President Obama to Pastor Jones: ‘Stunt’ Endangers Troops - Full Transcript of Exclusive Interview  —  I covered a lot of ground with the president in Cleveland yesterday: His decision to make John Boehner the midterm punching bag.  Will he veto a sanction of Bush tax cuts for the wealthy?

Opposition to ‘mosque’ directly linked to anti-Islam sentiment, poll shows  —  We now have clear evidence that there's a direct link between public anti-Islam sentiment and public opposition to the construction of Cordoba House, a.k.a. the “Ground Zero mosque.”

Murkowski Likely to Lose Leadership Spot if Campaign Continues  —  Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) will likely be forced out of her party leadership position should she decide to launch a write-in or third-party candidacy, a Senate Republican said Wednesday.  —  Murkowski, who conceded …

Health Outlays Still Seen Rising  —  The health-care overhaul enacted last spring won't significantly change national health spending over the next decade compared with projections before the law was passed, according to government figures set to be released Thursday.

Debating the Economy  —  Americans are deeply worried about the economy and their jobs — and about whether their elected representatives in Washington have a real plan for digging out of this mess.  They are right to be worried.  But this week, at least, voters were given a clear choice …

Marco Rubio Holds Double-Digit Lead in Senate Race  —  GOP candidate even beats Crist among independent voters, poll finds  —  Republican Marco Rubio, garnering surprising strength among independent voters, holds a double-digit lead over his two chief rivals in Florida's U.S. Senate race, a new Sunshine State News Poll reports.

Whatever Happened to Obama's Army?  —  What happened to Barack Obama's once vaunted political machine?  The outfit that put upwards of 8 million volunteers on the street in 2008 — known as Organizing for America — is a ghost of its former self.  Its staff has shrunk from 6,000 to 300 …

CRISIS ON THE COURTS.... Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy recently noted the problems with the Senate's inability to confirm judicial nominees.  “It's important for the public to understand that the excellence of the federal judiciary is at risk,” Kennedy said.

Super PACs Flourish to Influence U.S. Vote After Companies Freed to Give  —  At least 25 “super PACS,” including one linked to Karl Rove, are fueling a surge in money for this year's elections following the U.S. Supreme Court ruling that struck down limits on corporate campaign spending.

(2 of 2)  —  The Rev. Steve Freeman of Grace Baptist Church in Springfield said he disagrees with the teachings of Islam.  But since Muslims revere the Quran, he said, Christians should respect it.  —  Freeman said Jesus taught his followers to love their neighbors and enemies.

Obama wins the right to invoke “State Secrets” to protect Bush crimes  —  (updated below - Update II)  —  In a 6-5 ruling issued this afternoon, the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals handed the Obama administration a major victory in its efforts to shield Bush crimes from judicial review …

Biden: Bush deserves ‘a lot of credit’  —  Vice President Joe Biden on Wednesday night said that former President George W. Bush deserves ‘a lot of credit’ for his handling of the initial Iraq war drawdown.  —  Speaking to Comedy Central's Stephen Colbert, who conducted a rare …

Christine O'Donnell, running for U.S. Senate in Delaware, has a new TV ad bashing her Republican primary opponent, Rep. Mike Castle.  —  But O'Donnell's ad looks eerily similar to one recently produced by Intrepid Media for Americans for New Leadership, in support of Nevada candidate Sharron Angle …

Obama plans campaign events in four critical battleground states  —  President Obama plans a series of fall rallies in key states for Democrats in advance of November's midterm elections.  —  The president has scheduled at least four stops: Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Nevada.

Florida College Shuts Down Conservative Event After Seeing Anti-Obama Literature (Video)  —  It begins... School officials at Palm Beach State College kicked members of the Young America's for Freedom off campus after they saw anti-Obama literature at their table.  —  It was offensive.

Nine Years After 9/11: Will We Ever Be “One” Again?  —  What's Your Reaction:  —  This September 11th, nine years after that “first” September 11th, there will be — as there should be — a lot of reflection on and introspection about that horrific event: how it changed our lives, how it changed America — forever.

How To Tell When There's Structural Unemployment  —  I feel like the entire Minneapolis Fed take on structural unemployment and “skill mismatch” is a giant exercise in obfuscation.  Of course the economy has many structural features and at any given time there are limits to growth.

DNC Chair: Gibbs ‘had a bad day’  —  Democratic National Committee chairman and former Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine on Wednesday said that White House spokesman Robert Gibbs was having “a bad day” when he lambasted the “professional left” in an interview with The Hill last month.

The “Ever-Expanding” Government Sector, Illustrated  —  Just some numbers to bring reality into the general discussion:  —  Figure 1: Employment in government (blue), in thousands, seasonally adjusted (blue), and excluding temporary Census workers (red).  Total series is “USGOVT” from FREDII.