Obama Heads to the Front to Do Battle on Health-Care Reform  —  Six months into his presidency, Barack Obama may have no greater test of his ability to translate personal popularity into a successful legislative agenda than the upcoming two weeks.  —  With skepticism about the president's …

Hooker who worked for Kristin Davis says Eliot Spitzer wasn't her only governor  —  Another gubernatorial sex scandal may be looming.  Even as South Carolina's Mark Sanford waits to see whether his wife, Jenny, forgives his romp in the pampas, a New York call girl could plunge one of America's …

‘I wed Iranian girls before execution’  —  Article's topics: Basiji, Ali Khamenei  —  In a shocking and unprecedented interview, directly exposing the inhumanity of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei's religious regime in Iran, a serving member of the paramilitary Basiji militia has told this reporter …

Palin Hairdresser: NYT Was Lying About “Hair Thinning” Claim  —  Chalk this up as Stupid Palin Meme of the Week:  —  In a July 12th hit piece published on the front page of the New York Times, reporters Jim Rutenberg and Serge Kovaleski (assisted by Kim Severson and William Yardley in Alaska) made the following claim:

Governors Fear Medicaid Costs in Health Plan  —  BILOXI, Miss. — The nation's governors, Democrats as well as Republicans, voiced deep concern Sunday about the shape of the health care plan emerging from Congress, fearing that Washington was about to hand them expensive new Medicaid obligations without money to pay for them.

Video: Pvt. Bowe Bergdahl Full Hostage Video  —  Here is the entire video showing Private Bowe Berdahl in Taliban captivity.  The Taliban have threatened to murder him if the U.S. does not leave Afghanistan.  —  Until Bowe Bergdahl's captors are dead I will not rest.

The Most Misunderstood Man in America  —  Joseph Stiglitz predicted the global financial meltdown.  So why can't he get any respect here at home?

Commerce Secretary: America needs to pay for China's emissions  —  It's bad enough that the Obama administration wants to penalize all Americans for their energy use through the cap-and-tax scheme that will hobble our economy and hike electricity and gas costs, but until now they only proposed to penalize us for our own energy use.

Frank McCourt, Author of 'Angela's Ashes,' Dies at 78  —  Frank McCourt, a former New York City schoolteacher who turned his miserable childhood in Limerick, Ireland, into a phenomenally popular, Pulitzer Prize-winning memoir, “Angela's Ashes,” died in Manhattan on Sunday.

'We won't halt J'lem housing project'  —  Article's topics: United Stated, East Jerusalem, Michael Oren, Shepherd's Hotel, Irwin Moskowitz  —  Jerusalem is the “unified capital of Israel and the capital of the Jewish people, and sovereignty over it is indisputable,” …

Bondholders Plan CIT Rescue  —  Lender to Small Businesses Set to Get $3 Billion in Financing, Avoid Bankruptcy  —  CIT Group Inc. was close to securing $3 billion in last-minute rescue financing from its bondholders Sunday in a deal that should keep the struggling firm …

JOE BIDEN'S TERRIBLE TRUTHS  —  HIS "GAFFES" REVEAL WHAT THE ADMINISTRATION IS REALLY THINKING  —  It takes years of yoga to learn the posture necessary for speaking clearly with all your feet in your mouth.  But for some the skill comes naturally, which brings us to Joe Biden.

ORSZAG SETS THE RECORD STRAIGHT.... Fox News' Chris Wallace asked OMB Director Peter Orszag this morning if the administration will be “rationing” health care by establishing a commission of doctors and medical experts to oversee medical practices.  Orszag, thankfully, called this a “canard” and pointed to the status quo.

The Shuffle President  —  Like romantic comedies and superhero blockbusters, the modern presidency has evolved into a reliable form of dramatic narrative.  A candidate comes into office brandishing a broad theme — a vow to clean up government, perhaps, or to fearlessly prune it back …

Why Toxic Assets Are So Hard to Clean Up  —  Securitization was maddeningly complex.  Mandated transparency is the only solution.  —  Printer  —  Friendly  —  Despite trillions of dollars of new government programs, one of the original causes of the financial crisis …