Have You Heard the One About President Joe Biden?  —  That's No Joke.  Consider: He is the most quietly effective politician in D.C. (Don't laugh.)  The “Most Influential Vice President in History.”  (Seriously, stop laughing.)  One of our nation's most senior statesmen.  (Look it up!)

IRS lawyer says scandal was overseen by D.C., names names  —  Top IRS officials in Washington, D.C. planned and oversaw the agency's improper targeting of conservative groups, according to the 72-year old retiring IRS lawyer who will testify Thursday before the House Oversight Committee.

Testy Meeting Among Senate GOP on ‘Nuclear Option’ Deal  —  A meeting of Senate Republicans on Wednesday grew tense as Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., told his members he could have gotten a better deal on nominations than the one negotiated by rank-and-file Republicans.

Republicans, White House in Talks Toward Big Fiscal Deal  —  GOP senators and Obama's chief of staff have been meeting for weeks to set a course that might avoid a crisis when America hits its debt limit in the fall.  —  At least a dozen Republican senators are regularly meeting …

Prominent Democrats Are Now Comfortable With Racial and Ethnic Profiling  —  How else can one interpret President Obama and Senator Chuck Schumer saying that the NYPD's Ray Kelly would make a good secretary of Homeland Security?  —  On Wednesday, President Obama assured a Univision reporter that Ray Kelly …

Liz Cheney for Senate  —  Vicious, cynical and talented Liz Cheney is perfect  —  Liz Cheney, the infamous political operative and daughter of Vice President Dick Cheney, announced last night that she is running for Senate.  After careful consideration, I believe this is welcome news …

Paul Ryan Returns to Iowa  —  Des Moines, Iowa — Paul Ryan, the 2012 Republican vice-presidential nominee, will headline a prominent Republican dinner in Iowa this fall, a visit that is sure to stoke talk of a potential presidential bid.  —  According to Iowa governor Terry Branstad …

Congressman: Benghazi Survivors Forced to Sign Non-Disclosure Agreements  —  Congressman Frank Wolf, a Republican from Virginia, said today on the House floor that survivors of the Benghazi terror attack have been forced to sign non-disclosure agreements:  —  “On Tuesday I raised the question …

Conversation about race?  Get real  —  Let's take the advice of the attorney general of the United States.  Let's have a national conversation about race in the wake of the Zimmerman case.  Let's make it a painfully honest conversation — except about all the things that are painful for us to admit.

Brian Tamanaha Says We Should Look at the Below Average Outcomes (And We Did)  —  Brian Tamanaha's response to The Economic Value of a Law Degree, as reported by Inside Higher Education doesn't capture the contents of the study.  According to IHE, Tamanaha said:

DNA test: Rep. Steve Cohen not the father  —  The woman whom Rep. Steve Cohen has been claiming is his out-of-wedlock daughter is not, according to a paternity test revealed on Thursday.  —  CNN had a paternity test done on Victoria Brink with Cohen's participation, although the Tennessee Democrat did not appear on camera.

The Drone That Killed My Grandson  —  SANA, Yemen — I LEARNED that my 16-year-old grandson, Abdulrahman — a United States citizen — had been killed by an American drone strike from news reports the morning after he died.  —  The missile killed him, his teenage cousin and at least five …

Planned Parenthood To Close Three Texas Clinics  —  Planned Parenthood on Wednesday informed staff at three of its facilities in Texas that they would be closing, according to people familiar with the decision.  —  The three clinics are located in Bryan, Huntsville and Lufkin, Texas.

17 people arrested in Zimmerman trial protest in Victorville  —  Demonstrators in Beverly Hills protest the George Zimmerman verdict on Wednesday.  (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times / July 17, 2013)  —  Demonstrators held a peaceful rally in Beverly Hills against the George Zimmerman trial verdict …

Jim DeMint back at war with Republicans  —  Jim DeMint's at war with Republicans — again.  —  The tea party firebrand who made his mark in GOP primary races across the country is now at the helm of the Heritage Foundation where its political arm is doing the same thing: holding conservatives feet to the fire.

(Another) Apparent Loan Deal  —  WASHINGTON — The months-long saga to try to reset the interest rates on federal student loans appeared near an end Wednesday night, as Senate negotiators said they had reached a deal that would tie rates to the market and set the rate for all undergraduate loans at 3.86 percent in 2014.

Judge in Bradley Manning trial declines to dismiss key charge  —  A military judge on Thursday declined to dismiss a key charge against the Army private responsible for the largest leak of classified material in American history, a decision with significant implications for the future publication …

On Obamacare, Republicans test the definition of insanity  —  Well, this is embarrassing.  Republicans have made so many attempts to repeal “Obamacare” that the scorekeepers have lost count.  —  “Republicans,” said Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, “voted to repeal it 40 times.”