New polls confirm Obama's Democratic base crumbles  —  With all of the spotlights on the high-stakes debt maneuverings by President Obama and Speaker John Boehner the last few days, few people noticed what Vermont's Sen. Bernie Sanders said:  —  “I think it would be a good idea if President Obama faced some primary opposition.”

Krauthammer on Obama's Address: “I Thought I Was Cynical Until I Heard That Speech” (Video)  —  Charles Krauthammer unloaded on Obama tonight after his stale poll-driven speech to the nation.  Obama still has no plan.  —  “I thought I was cynical until I heard that speech.  It was purely partisan.

Congress In the Lead  —  Some of us like to think big.  We thought at the beginning of this debt crisis that it might be possible to reach a Grand Bargain.  This deal would make a serious dent in the country's awful debt problem.  It would begin to reform entitlements.

O'Reilly Shreds Media for Calling Norway Terrorist ‘Christian’  —  BILL O'REILLY, FOX NEWS HOST: “Impact” segment tonight: mass murder in Norway.  A vicious killer, Anders Breivik, has murdered at least 76 people in the Scandinavian nation of Norway.  Breivik is a brutal fanatic …

A Revenge Plot So Intricate, the Prosecutors Were Pawns  —  Soon after Seemona Sumasar started dating Jerry Ramrattan, she had an inkling that something might be wrong.  —  He said he was a police detective, but never seemed to go to work.  He seemed obsessed with “C.S.I.,” “Law & Order” and other television police dramas.

The Help-Wanted Sign Comes With a Frustrating Asterisk  —  The unemployed need not apply.  —  That is the message being broadcast by many of the nation's employers, making it even more difficult for 14 million jobless Americans to get back to work.  —  A recent review of job vacancy postings …

Bachmann walks away from WQAD  —  Davenport, Iowa— Michele Bachmann made a visit to the Quad Cities last night to speak with supporters and give interviews to the local television media, that is, with one exception.  Despite promises to WQAD for a one-on-one interview the Congresswoman's managers openly …

Soros to End Hedge-Fund Career, Return Money  —  George Soros, the billionaire best known for breaking the Bank of England, is returning money to outside investors in his $25.5 billion firm, ending a career as hedge-fund manager that spanned more than four decades.

Wealth Gaps Rise to Record Highs Between Whites, Blacks and Hispanics  —  Twenty-to-One  —  By Rakesh Kochhar, Richard Fry and Paul Taylor, Pew Research Center's Social & Demographic Trends  —  The median wealth of white households is 20 times that of black households and 18 times …

Obama leaves Hispanic activists unsatisfied  —  President Obama might be looking for allies anywhere he can find them during the contentious debt limit debate that has consumed Washington this month.  But, as he learned Monday, he would be wise not to forget about his base while his focus is aimed at battling House Republicans.

Republican Leaders Voted for Drivers of U.S. Debt They Now Blame on Obama  —  House Speaker John Boehner often attacks the spendthrift ways of Washington.  —  “In Washington, more spending and more debt is business as usual,” the Republican leader from Ohio said in a televised address yesterday amid debate over the U.S. debt.

Bachmann has skipped 37 percent of votes since launching bid  —  Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.) has missed nearly 40 percent of votes in the House since she formally launched her presidential campaign.  —  Bachmann's absentee rate, which is significantly higher than the two other House members running …

Texas bucks national unemployment trend  —  Need a job?  —  Move to Texas  —  Finding work may not be quite that simple, but it sure seems that way.  While the nation's job growth has limped along since the economic recovery began two years ago, the Lone Star State is enlarging

‘Tell the police to hurry.  People are dying here!’  —  Julie Bremnes, 16, was one of the youths caught on Utoeya island during Anders Behring Breivik's killing spree on Friday.  —  She first called her mother, Marianne, at 1710 to tell her there was “a crazy man who is shooting here” on the island.

Bladder cancer survivor has new run-in with TSA  —  Thomas Sawyer, a 62-year-old bladder cancer survivor who made headlines last November after a pat-down left him covered in his own urine, has filed a new complaint with the Transportation Security Administration.

I would remind you that extremism in defense of solvency is no vice  —  Was Obama's debt ceiling speech last night the most squalid presidential speech ever?  I can think of some other very low moments, especially Franklin Roosevelt implying in 1944 that Republicans were the equivalent of Nazis.

Brown signs California Dream Act  —  New law covers private funding; governor signals he may also favor expanding public Cal Grants eligibility.  —  Following through on a campaign promise, Gov. Jerry Brown signed a law Monday easing access to privately funded financial aid for undocumented college students.

Norway killer Anders Behring Breivik had extensive links to English Defence League  —  Anders Behring Breivik had extensive links to the far-Right English Defence League, senior members of the group have admitted.  —  Anders Behring Breivik leaves court on Monday

Reid Begins Process to Move his Debt Plan, But Doesn't File Cloture  —  ABC News' Sunlen Miller (@sunlenmiller) reports:  —  Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., did not file cloture, as expected, on his debt plan Monday night on the Senate floor, which means that there will not be a midweek vote on his proposal.