TOP STORIES:
Analysis: Some health care numbers don’t tally; Raum ASSOCIATED PRESS
FACT CHECK: Distortions rife in health care debate; Babington ASSOCIATED PRESS
Obama officials: Taxes may rise to pay health care; Elliott ASSOCIATED PRESS
To Fix Health Care, Follow the States; Gov. Tim Pawlenty WASHINGTON POST
GOP defends tactics in opposing Obama agenda; Bolton THE HILL
White House Flags Jobs, Deficit Concerns; Bravin WALL STREET JOURNAL
Economic Messengers Perform on a Tightrope; Irwin WASHINGTON POST
‘Clunker’ of a program; Editorial USA TODAY
Stimulus cash lifts states, localities; Cauchon USA TODAY
HOUSE:
After the F-22; Editorial NEW YORK TIMES
US House Panel Backs Exclusivity for Biologic Drugs; Mundy WALL STREET JOURNAL
Amtrak Appointee Fuels Debate Over Independence; Conkey WALL STREET JOURNAL
5 things to watch during recess; Thrush POLITICO
As recess begins, the heat is on; Isenstadt POLITICO
Reps: ‘Present’ votes don’t mean probe; Bresnahan POLITICO
Letter to the editor; Rep. David Dreier POLITICO
Wife of Alaska congressman dies in Virginia; ASSOCIATED PRESS
Bernanke rescues economy, gets carping from Congress; Editorial USA TODAY
Fed needs more oversight; Rep. Ron Paul USA TODAY
Pelosi Gets a Pre-Recess Deal; Dennis ROLL CALL
Pence: GOP Is Rebuilding by Pushing Back; Stanton ROLL CALL
Democrats Take Aim at Insurers; Newmyer ROLL CALL
CHARLIE: BAD ‘DOGS’!; Retter NEW YORK POST
HOUSE ELECTIONS:
Top Early Money Candidates In Open-Seat Races; Giroux CONGRESSIONAL QUARTERLY
SENATE:
Party Policy Shifts With the Majority; Hunt NEW YORK TIMES
‘Clunkers’ Rebates at Risk Unless Senate Acts; Boles WALL STREET JOURNAL
Senate Dems spar over public plan; Brown, O’Connor POLITICO
McCain: Obama flunks bipartisanship; Allen, Lee POLITICO
McCain gives Obama credit on economy; POLITICO
GOP could block clunkers cash; O’Connor POLITICO
McCain says US may need more troops in Afghanistan; ASSOCIATED PRESS
Health Talks Test Leaders; Pierce, Drucker ROLL CALL
As Obama Slips, GOP Finds Unity a Bit Easier; Stanton ROLL CALL
Microsoft-Yahoo Venture Faces Scrutiny; Palmer ROLL CALL
Hatch: Dem healthcare plan “out of this world”; Bolton THE HILL
Nelson, liberals escalate feud; Bolton THE HILL
Clunkers bill could face tougher road in Senate; Snyder THE HILL
DeMint: Americans will ‘take to the street’ on healthcare; Wilson THE HILL
McCain will lead GOP opposition to ‘cash-for-clunkers’; Bolton THE HILL
Crowded Agenda Before Senate Recess Begins Friday; Jansen CONGRESSIONAL QUARTERLY
Senate Looks To Clear Clunkers, Ag Approps And Sotomayor; Goode, Friedman CONGRESS DAILY
SENATE ELECTIONS:
Texas Senate seat within Dems’s reach; Frost POLITICO
In North Carolina, it’s déjà vu all over again; Blake THE HILL
POLITICS/CAMPAIGNS:
On Governor’s Race, Cuomo Stance Is Wait and See; Confessore NEW YORK TIMES
Blue-State Blues; Douthat NEW YORK TIMES
Democrats Continue Anti-Bush Campaign; Helderman WASHINGTON POST
‘High Risk, High Reward’; Balz, Johnson WASHINGTON POST
Report on Ayers Sped Up McCain Attack on Obama; Balz, Johnson WASHINGTON POST
The GOP’s Extremist Dilemma; Dionne WASHINGTON POST
For State, Local Office Seekers, Web Ads Present Potential Pitfalls; Steel WALL STREET JOURNAL
Steele finds his voice; Martin POLITICO
Perdue already faces rocky road; Mason POLITICO
Corzine Considering Takeover of Ridgefield; ASSOCIATED PRESS
Palin addresses gun collectors; ASSOCIATED PRESS
McCain: Palin to be ‘force’ in Republican Party; ASSOCIATED PRESS
Under Assault, NRA Fights Back; Palmer, Brady ROLL CALL
ADMINISTRATION:
U.S. to Push Peace in Middle East Media Campaign; Landler NEW YORK TIMES
U.S. Weighs Iran Oil Sanctions if Nuclear Talks Are Rejected; Sanger NEW YORK TIMES
New Detainee Site In U.S. Considered; Finn, Wilson WASHINGTON POST
What’s Different About the Obama Foreign Policy?; Cohen WALL STREET JOURNAL
Geithner won’t rule out new taxes; POLITICO
Clinton to tackle African trouble spots; Lee ASSOCIATED PRESS
AP sources: Military-civilian terror prison eyed; Jakes ASSOCIATED PRESS
PBS chief welcomes public TV funding under Obama; Elber ASSOCIATED PRESS
Obama pivots his attention to economic health; Jackson USA TODAY
The Rose Garden: Public Disdain for D.C. Rains on Obama’s Parade; Koffler ROLL CALL
Summers won’t rule out new taxes; O’Brien THE HILL
Geithner, Summers hedge on tax hikes; LoBianco WASHINGTON TIMES
SCOTUS:
The Vote on Judge Sotomayor; Editorial NEW YORK TIMES
McCain Is Undecided on Sotomayor; ASSOCIATED PRESS
BAILOUT/ECONOMY:
Obama Aides See Signs of Recovery but Say It Will Be Slow; Andrews NEW YORK TIMES
Rewarding Bad Actors; Krugman NEW YORK TIMES
Troubled Banks, Huge Bonuses; Editorial NEW YORK TIMES
Another Leg of Freddie Mac’s Long Relay; Goldfarb WASHINGTON POST
More Cash for Clunkers?; Anwyl WALL STREET JOURNAL
Cash From Clunkers; Editorial WALL STREET JOURNAL
Geithner: No TARP II; Allen POLITICO
The price of U.S. recession is paid in jobs; Kaiser REUTERS
U.S. auto workers seek to retrain for scarce new jobs; Carey REUTERS
Obama administration hopeful on “clunker” extension; Crawley REUTERS
LaHood: Car rebates will stop unless Senate acts; Thomas ASSOCIATED PRESS
Car dealers applaud clunkers program as big shot in the arm; Healey, Woodyard USA TODAY
Many companies beat quarterly earnings forecasts; Krantz USA TODAY
Geithner, Greenspan say recession nearing end; Bolton THE HILL
HEALTHCARE:
Two Sides Take Health Care Debate Outside Washington; Stolberg, Herszenhorn NEW YORK TIMES
Democrats Find Rallying Points on Health Reform, but Splinters Remain; Murray, Kane WASHINGTON POST
Drug, Energy Firms Buck Lobbying Decline; Mullins, Farnam WALL STREET JOURNAL
Smaller firms seek big guns; Abrahamson POLITICO
Lawmakers Move to Sell Health Plan to Voters, Take on Insurers; Jensen, Gaouette BLOOMBERG NEWS
Obama’s two top health nominees follow their faith; Banks RELIGION NEWS SERVICE
Democrats walk a careful line on healthcare; Hook LOS ANGELES TIMES
Debating prevention’s place in healthcare bill; Sherry LOS ANGELES TIMES
Flexible Spending Account Providers Fighting to Protect Benefits; Ackley ROLL CALL
Health Bills Allow Some a Religious Exemption; Reynolds CONGRESSIONAL QUARTERLY
Rhetoric Runs the Traps on Health Care Overhaul; Silvassy CONGRESSIONAL QUARTERLY
Obama’s health plans confusing; Lanny Davis WASHINGTON TIMES
STIMULUS:
States, Cities Spend for Stimulus Cash; Radnofsky, Eaton WALL STREET JOURNAL
Agencies Seek to Use Stimulus Funds to Find Cheaper Health Care; Zhang WALL STREET JOURNAL
Stimulus? W.H. may extend jobless aid; Allen POLITICO
LABOR/EFCA:
Trumka vows tougher labor politics; Martin, Cummings POLITICO
Life after ‘card check’; Editorial LOS ANGELES TIMES
ENERGY/ENVIRONMENT:
Falling Behind On Green Tech; John Doerr, Jeff Immelt WASHINGTON POST
DEFENSE/WAR ON TERROR:
U.S. Pilot’s Remains Found in Iraq After 18 Years; Shanker NEW YORK TIMES
Arrests in Bank Robbery Create a Rift Between Iraqi Officials; Dagher NEW YORK TIMES
9 Soldiers Killed in Afghanistan; Oppel NEW YORK TIMES
With Enough Soldiers, the Army Is Looking for a Few Good Officers; Quenqua NEW YORK TIMES
Iraqi and Kurdish Leaders Pledge to End Disputes; Bakri WASHINGTON POST
Decorated Airman Anxiously Awaits New Policy on Gays; Vogel WASHINGTON POST
In Afghanistan, a Time to Debate and Decide; Eikenberry WASHINGTON POST
An Independent Lens; Editorial WASHINGTON POST
Troop Deaths Rise in Afghanistan; Rosenberg WALL STREET JOURNAL
Bomb blast in Afghanistan kills at least 10; de Montesquiou ASSOCIATED PRESS
Three U.S. Soldiers Die in Afghanistan Roadside Attack; Straziuso, Abrashi ASSOCIATED PRESS
New Taliban code: Don’t kill civilians, don’t take ransom; Ahmed CHRISTIAN SCIENCE MONITOR
Marines fighting Taliban strive to win Afghan locals’ trust; Vanden Brook USA TODAY
Joint Chiefs chairman making his influence felt; Barnes LOS ANGELES TIMES
U.S. LOCAL:
California’s Reckoning — and Ours; Samuelson WASHINGTON POST
OF NOTE:
New Owner for a Magazine as Political Tastes Change; Arango NEW YORK TIMES
China’s Gains in Manufacturing Stir Friction Across the Pacific; Aeppel WALL STREET JOURNAL
For Companies, a Tweet in Time Can Avert PR Mess; Needleman WALL STREET JOURNAL
Pay Your Teachers Well; Editorial WALL STREET JOURNAL
August: Time for a good read; Mason POLITICO
Expert suggestions for summer reading; Mason POLITICO
Iran leader approves Ahmadinejad presidency: TV; REUTERS
Georgia says Russia is trying to seize more land; Dzhindzhikhashvili ASSOCIATED PRESS
TOP BLOGS:
Rangel: Blue Dogs made health care bill more expensive; O’Connor POLITICO LIVE
McCain to GOP: Reach out to Hispanics; Lee POLITICO LIVE
Summers downplays call for tax increase; O’Connor POLITICO LIVE
Summers: Situation ‘much worse that we thought’; Lee POLITICO LIVE
Greenspan: Obama’s solution is inadequate; Lee POLITICO LIVE
Romer: Economy hasn’t hit the bottom; Lee POLITICO LIVE
DeMint not a “Cash-for-Clunkers” fan; O’Connor POLITICO LIVE