Confidence in Obama reaches new low, Washington Post-ABC News poll finds  —  Public confidence in President Obama has hit a new low, according to the latest Washington Post-ABC News poll.  Four months before midterm elections that will define the second half of his term …

Dems, AARP want to make IRA enrollment automatic  —  The White House and congressional Democrats, with the backing of the AARP, will soon put forth a plan to automatically enroll new private-sector employees in investment retirement accounts (IRAs).  —  The measure will apply to new workers …

Tea party groups choose to stand mute on same-sex marriage ruling  —  While many conservative organizations immediately decried a federal judge's decision last week to invalidate the federal ban on recognizing gay marriages, tea party groups have been conspicuously silent on the issue.

Obama strategy against Palin, or other GOP foes?  Run against Bush  —  White House spokesman Robert Gibbs didn't talk about Sarah Palin specifically yesterday, but he did address any Republican who is thinking about challenging President Obama in 2012.  —  The bottom line …

A Congressman, Held Accountable  —  If you don't think voters are up in arms about the discriminatory policies of Barack Obama's Department of Justice, check out this video of a town hall meeting held by Democratic Congressman Brad Sherman, CA-27.  A constituent asks him about DOJ's dismissal …

Crist leads 3-way Senate race in Florida  —  (Reuters) - Florida Governor Charlie Crist holds a narrow edge over Republican Marco Rubio in a three-way Senate race dominated by economic worries, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll released on Tuesday.  —  Crist, who left the Republican Party …

JCN Letter to Senate Judiciary Com.  On Kagan's Health Care Recusal Questions  —  Chairman, U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary  —  Washington.  D.C. 20510  —  Hon. Jefferson B. Sessions  —  Ranking Member, U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary  —  335 Russell Senate Office Building

Beyond Guns: N.R.A. Expands Agenda  —  WASHINGTON — Fresh off a string of victories in the courts and Congress, the National Rifle Association is flexing political muscle outside its normal domain, with both Democrats and Republicans courting its favor and avoiding its wrath on issues that sometimes seem to have little to do with guns.

The Bush Tax Cuts and the Deficit Myth  —  Runaway government spending, not declining tax revenues, is the reason the U.S. faces dramatic budget shortfalls for years to come.  —  President Obama and congressional Democrats are blaming their trillion-dollar budget deficits on the Bush tax cuts of 2001 and 2003.

Rush blasts Brown  —  Scott Brown gets a lecture from Rush Limbaugh for backing the financial regulatory overhaul:  —  The Republicans are only as strong as their weakest link.  Now, here's an illustration, and herein lies the problem with Republican governance because Republican governance is different from conservative governance.

No extension of unemployment benefits in sight for the long-term jobless  —  TOMS RIVER, N.J. — Even before his unemployment checks ended, Dwight Michael Frazee's days were filled with the pursuit of any idea that could earn him a buck.  But few are working out, and now his nights are filled with dread.

Kathy Griffin's ‘My Life on the D-List’ trip to Washington falls flat on humor  —  Kathy Griffin, a relentless publicity seeker who has built her comic persona around seeming less famous than she's actually become, brought her “My Life on the D-List” camera crew to Washington in March to show …

Zuckerman's contribution  —  Real Estate and media mogul Mort Zuckerman raised eyebrows all over yesterday with the claim on Fox that he “helped write one of [Obama's] speeches,” and his subsequent refusal to go into it right now.  —  Among those with reason to be puzzled …

The Coming Birth Control Battle  —  Health-care reform raised the possibility that birth control could soon be free for most women.  But not if conservative activists have their way.  Dana Goldstein reports.  —  Could prescription birth control—whether the pill, an IUD, or a diaphragm …

Reader Thoughts: Why Pickup Artists Are Lame  —  Reader DavidBN explains some of the sadness of pickup artists: … Incidentally, I'm being accused in the comments of engaging in some sort of conspiracy to keep the Beta Man down.  More on primate theory later, but for now let me point …

Suffer These Crimes in Oakland?  Don't Call the Cops  —  Dozens of layoffs effective at midnight, barring last minute deal  —  Oakland's police chief is making some dire claims about what his force will and will not respond to if layoffs go as planned.  —  Chief Anthony Batts listed …

Mocking war hero Nick Popaditch: A teachable moment; Updated  —  On Sunday night, several readers e-mailed to let me know about a cartoon in the Imperial Valley (CA) Press that upset them immensely.  —  Reader Marty sent the jpeg.  It shows two young skateboarder punks looking up at a campaign poster.

Media Maven  —  The strategic genius of Sarah Palin.  —  Like most great women of mystery, Sarah Palin is at once everywhere and nowhere.  On any given evening, you might see the former Alaska governor-turned-conservative- icon on Fox News, chatting up like-minded travelers about the political buzz du jour.

Farrakhan Demands Reparations from Jews  —  Louis Farrakhan recently sent a three-page letter along with two books to the heads of 16 Jewish organizations.  —  Dated June 24, 2010, the letter is resplendent with a crescent-and-moon flag and Farrakhan's impressive-sounding title …

George Steinbrenner, owner of New York Yankees, has died in Tampa at age of 80  —  George Steinbrenner, a towering and intimidating figure who dominated the New York sports scene for 35 years, winning 11 American League pennants and seven world championships as owner of the Yankees …

Levin: I Understand Why Gays Are Frustrated By DADT Survey (VIDEO)  —  Armed Services Committee Chairman Sen. Carl Levin told reporters this morning at a breakfast hosted by the Christian Science Monitor that he supports surveying troops about the repeal of the Don't Ask, Don't Tell ban on LGBT people in the military.

Strategic Defaulters as the New Welfare Queens  —  A well placed Washington contact wrote: … Yves here.  What continues to amaze me is how fast the disinformation is being shoveled out: … So why all this hysteria about strategic defaulters?  If I were conspiracy-minded …

Abused staffers net nearly $1M a year  —  Taxpayers have paid out nearly $1 million per year in settlements to congressional employees who have been harassed or otherwise treated badly by their political bosses over the past 14 years, according to records from the Office of Compliance.

N.Y. Congressman Calls for Inquiry Into Funding of Mosque Near Ground Zero  —  May 25: Community members both for and against the plan to build a mosque and cultural center near Ground Zero in Lower Manhattan speak during board meeting.  —  NEW YORK — The ranking Republican …