US Sen. Frank Lautenberg dies at 89  —  Frank R. Lautenberg, who rose from a poor Paterson boyhood to become a multimillionaire businessman and New Jersey's longest-serving U.S.senator, died Monday at 89 of viral pneumonia, his office said.  —  The oldest member of the Senate …

Lindsey Graham: ‘No Evidence’ White House Directed IRS To Target Conservatives  —  Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) on Monday became the latest Republican to reject Darrell Issa's comments that White House press secretary Jay Carney is a “paid liar” in relation to the IRS controversy.

Scalia Gets It Right  —  The collection of DNA evidence is a powerful crime-control tool, but it also has the potential to lead to greater invasions of privacy.  Today, a bare majority of the Supreme Court held in Maryland v. King that the former considerations should outweigh the latter.

All Good Things...  So it's been a rough month for my family and me.  It's been a rough month for the blog too.  I'm well aware that people come here to read about public affairs, not personal losses.  —  Unfortunately, family and personal matters must claim my attention for some time to come.

Anatomy of a Bogus Obamacare Argument  —  If you want to know why we can't have an honest debate about Obamacare, all you have to do is pay attention to some recent news from California—and the way a highly distorted version of it, by one irresponsible writer, has rippled through the conservative press.

McCarthy diagnosed with lung cancer  —  “There will be some tough days ahead and I will have to miss activities in Washington during my treatment in New York, but I will continue to be a strong advocate for the 4th Congressional District — and I remain committed to improving Long Island's schools …

Woman embroiled in Petraeus scandal sues gov't agencies  —  (CNN) - Jill Kelley, the woman described as a “Tampa socialite” who became enmeshed in last year's scandal involving former CIA Director David Petraeus, filed a lawsuit Monday alleging employees of government agencies violated her privacy.

Sen. Ted Cruz leading the charge on abolishing the IRS  —  Also in this playlist...  Editor's Picks  —  This transcript is automatically generated  —  Senator thank you for joining us we go way back — the old days of Texas solicitor general days if I'm not mistaken.

On the Brink of a Feud With Rush Limbaugh, Bill O'Reilly Backed Down  —  A new book claims he did so on orders from Roger Ailes.  Are conservative critiques of talk radio suppressed?  —  Almost no one remembers Bill O'Reilly's searing attack on Rush Limbaugh-style talk radio hosts in 2008.

GOP Report Warns Of Party's Apocalypse With Young Voters  —  The Republican Party's troubles with young voters are well known.  But a new internal report virtually elevates the threat level to apocalyptic, declaring that the GOP needs a “fundamental re-thinking” of its approach in order to remain viable with the younger generation.

Biden cancels annual summer beach party  —  Vice President Joe Biden will not be throwing his annual beach party for journalists this summer, POLITICO has learned.  —  Since 2010, Vice President Biden and Dr. Jill Biden have invited top journalists to their home at the Naval Observatory …

Devoted to Politics, MSNBC Slips on Breaking News  —  At MSNBC they view it as rooting against death and destruction: the last thing the channel wants is more months like the last two, filled with terror bombings, tornadoes and plant accidents.  —  It's not all altruism.

The Dirtiest, Nastiest, Low-Down Campaign In America: Cuccinelli vs. McAuliffe  —  The campaigns of Republican Ken Cuccinelli and Democrat Terry McAuliffe, the two major candidates for Governor in Virginia this year, both claim to be focused on positive messages about growing the economy and creating jobs in the Old Dominion.

Trial Portrays Two Sides Private in WikiLeaks Case  —  FORT MEADE, Md. — The court-martial of Pfc. Bradley Manning, whose secret release of a vast archive of military and diplomatic materials put WikiLeaks into an international spotlight, opened here Monday with dueling portrayals of a traitor …

Study: Medicaid expansion a good deal for states  —  States would save money by accepting the Medicaid expansion in President Obama's healthcare law, according to a new study.  —  The research, published in the journal Health Affairs, said states that reject the Medicaid expansion will end …