Bill and Hillary Clinton are ‘livid’ at comparisons to Weiner's sexcapades and Huma's forgiveness  —  Bill and Hillary Clinton are angry with efforts by mayoral hopeful Anthony Weiner and his campaign to compare his Internet sexcapades — and his wife Huma Abedin's incredible forgiveness …

The Affordable Care Act's Rate-Setting Won't Work  —  Experience tells me the Independent Payment Advisory Board will fail.  —  Continuing efforts by congressional Republicans to “defund” further implementation of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, even if it takes shutting …

What the Pope Did and Didn't Say on the Plane  —  Papal plane rides have been known to get people talking.  Infamously, there was Pope Benedict's 2009 plane ride to Africa, when a remark about condoms was woefully misunderstood (and the cardinal archbishop of Buenos Aires …

Release Detail  —  July 29, 2013 - Weiner Should Drop Out, NYC Likely Dem Voters Tell Quinnipiac University Poll; Quinn Leads, With De Blasio, Thompson Tied For Second  —  Congressman Anthony Weiner drops to fourth place among likely Democratic primary voters in the race for New York City mayor …

Mitt Romney's Incredible 47-Percent Denial: “Actually, I Didn't Say That”  —  Poor Mitt Romney.  He seems unable to come to terms with one of the most significant episodes in his public life: the 47 percent video that undercut his chance of becoming president of the United States.

Are Republicans too divided to have a civil war?  —  A nasty fight is brewing among Republicans over a proposal to defund Obamacare.  Another intra-party fight is flaring over national security and the war on terror.  And yet another is well under way over immigration reform.

Widening Regional Divide over Abortion Laws  —  OVERVIEW  —  While the balance of opinion toward abortion nationwide has remained largely steady over the past 20 years, there are widening disparities in public attitudes on the issue across different regions of the country.

Conservatives bashed me for speaking out about the Zimmerman verdict  —  America may be a nation of ‘free speech’, but be prepared to be bullied and harassed for speaking up, especially on race  —  Hours after the George Zimmerman verdict, I found myself at my computer, calling to mind a text I had first read in seminary.

Obama Vineyard vacation at $7.6m private resort, over 75 rooms booked for staff  —  MASSACHUSETTS WASHINGTON SECRETS WHITE HOUSE  —  The Massachusetts island of Martha's Vineyard, the exclusive playground for presidents and their families, is about to get its annual summer infusion of cash …

Pat Robertson On Transgender People  —  Bring It Online is the daily portion of Pat Robertson's CBN show where he answers questions from viewers.  Today he was asked the above question and his answer, while far from perfect, was rather surprising.  “I don't understand all that, but I think they are men who are in a woman's body.

In 93-1 vote, Senate confirms FBI nominee  —  The Senate voted 93-1 Monday to confirm James Comey as head of the FBI.  —  The only senator to vote against Comey was Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), who has expressed concerns about the FBI's domestic drone program.  —  Sens. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) and Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) voted present.

Guantanamo's Secret Camp Loves ‘Shades Of Grey’ Series, Officials Tell Congressional Delegation  —  ALEXANDRIA, Va. — Military officials gave a congressional delegation a tour of Guantanamo's secretive Camp Seven last week and told a visiting congressional delegation that the camp's high-value detainees enjoy …

Building collapses in Philadelphia  —  (CNN) — Firefighters in Philadelphia were responding to a building collapse Monday morning, the city's fire department said.  —  Witnesses told CNN affiliate KYW that they heard an explosion and smelled gas after the blast.

Fear of a Female Fed Chief  —  The hard-money cranks of the right have spent the Obama years nurturing fears of incipient inflation that never seems to arrive, yet whose non-arrival never dents their airtight worldview.  The current jostling between Larry Summers and Janet Yellen to become …

Stranded by Sprawl  —  Detroit is a symbol of the old economy's decline.  It's not just the derelict center; the metropolitan area as a whole lost population between 2000 and 2010, the worst performance among major cities.  Atlanta, by contrast, epitomizes the rise of the Sun Belt …

AP Exclusive: GOP Donor's School Grade Changed  —  Former Indiana and current Florida schools chief Tony Bennett built his national star by promising to hold “failing” schools accountable.  But when it appeared an Indianapolis charter school run by a prominent Republican donor might receive a poor grade …

Jackson County Circuit judge fires 34-year court veteran for good deed  —  A Kansas City man freed from prison three decades after being wrongfully convicted of rape considers Sharon Snyder his “angel” for giving him a public document that showed him how to properly seek DNA tests.

House GOP leaders may have trouble adjourning for the summer  —  House Republican leaders looking to adjourn for the August break at the end of this week could run into trouble, as members of both parties might vote against leaving to protest the lack of progress on spending measures, immigration, the budget and the farm bill.

At the 11th Hour, a Languid Congress  —  WASHINGTON — Congressional lawmakers will straggle into the Capitol this week for the last legislative days before their long summer recess, crunch time in past Congresses but a sleepy time for the underachieving 113th.

HOT PRESS MEETS KEVIN SPACEY  —  House Of Cards actor Kevin Spacey talks about power, conspiracy, his mate Bill Clinton and whether he'd ever run for office...  Spacey's asides to the camera, uttered in a slow, Southern drawl, lend the character an appropriately slimy and smug air.

Rand Paul explains why both sides are losing the GOP civil war  —  So Rand Paul is in a bit of an argument with Republicans like New Jersey Governor Chris Christie and and New York Congressman Peter King over warrantless surveillance.  Paul says he's against it, and they say they're for it …

Fast food strikes intensify in seven cities  —  The biggest walkout yet begins this morning — and the strikes could have far-reaching implications for labor  —  This morning marks the start of what will likely be the largest fast food worker mobilization in U.S. history …