Fired USDA employee Sherrod to sue conservative blogger Andrew Breitbart  —  Ousted USDA employee Shirley Sherrod says she will sue conservative blogger Andrew Breitbart, the Associated Press reports.  —  Sherrod made the announcement Thursday in San Diego at the National Association of Black Journalists annual convention.

Charlie Rangel's War: Deal Axed At 11th Hour  —  However, A Compromise Is Possible Between Now And When Expected Trial Would Take Place In September  —  Rep. Rangel: I'm Just Glad Nobody Is Calling Me ‘Corrupt’ Or ‘Dishonest’  —  NEW YORK (CBS) ― Deal, no deal ... deal, no deal.

White House proposal would ease FBI access to records of Internet activity  —  The Obama administration is seeking to make it easier for the FBI to compel companies to turn over records of an individual's Internet activity without a court order if agents deem the information relevant to a terrorism or intelligence investigation.

The Plight of Afghan Women: A Disturbing Picture  —  Our cover image this week is powerful, shocking and disturbing.  It is a portrait of Aisha, a shy 18-year-old Afghan woman who was sentenced by a Taliban commander to have her nose and ears cut off for fleeing her abusive in-laws.

GOP Filibusters Small Business Bill After Criticizing Dems For Delay  —  WHAT'S YOUR REACTION?  —  For several days now, Senate Republicans have ridiculed their Democratic counterparts for prioritizing campaign finance legislation over a bill that would benefit small businesses …

Poll shows opposition to health care overhaul declining  —  Opposition to the landmark health care overhaul declined over the past month, to 35 percent from 41 percent, according to the latest results of a tracking poll, reported Thursday.  —  Fifty percent of the public held a favorable view of the law …

Fed Member's Deflation Warning Hints at Policy Shift  —  WASHINGTON — A subtle but significant shift appears to be occurring within the Federal Reserve over the course of monetary policy amid increasing signs that the economic recovery is weakening.  —  On Thursday, James Bullard …

Evidence Ties Manning to Afghan Leaks  —  WASHINGTON—Investigators have found concrete evidence linking Pfc. Bradley Manning with the leak of classified Afghanistan war reports, a defense official said.  —  A search of the computers used by Pfc. Manning yielded evidence he had downloaded …

The BP Spill: Has the Damage Been Exaggerated?  —  An extensive network of oil booms surround marshland off the coast of Louisiana on July 18, 2010  —  President Obama has called the BP oil spill “the worst environmental disaster America has ever faced,” and so has just about everyone else.

Graham eyes ‘birthright citizenship’  —  Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) announced Wednesday night that he is considering introducing a constitutional amendment that would change existing law to no longer grant citizenship to the children of immigrants born in the United States.

Univision video confirms Sandoval said his kids don't look Hispanic  —  I have confirmed that Brian Sandoval, as reported by Univision's news director in a column and revealed in an earlier blog post, did indeed say that his children don't look Hispanic when asked by the Spanish-language station whether …

Political operatives on Journolist worked to shape news coverage  —  Despite its name, membership in the liberal online community Journolist wasn't limited to journalists.  Present among the bloggers, reporters and editors were a number of professional political operatives …

Tim Lahaye, Evangelical Christian Minister, Warns Obama Bringing Us Closer To ‘The Apocalypse’ (VIDEO)  —  WHAT'S YOUR REACTION?  —  Evangelical Christian minister Tim LaHaye says that the policy initiatives put forth by the Obama administration are bringing the country “closer to the apocalypse.”

Grayson bills taxpayers for DVD of term's highlights  —  WASHINGTON — If U.S. Rep. Alan Grayson were a rock star, his latest PR blitz — a DVD sent to tens of thousands of Central Florida residents — would be called Grayson's Greatest Hits.  —  The 90-minute disc features video highlights …

Obama Mocks Polls But Spends More On Them ($4.4M) Than Bush Did  —  WHAT'S YOUR REACTION?  —  With Reporting By Julian Hattem  —  During his daily press briefing on July 13, White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs was peppered with questions about why the president's popularity numbers …

Californians Look Back  —  Nearly 7 years after recalling him from office California voters would like to have Gray Davis back...or at least they'd rather have him than Arnold Schwarzenegger.  44% on our most recent poll said they'd rather have Davis as Governor to 38% who picked Schwarzenegger.