Many New York Women Are Baffled at Loyalty Shown by Weiner's Wife  —  Sipping sparkling water by the bustling patios of Bryant Park on Wednesday afternoon, the young women touched on the usual topics of lunchtime gossip: men, work, relationships.  —  Then the discussion turned …

McCain, McConnell heading for spell of rocky relations  —  The relationship between Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (Ky.) and Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) is going to be awkward in the coming months.  —  McConnell finds himself increasingly constrained by both his new primary challenger …

Justices on the Job  —  After Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. took his seat on the Supreme Court in January 2006, replacing Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, the court for the first time in its history was composed entirely of former federal appeals court judges.  Justice Elena Kagan's arrival …

Why I'm Boycotting Russian Vodka  —  Buzzfeed has a photo essay—"36 Photos from Russia That Everyone Needs to See"—that will bring anyone who hasn't been paying attention to the situation in Russia up to speed.  And Harvey Fierstein's opinion piece in Monday's NYT offers a great summary of Putin's escalating anti-gay pogrom:

Some Democrats Look to Push Party Away From Center  —  WASHINGTON — As President Obama made the case on Wednesday about how the American economy was improving, he went off script to underscore how significant the challenges were that remained.  —  “But — and here's the big but …

The Inequality President  —  The rich have done fine under Obamanomics, not so the middle class.  —  President Obama made his fourth or fifth, or maybe it's the seventh or eighth, pivot to the economy on Wednesday, and a revealing speech it was.  We counted four mentions of “growth” but “inequality” got five.

House Defeats Effort to Rein In N.S.A. Data Gathering  —  WASHINGTON — A divided House defeated legislation Wednesday that would have blocked the National Security Agency from collecting vast amounts of phone records, handing the Obama administration a hard-fought victory in the first Congressional showdown …

Thank you, Ray Kelly  —  President Obama shouldn't nominate Ray Kelly to be secretary of homeland security.  He should give the New York City police chief a stern talking to.  He should invite him to examine his conscience and consider the error of his ways.  Failing that, he should hold him up to national obloquy.

Republicans for Snowden  —  A left-right House coalition rushes to stop metadata collection.  —  Few things are more dangerous than Congress in heat, and so it is this week as a libertarian-left wing coalition in the House of Representatives is rushing to neuter one of the National Security Agency's antiterror surveillance programs.

‘Obamacare’ National Marketing Campaign To Cost Nearly $700 Million  —  CHICAGO (AP) — It will make you stronger.  It will give you peace of mind and make you feel like a winner.  Health insurance is what the whole country has been talking about, so don't be left out.  —  Sound like a sales pitch?

Tax writers promise 50 years of secrecy for senators' suggestions  —  Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-Mont.) and the panel's top Republican, Sen. Orrin Hatch (Utah), assured lawmakers that any submission they receive will be kept under lock and key by the committee and the National Archives until the end of 2064.

DOD: Gitmo costs in 2013 to top $450M  —  The cost to run the detention facility at Guantánamo Bay in 2013 is $454 million — a figure significantly higher than previous estimates, according to a new Pentagon assessment.  —  The newest price tag, which was sent to the House Armed Services Committee …

Florida To Resume Voter Purge After High Court Ruling  —  TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — A federal court is dismissing a lawsuit that a Hispanic civic group and two naturalized citizens filed last year to block a voter purge in Florida.  —  The lawsuit became moot after a U.S. Supreme Court ruling in June.

Republicans prepare for ‘Obamacare’ showdown, with eye to 2014 elections  —  (Reuters) - With the Obama administration poised for a huge public education campaign on healthcare reform, Republicans and their allies are mobilizing a counter-offensive including town hall meetings …