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 …

David Plouffe rips Darrell Issa ‘loose ethically’  —  Former White House senior adviser David Plouffe took to Twitter to question Rep. Darrell Issa's ethics after the California Republican trashed press secretary Jay Carney.  —  “Strong words from Mr Grand Theft Auto and suspected arsonist/insurance swindler.

Report: How GOP lost young voters  —  A new postmortem on the November elections from the nation's leading voice for college Republicans offers a searing indictment of the GOP “brand” and the major challenges the party faces in wooing young voters, according to a copy given exclusively to POLITICO.

Manufacturing Drops-Unexpectedly!  —  From Bloomberg: … Glenn Reynolds initiated the “Unexpectedly!” theme several years ago; since then there have been countless news stories about the U.S. economy's “unexpected” failures to perform.  Observers generally offer micro-explanations based on trends of the moment.

The Decline of the Obama Presidency  —  His second term is coming undone not because of scandal but because of decisions made in the previous four years.  —  John Dos Passos, the novelist and historian, once said: “Often things you think are just beginning are coming to an end.”

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.

Scandalpalooza  —  Is Team O trying to tire us out?  —  The Obama Scandalpalooza continues.  It's gotten so bad that some pundits have even suggested that they're bringing everything out at once to induce “scandal fatigue” and make it all fade away.  Well, maybe — there's certainly a lot:

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 …

Mayhem in the city: 25 people shot in 48 hours  —  Three killed Sunday after three were killed Saturday.  One of the wounded includes an 11-year-old girl who will never walk again.  —  Cops check the scene of a deadly gun battle at Bedford Ave. and Lenox Road in Brooklyn on Sunday.

Donald Trump Eyes 2016  —  Despite Donald Trump's best efforts, Republican National Convention-goers missed out on what could have been a very interesting video.  The real-estate mogul tells me he filmed a five-minute commercial for Romney that featured the mogul saying “You're fired!” …

Al Sharpton's Long Bill of Goods, From Tawana Brawley to Primetime  —  As a ‘Times’ documentary revives one of the many ugly incidents from the reverend's past, it's time NBC accounted for its decision to rehabilitate and promote him, writes Stuart Stevens.  —  The Tawana Brawley case …

Supreme Court allows police to obtain DNA samples without warrant  —  Police can take DNA samples from those under arrest the same as they take fingerprints and photographs, the Supreme Court said in a 5-4 decision on Monday.  —  The ruling defied the court's traditional ideological divisions.

GOP Rejiggers Obamacare Bill After Conservative Revolt  —  House Republican leaders have refashioned legislation aimed at improving the party's credibility on the issue of preexisting conditions after conservatives scuttled it in April.  —  And they're planning to vote on it this month.

Inside The Meltdown At America's Most Conservative, Most Christian Political Consulting Firm  —  Rex Elsass build a Republican empire on his faith.  But he found himself battling his closest allies over his immortal soul.  —  DELAWARE, Ohio — About 30 miles north of Columbus …

Two-Thirds of Americans Don't Know If They Will Insure Under Obamacare  —  There's no assurance folks will be buying insurance under Obamacare, and that could spell trouble for the Affordable Care Act.  —  Nearly two-thirds of Americans who currently lack health insurance don't know yet …

THE PRESIDENT AND THE PRESS  —  In 1969, when nothing excited the public's interest like the depredations of drug fiends, the Louisville Courier-Journal sent a reporter named Paul Branzburg to penetrate Kentucky's marijuana underground.  He published eyewitness accounts …