Drop the Disastrous Plan to Defund Obamacare  —  Conservatives on Capitol Hill think they have a chance to strike a mortal blow against President Barack Obama's health-care overhaul this fall.  If their plan goes forward, however, it will backfire.  —  The plan is to oppose any bill to fund …

What the Chris Christie-Rand Paul Ruckus Really Means  —  The political press is abuzz over what sure looks like one of the first clashes of the Republican Party's 2016 primary season.  At a Republican governors forum in Aspen, Colo., New Jersey Governor Chris Christie took …

And the Shenanigans Begin  —  After Shelby County v. Holder, the big question was how different things would really be.  After all, plenty of places, including states with highly contentious fights about election procedures and redistricting such as Ohio and Pennsylvania, have never been covered anyway.

Cover Story: John Cuneo's “Carlos Danger”  —  “With a topic like Anthony Weiner, how can you find anything broad or funny that he hasn't already personally breached?” says John Cuneo, the artist who painted next week's cover.  He continues: “Free association made me think of the Empire State Building …

Weiner girl confidant: Pol's brother grilled sext partner ‘to see if she was going to be a problem’ 2 days after comeback interview published  —  Anthony Weiner's chef brother turned up the heat on the mayoral wannabe's secret online paramour just weeks before the sexting pol announced his mayoral bid …

Four More Women Accuse Filner … Four prominent San Diego women came forth today accusing Mayor Bob Filner of unwanted sexual advances.  They related specific incidents in an exclusive interview with KPBS News.  —  The latest accusers —a retired Navy rear-admiral, a dean at San Diego State University …

Senate Dems push White House to appoint Janet Yellen (and not Larry Summers) to the Fed  —  The Wall Street Journal reports this morning that roughly a third of Senate Democrats have signed on to a letter urging Barack Obama to appoint Janet Yellen as the next chairman of the Federal Reserve.

Bank Reposseses Wrong House, Refuses To Compensate Victim  —  Katie Barnett, a resident of MacArthur, OH, claims that a bank she doesn't belong to  —  Barnett says she has since presented the president of the bank with an $18,000 estimate to compensate her for the loss, but he has refused to pay her.

Paul Ryan lays out immigration proposals in Racine town hall meeting  —  By Bill Glauber of the Journal Sentinel  —  Racine — Coming face-to-face with activists, immigrants and the children of undocumented immigrants, U.S. Rep. Paul Ryan on Friday laid out his proposals to achieve a consensus …

U.S. Letter Says Leaker Won't Face Death Penalty  —  WASHINGTON — Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. said in a letter sent to the Russian minister of justice this week that the United States would not seek the death penalty against Edward J. Snowden, and would issue him a passport immediately …

Uh Ho: Obama Says Vietnamese Dictator Inspired by Founding Fathers  —  “...we discussed the fact that Ho Chi Minh was actually inspired by the U.S. Declaration of Independence and Constitution, and the words of Thomas Jefferson.”  —  It may come as some unwelcome news to the families …

Weiner & Spitzer — Now More Than Ever!  —  “Progressivism leads inevitably to utter irrationality and eventually political, as well as moral, chaos.”  —  So writes editor R.V. Young in the summer issue of Modern Age, the journal of which Russell Kirk was founding editor.

EXCLUSIVE: Fed-up Silda Spitzer plans to divorce Eliot after election  —  Silda Spitzer is privately telling friends she plans to divorce her hooker-loving husband, Eliot Spitzer, Page Six can exclusively reveal.  —  Multiple sources tell us long-suffering Silda — who, he last night admitted …

House ethics panel investigating four members  —  The House Ethics Committee is reviewing cases against four members of Congress, including Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.) and one member of GOP leadership, the panel announced Friday.  —  The Ethics Committee is probing Rep. John Tierney …

McCrory Signs State Budget, Says He Will Sign Abortion Bill & Voter ID Law  —  Governor Pat McCrory on Friday signed the new state budget, two days after state lawmakers approved the $20.6 billion spending plan.  —  Lawmakers finished their session this morning, passing a flurry of bills.

Slain Youth's Mother Criticizes Defense Law  —  PHILADELPHIA — The mother of Trayvon Martin, the unarmed Florida teenager whose fatal shooting by a neighborhood watch volunteer has provoked a national debate over racial profiling and gun laws, appealed to a crowd of African-American advocates here Friday to …

Cop Who Pepper-Sprayed Students At Occupy Protest Wants Worker's Compensation For ‘Psychiatric Injury’  —  DAVIS, Calif. (AP) — The former police officer who pepper-sprayed students during an Occupy protest at the University of California, Davis is appealing for worker's compensation …

Halliburton Pleads Guilty to Destroying Evidence After Gulf Spill  —  HOUSTON — Halliburton has agreed to plead guilty to destruction of critical evidence after the Gulf of Mexico oil spill in 2010, the Justice Department announced on Thursday.  —  The oil services company said it would pay …