Phone Hacking: Rupert Murdoch's daughter in ‘furious’ attack on Rebekah Brooks  —  Rupert Murdoch's daughter Elisabeth has made a “furious” attack on Rebekah Brooks's handling of the phone hacking scandal at News International, The Daily Telegraph has learnt.  —  Elisabeth Murdoch, daughter of Rupert

Plan B Emerges on Debt  —  Sens. Reid, McConnell Quietly Discuss Way to Keep Government From Default  —  A backup plan to cut the federal deficit and keep the U.S. government from default gained momentum Thursday on Capitol Hill as President Barack Obama and congressional leaders took a break …

Getting to Crazy  —  There aren't many positive aspects to the looming possibility of a U.S. debt default.  But there has been, I have to admit, an element of comic relief — of the black-humor variety — in the spectacle of so many people who have been in denial suddenly waking up and smelling the crazy.

Go Ahead, GOP, Make Obama's Day  —  So how can the GOP get something it wants out of the sodden mess of our debt negotiations?  Here's my answer: pass a short-term debt-ceiling increase.  It seems pretty clear to me that there's no time or common ground for a grand bargain before August 2nd, so pass a short-term increase.

Marcus Bachmann says his clinics not anti-gay  —  Therapists will oblige if patients ask for counseling to become heterosexual, but they don't force treatment, he said.  —  The husband of Republican presidential contender Michele Bachmann has come forward to defend his family-owned Christian …

Sarah Palin Movie Debuts to Empty Theater in Orange County  —  “Why aren't you seeing Harry Potter?” an usher said to the reporter sitting alone in the audience  —  When the clock struck 12:01 am today, AMC theaters in select cities were permitted to start showing “The Undefeated,” a feature length documentary about Sarah Palin.

U.S. to recognize Libyan rebels as legitimate government  —  ISTANBUL—The United States is granting Libyan rebel leaders full diplomatic recognition as the governing authority of Libya, after five months of fighting to oust longtime ruler Moammar Gaddafi, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said Friday.

Eric Bolling: 'I'll Never Forget 9/11, But Thank You, Liberals, For Reminding Me How Petty You Can Be'  —  In an emotional statement on Fox's The Five Thursday, Eric Bolling shot back at the “radical liberal left” that “pounced” on him after he said on the program Wednesday that “America was certainly safe between 2000 and 2008.

Sinking Fast  —  Obama's multiplying Middle East failures.  —  The U.S. ship in the successor flotilla aiming to break the Israeli embargo of the Gaza Strip has been named The Audacity of Hope.  It is a bad joke that Barack Obama deserves.  His proven coldness toward Israel has emboldened …

The Tragedy of Tim Pawlenty  —  He did everything right.  And that was the problem.  —  At almost precisely the minute that Michele Bachmann was declaring her presidential candidacy in Iowa at the end of June, I was interviewing Tim Pawlenty in a borrowed conference room in a midtown Manhattan financial firm.

Bin Laden Plotted to Attack U.S. on 9/11 Anniversary  —  Osama bin Laden was working to assemble a team of militants to attack the U.S. on the 10th anniversary of the Sept. 11 hijackings, according to communications that Navy SEALs seized from his Pakistani hideout when they killed the al Qaeda leader this spring.

Palin political committee spent tens of thousands on bus trip  —  Sarah Palin's political action committee spent tens of thousands of dollars covering the costs of the former Alaska governor's “One Nation” East Coast bus tour this spring — a trip that Palin (R) has repeatedly characterized as a “family vacation.”

The Obama Downgrade  —  The real reason the U.S. could lose its AAA rating.  —  So the credit-rating agencies that helped to create the financial crisis that led to a deep recession are now warning that the U.S. could lose the AAA rating it has had since 1917.

Planned Monument for Mecca Goers Leaves Eilat Residents Shocked  —  Follow Israel news on and .  —  The residents of the southern Israeli city of Eilat are shocked at a plan by the municipality to establish a monument in the heart of the city's downtown to commemorate Arab pilgrims to Mecca.

Gov. John Kasich spends $2 million off-the-cuff; unexpected cash is for the state's children's hospitals to collaborate  —  COLUMBUS, Ohio — Gov. John Kasich on Thursday spent $2 million so calmly and nonchalantly you would have thought he was just handing over $2.

“Republican Candidate” Extends Lead vs. Obama to 47% to 39%  —  Margin marks first statistically significant lead among registered voters  —  PRINCETON, NJ — Registered voters by a significant margin now say they are more likely to vote for the “Republican Party's candidate for president” …

BREAKING: DOJ seeks emergency stop to DADT injunction as Pentagon finalizes repeal  —  The Department of Justice has requested a short-term emergency stay from the 9th Circuit Court, which last week lifted its stay of an injunction halting enforcement of the 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell …

GOP threatens to bolt on McConnell's plan  —  A plan to cut spending, put caps on future expenditures and pass a constitutional amendment to balance the budget is certain to come up, lawmakers said.  Also on the unofficial agenda of lawmakers are several bills to force the president …