestigious public schools.