Clyburn says S.C. Dem Senate candidate is a ‘plant,’ calls for probe  —  The man nominated as Democrats' candidate for Senate in South Carolina might have been a “plant,” a high-ranking Democrat suggested Thursday.  —  House Majority Whip James Clyburn (D-S.C.) called on the U.S. Attorney's office …

Did Harry Reid get a softball opponent?  —  Harry Reid is looking at life from a whole new Angle.  —  Only weeks ago, the Senate majority leader was a dead man walking, facing a seemingly inevitable defeat in his reelection battle in Nevada.  But then came Tuesday's primary …

Scott Tops Mccollum In Florida GOP Gov Race, Quinnipiac University Poll Finds; Dem Senate Primary Race Too Close To Call  —  Political neophyte Rick Scott has surged to a 44 - 31 percent lead over Florida Attorney General Bill McCollum in the race for the Republican nomination for governor …

Political Cornflakes  —  Sen. Eastman passes away.  Bennett backs Bridgewater.  Scott Matheson meets the Judiciary Committee.  —  It's Thursday and as many of you know, former state Sen. Dan Eastman died of a heart attack recently.  He was car dealer turned state lawmaker, known for supporting economic development (think USTAR).

I've Got 99 Weeks of Unemployment, And Also a Lot of Problems  —  With long-term unemployment surging to unprecedented highs, Annie Lowrey takes a look at the plight of those facing expiration of Unemployment Insurance as they head up against the 99 week mark:

BP and Officials Block Some Coverage of Gulf Oil Spill  —  When the operators of Southern Seaplane in Belle Chasse, La., called the local Coast Guard-Federal Aviation Administration command center for permission to fly over restricted airspace in Gulf of Mexico, they made what they thought was a simple and routine request.

Publishing Company Under Fire for Putting Warning Label on Constitution  —  Warning that appears on Wilder Publications' reprints of the Constitution, the Declaration of Independence and other historical texts.  —  A small publishing company is under fire after putting warning labels on copies …

Op-Ed Contributor: Talking About Israel, Without the Clichés  —  THE Israeli raid on the Free Gaza flotilla has generated an outpouring of clichés from the usual suspects.  It is almost impossible to discuss the Middle East without resorting to tired accusations and ritual defenses …

Kagan has many achievements, but her world has been relatively narrow  —  One night, at an intimate dinner, Elena Kagan lavished such praise on Justice Antonin Scalia that he almost teared up.  The next afternoon, in front of a crowd of 500, she lauded him some more, nearly choking up herself.

Where's the Rah-Rah Sisterhood?  —  The overriding theme of Tuesday night's primary coverage was that it was a big night for female politicians.  But there is a noticeable dearth of rah-rah sisterhood going on (though the National Review is pretty excited).

My mic was on?  Senate hopeful Fiorina mocks Barbara Boxer's hair, moans about Fox's Sean Hannity  —  Carly Fiorina spent her first day as California's Republican U.S. Senate candidate with one of her custom shoes planted firmly in her mouth.  —  Unaware of an open mic before a television interview …

Jobs report a nightmare for Obama progressivism  —  Concerning the job numbers from May, one can almost echo Henry James's exclamation after examining letters pertaining to Lord Byron's incest: “Nauseating perhaps, but how quite inexpressibly significant.”  Except that the May numbers' significance …

‘Still a long way to go’ for U.S. operation in Marja, Afghanistan  —  MARJA, AFGHANISTAN — Residents of this onetime Taliban sanctuary see signs that the insurgents have regained momentum in recent weeks, despite early claims of success by U.S. Marines.  The longer-than-expected effort …

U.S. and BP slow to accept Dutch expertise  —  Three days after the explosion of the Deepwater Horizon in the Gulf of Mexico, the Dutch government offered to help.  —  It was willing to provide ships outfitted with oil-skimming booms, and it proposed a plan for building sand barriers to protect sensitive marshlands.

Abbas tells U.S. Jews: I would never deny Jewish right to the land of Israel  —  Palestinian president meets with leaders of the American Jewish community in Washington, interviews with Charlie Rose.  —  Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas told U.S. Jewish leaders on Wednesday …

Boris Johnson tells Barack Obama: Stop bashing Britain  —  Senior Tories today warned Barack Obama to back off as billions of pounds were wiped off BP shares in the row over the Gulf of Mexico oil spill.  —  Mayor Boris Johnson demanded an end to “anti-British rhetoric, buck-passing and name-calling” …

Scoundrel Time  —  Michael Douglas is the very model of a modern aging Boomer.  —  Solitary Man  —  Directed by Brian Koppelman  —  and David Levien  —  Remember when wacky codgers in movies used to sit in rocking chairs on porches dispensing cranky wisdom?

ACORN employees tell FBI of deliberate election fraud, according to new documents  —  The radical activist group ACORN “works” for the Democratic Party and deliberately promotes election fraud, ACORN employees told FBI investigators, according to an FBI document dump Wednesday.

Lindsey Graham Said What About Climate Change?  —  On Tuesday, South Carolina Republican Lindsey Graham told reporters that he would vote against the climate bill he helped author.  Now he's going one step further.  Graham, one of the few Republicans who claimed to care about climate change, now says global warming is no big deal.

The End of Men  —  Earlier this year, women became the majority of the workforce for the first time in U.S. history.  Most managers are now women too.  And for every two men who get a college degree this year, three women will do the same.  For years, women's progress has been cast as a struggle for equality.

A Modest Proposal: A King and Queen for America  —  The national campaign to get President Obama to emote, throw crockery at oil executives and jump up and down in fury has failed.  But here's a long-term solution: Let's anoint a king and queen.  —  If we can just get over George III …

Climate change showdown  —  Democratic leaders are scrambling to prevent the Senate from delivering a stinging slap to President Barack Obama on climate change.  —  They have offered a vote on a bill they dislike in the hopes of avoiding a loss on legislation Obama hates.