Shutdown looms over ObamaCare  —  ObamaCare is at the center of a rapidly escalating fight that threatens to shut the government down this fall.  [WATCH VIDEO]  —  Senate Republicans, including two members of the leadership, are coalescing around a proposal to block any government funding resolution …

Poll: Obama's job approval plunges; Congress, especially GOP, still unpopular  —  WASHINGTON — Stung by Americans' persistent worries about the economy and a capital gripped by controversy and gridlock, President Barack Obama is suffering his lowest job approval numbers in nearly two years, according to a new McClatchy-Marist poll.

President to seek credit on economic uptick  —  President Obama will grab credit for an improving economy in a series of speeches this week that the White House hopes will increase his political clout.  —  The messaging effort is intended to portray Obama as focused on jobs …

Sacha Baron Cohen Exits Freddie Mercury Biopic Over Creative Differences With Queen  —  BREAKING... EXCLUSIVE... Sacha Baron Cohen is just not seeing eye to eye with the remaining members of Queen who have script and director approval over that biopic on iconic lead singer Freddie Mercury.

Republicans wait as O'Donnell weighs another campaign  —  In the three years since her unsuccessful U.S. Senate campaign nearly caused a schism in the state Republican Party, little has changed for Christine O'Donnell as she considers another race.  —  O'Donnell continues to be regarded …

Michelle Nunn declares herself a U.S. Senate candidate  —  Shortly after 1 p.m. Monday, Michelle Nunn declared herself a Democratic candidate in the 2014 race for U.S. Senate, the very seat once held by her father.  —  The formal announce will come Tuesday, when she files the official paperwork.

Getting Detroit Back on Its Feet  —  After suffering through decades of economic decline and official mismanagement, the city of Detroit sought bankruptcy protection last week, becoming the largest American municipality to take that extreme step.  The city's debts total a staggering $18 billion …

The NYPD: Guilty of Saving 7,383 Lives  —  Accusations of racial profiling ignore the fact that violent crime overwhelmingly occurs in minority neighborhoods.  —  Since 2002, the New York Police Department has taken tens of thousands of weapons off the street through proactive policing strategies.

Sex harassment suit filed against Filner, SD  —  The former top spokeswoman for Mayor Bob Filner sued him and the city for sexual harassment Monday, alleging he repeatedly made unwanted sexual advances toward her and put her in a headlock on several occasions so she couldn't get away.

Both Parties Need to Keep an Eye on Older Voters for 2014 Elections  —  The electorate has changed since the 2010 midterms, and this segment - which voted Republican in the last two elections - appears to be shifting in recent surveys.  —  This week, I had the opportunity to listen …

Zimmerman verdict poll: Stark reaction by race  —  The not-guilty verdict in the trial of George Zimmerman has produced dramatically different reactions among blacks and whites, with African Americans overwhelmingly disapproving of the jury's decision and a bare majority of whites saying …

New York Man Arrested After Threatening Two News Anchors On Twitter  —  PHOENIX (AP) — A New York man has been arrested on allegations that he made threats on Twitter against two national newscasters who angered him with their coverage of the Jodi Arias trial, Arizona authorities said Monday.

House GOP August Plan: Hate on Washington  —  When House Republicans retreat to their districts for the August recess, they will each be armed with a detailed guide — an exceptionally detailed guide — on how to assure their already convinced constituents that Washington is broken.

Brazilian crowds delight pope, frustrate security  —  RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — A wrong turn sent a humble Fiat carrying Pope Francis into the thick of a frenzied Rio crowd Monday, in his first minutes back in South America since becoming pontiff.  It was a nightmare for security officials …

Pentagon Lays Out Options for U.S. Military Effort in Syria  —  WASHINGTON — The Pentagon has provided Congress with its first detailed list of military options to stem the bloody civil war in Syria, suggesting that a campaign to tilt the balance from President Bashar al-Assad to the opposition …

Chicago alderman gets White House award, admits talking to FBI … Clout Street  —  In a case of only-in-Chicago political timing, the White House announced Monday it would honor Ald.  Joe Moore as a “pioneer for political reform,” the same day the veteran City Council member revealed …

Former military head says it was quickly clear terrorists behind Benghazi consulate attack  —  The former head of U.S. forces in Africa, General Carter Ham, told the Aspen Security Forum that it quickly became clear the assault on the American consulate in Benghazi last year was a terrorist attack and not a spontaneous demonstration.

Radioactive wastewater from Fukushima power plant leaking into ocean, say officials  —  More than two years after a magnitude 9. earthquake and resulting tsunami devestated northeastern Japan, the Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) announced that contaminated groundwater appears to be leaking …

CNN Contributor: Kate Middleton ‘Brilliant’ Because Duchess Delivered Boy In First Try  —  After Monday's much-anticipated arrival of an heir to the British throne, CNN's Royal Contributor opined that Prince William's wife, Kate Middleton, made for a “brilliant” royal because she was able to deliver a boy on the “first time.”

Former S.C. Treasurer Faces D.W.I. Charge  —  Thomas Ravenel was arrested early this morning by East Hampton Village police  —  Thomas Ravenel, a former South Carolina state treasurer who has reportedly been contemplating a return to political life after serving seven months on federal drug charges …