Reports: Rangel Cuts Deal, Avoids Trial  —  Embattled Representative Reportedly To Admit Ethical Wrongdoing  —  NEW YORK (CBS) ― New York Congressman Charles Rangel has reportedly cut a deal to admit to ethical wrongdoing and avoid a potentially humiliating public trial.

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.

What Judge Bolton's Injunction Doesn't Say — By: NRO Staff  —  In enjoining Arizona's landmark immigration law, U.S. District Judge Susan Bolton maintains the Obama administration's carefully cultivated fiction: that what concerns the White House regarding S.B. 1070 is its effect on legal, rather than illegal, aliens.

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 …

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.

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.

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

Obama to ‘View’: Not Invited to Clinton Wedding  —  Obama Dishes on Clinton Wedding, Lindsay Lohan, But Draws Blank on Snooki  —  Listing some of the lows he has experienced in the past month - prosecuting two wars, cleaning up a massive oil slick, a misstep over a race flap …

Court Upholds Expulsion of Counseling Student Who Opposes Homosexuality  —  A federal judge ruled schools can expel students, like Julea Ward, who believe homosexuality is morally wrong.  Ward's lawsuit against Eastern Michigan University was dismissed.  —  A federal judge has ruled in favor …

Local Woman Convicted of Drug Fraud Joins Obama at the Podium … Charlottesville resident Leslie Macko was once employed at ACAC in the Albemarle Square Shopping Center.  In April 2009, she lost her job as an aesthetician in the spa at ACAC.  —  President Barack Obama called on Congress last week to extend unemployment insurance.

House GOP leaders: 9/11 first responders aid bill ‘a massive new entitlement program’  —  House Republican leadership is advising its members to vote against a bipartisan bill that would, among other things, bolster medical support to Sept. 11 victims.  —  The James Zadroga 9/11 Health …

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 …

Taxes: A Defining Issue  —  Barack Obama knows taxes define worldview.  The GOP should offer voters an alternative.  —  If the Obama presidency didn't exist, we would have to invent it.  —  At a time when the American people need to make some decisions about the nation's purpose …

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 …

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.