This Year's Maverick  —  Lindsey Graham was sitting in a sedan early one morning and contentedly discussing the various fellow South Carolina conservatives who dislike him — Tea Partiers, Constitutionalists, immigration hardliners — when Van Cato, his upstate regional director …

Pelosi: Unemployment Checks Fastest Way to Create Jobs  —  House Speaker Nancy Pelosi gestures during a news conference on Capitol Hill June 24.  (AP Photo)  —  Unemployment benefits are creating jobs faster than practically any other program, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Thursday.

Independent Voters Favor GOP in 2010 Election Tracking  —  Prefer Republican candidate to Democrat by an average of 45% to 35%  —  PRINCETON, NJ — By an average 10 percentage-point margin since March, 45% to 35%, independent registered voters have consistently preferred the Republican …

1.3 million unemployed won't get benefits restored  —  WASHINGTON - More than 1.3 million laid-off workers won't get their unemployment benefits reinstated before Congress goes on a weeklong vacation for Independence Day.  —  And hundreds of thousands more will lose their benefits in the coming weeks.

First look at Daily Kos's lawsuit: Charges Research 2000 with “fraudulently manufacturing phony results”  —  I've obtained a copy of the lawsuit that Daily Kos just filed against Research 2000, and this going to get nastier than you thought.  —  The suit contains striking new details …

Obama Targets ‘Polarization’ and ‘Pettiness’ in Push for Immigration Reform  —  With Arizona Law Set to Take Effect, Obama Calls for ‘Clear National Standard’ and ‘Accountability’  —  President Obama today sought to tap into national frustration over the country's “fundamentally broken” …

Google to Add Pay to Cover a Tax for Same-Sex Benefits  —  Working for a company as rich as Google comes with an incredible number of fringe benefits: the free food, the free laundry, the doctor on duty at company headquarters and the impressive five months of maternity leave with full pay and benefits, to mention a few.

WORLD EXCLUSIVE: Mel Gibson's Racist Rant Caught On Tape - Tells Oksana She Would Get ‘Raped By N***ers’  —  In one of the most explosive, racist and vile outbursts by a celebrity ever caught on tape, Mel Gibson told the mother of his love child that the way she was dressed would get her …

Don't just sit there.  Do nothing.  —  Due to the nature of the U.S. Senate, doing nothing is always and everywhere easier than doing something.  After all, doing nothing takes only 41 votes.  Doing something takes 60 votes.  So when you hear Bob Bixby of the Concord Coalition say that …

Huckabee Trying Out a Daily Show for News Corp.  —  Mike Huckabee, the weekend Fox News Channel host and possible 2012 presidential candidate, is getting a six-week tryout as a daily talk show host.  —  Called “The Huckabee Show,” it will have a preview run on weekdays for six weeks …

Breitbart, Sullivan in JournoList spat  —  Andrew Breitbart's $100,000 offer for the full archives of the now-defunct liberal listserve JournoList has prompted a fight between Breitbart and Atlantic blogger Andrew Sullivan.  —  Breitbart has not yet had any takers for the offer …

In Clarence Thomas's gun rights opinion, race plays a major role  —  He hardly ever speaks during oral arguments, often appearing asleep on the bench.  But in his written opinion Monday supporting the right to bear arms, Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas roared to life.

Senate denies C-SPAN coverage  —  As the late Sen. Robert Byrd's coffin lies in repose on the Senate floor, C-SPAN has been refused permission to broadcast the event, causing members of the Radio-Television Correspondents Association to send a formal complaint to Senate Rules Committee Chairman Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.).

In Which I Describe, But Do Not Knock, The Hustle.  —  Yesterday I went on The Ed Show, which is being guest hosted this week by The Nation's Chris Hayes (who is doing a really incredible job) opposite the terribly smart Reihan Salam of National Review, discussing financial reform and Social Security.

NRA Now Leans Toward Endorsing Harry Reid  —  Multiple sources tell me the National Rifle Association is planning to endorse liberal Harry Reid against pro-gun champion Sharron Angle.  —  Two weeks ago, I told you about the carveout the NRA received in exchange for their support for the DISCLOSE ACT deal.

Soccer Is a Socialist Sport  —  In the Washington Post this morning, sports columnist Sally Jenkins complains about the lack of popular outrage over America's elimination in the World Cup: “Why is it that Americans expect to win in every sport we compete in except for soccer?

Pentagon recommends Medal of Honor for a living soldier  —  The Pentagon has recommended that the White House consider awarding the Medal of Honor to a living soldier for the first time since the Vietnam War, according to U.S. officials.  —  The soldier, whose nomination must be reviewed by the White House …

MONEY & POLITICS: U.S. Chamber Boosts Election Budget to $75 Million  —  Tom Donohue, the combative president of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, is upping the ante for the fall elections.  —  The Chamber aims to raise $75 million for the business behemoth's electoral efforts …

Barack Obama is among best presidents ever - George W. Bush not so much, say scholars in Siena poll  —  George W. Bush was no FDR, but Barack Obama could be.  —  That's the verdict of 238 of the nation's leading presidential scholars, who - for a fifth time - rated Franklin Delano Roosevelt …

NAACP, NY Times Whitewash Robert Byrd's Past  —  Somebody at the NAACP either needs a history lesson or is being intentionally deceptive about somebody's horrid past just because the person in question was a liberal Democrat (don't tell me which it is and ruin the suspense).  —  From Mike Riggs at the Daily Caller:

Patton Boggs acquires lobbying firm of former Sens. Lott, Breaux  —  K Street's biggest firm on Thursday acquired one of Washington's fastest growing lobbying shops.  —  Patton Boggs, the perennial lobbying powerhouse, acquired Breaux Lott Leadership Group, the firm started in 2008 by former …

Speier: 5 years for ENDA  —  Congresswoman Jackie Speier put a damper on hopes for swift House passage of the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, telling the Bay Area Reporter over the weekend that she doesn't see the LGBT workplace protections becoming law anytime soon.

Harsh Words for G.O.P. From Obama  —  RACINE, Wis. — President Obama leveled a harsh indictment against Congressional Republicans on Wednesday, accusing them of doing the bidding of bankers and oil executives while cutting “working folks loose to fend for themselves.”

Police Reopen Al Gore Case  —  Police in Portland, Ore., are reopening an investigation over allegations that former Vice President Al Gore fondled a masseuse in a hotel in 2006.  —  The city's Police Bureau disclosed the move in a brief statement Wednesday, but did not explain the decision to reopen the investigation.