TOP STORIES:
Congress Gets an Upgrade; Mullins WALL STREET JOURNAL
The Town Hall Mob; Krugman NEW YORK TIMES
Health Reform and the Polls; Rasmussen WALL STREET JOURNAL
Sotomayor Confirmed by Senate, 68-31; Savage NEW YORK TIMES
With Senate Vote, Congress Refuels ‘Clunkers’ Program; Hedgpeth, Bacon WASHINGTON POST
Key Lawmaker Received Countrywide Loans; Emshwiller WALL STREET JOURNAL
Deficit a Growing Concern for Public — and White House; Seib WALL STREET JOURNAL
HOUSE:
Blue Dog Blues; Strassel WALL STREET JOURNAL
Oberstar threatens to ‘roll over’ W.H.; Lovley, Libit POLITICO
House Democrat received Countrywide loans: report; REUTERS
What Congress has, hasn’t done so far this year; ASSOCIATED PRESS
Top US lawmaker to visit Israel; AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
Lawmakers fund projects the Pentagon doesn’t want; Editorial USA TODAY
Markey Probes Coal Industry Group Over Forged Letters; Bendery ROLL CALL
Cantor swipes at Obama policy on Mideast trip; Johnson THE HILL
Rep. Moran ‘looking forward’ to town hall protesters; Hooper THE HILL
HOUSE ELECTIONS:
In Bid for House Seat, a Question of Identity for Republicans Upstate; Peters NEW YORK TIMES
Lou Holtz Won’t Run for Congress; Toeplitz ROLL CALL
Schakowsky to Endorse Hamos in Race to Replace Kirk; Toeplitz ROLL CALL
Costello Joins GOP Race in Pennsylvania 6; Giroux CONGRESSIONAL QUARTERLY
SENATE:
Senators Hear Concerns Over Costs of Health Proposal; Pear, Herszenhorn NEW YORK TIMES
Climate Bill Is Threatened by Senators; Broder NEW YORK TIMES
Senators Weigh Postal Service’s Future; Fuller NEW YORK TIMES
Senate Adds Cash to ‘Clunkers’ Plan; Wald NEW YORK TIMES
Senate Health-Care Negotiators Hope to Keep Deal Alive During Break; Murray WASHINGTON POST
Clash of the Clunkers; Milbank WASHINGTON POST
Senate Adds $2 Billion to ‘Clunkers’ Plan; Boles WALL STREET JOURNAL
Immigration Effort Draws GOP Backer; Simpson WALL STREET JOURNAL
Senate Democrats Want Climate Bill to Protect Manufacturing; Power WALL STREET JOURNAL
Cash-for-clunkers flush with cash again; Raju POLITICO
Reid: GOP ‘run by a talk show host’; Isenstadt POLITICO
Conrad rips Issa investigation; Raju POLITICO
Reid downplays talk of reconciliation; Raju POLITICO
US Senator Webb to make rare Myanmar visit; AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
A deadly amendment to the hate-crimes bill; Editorial LOS ANGELES TIMES
Democrats Hope Recess Recharges Their Agenda; Pierce ROLL CALL
Health Care Negotiators Head Home; Still Talking; Drucker ROLL CALL
Obama Tells Health Care Negotiators to Keep Working; Pierce ROLL CALL
Senate approves $2 billion for ‘cash for clunkers’; Bolton THE HILL
Medicaid costs fueling dispute between states, Senate; Young THE HILL
Conrad, Issa spar over Countrywide probe; Crabtree THE HILL
Reid opposes effort to fill Senate vacancies by election; Bolton THE HILL
Kansas senators fight Gitmo move; Rowland WASHINGTON TIMES
SENATE ELECTIONS:
No Coverage
POLITICS/CAMPAIGNS:
Results of State Elections May Show How Obama Is Doing; Nagourney NEW YORK TIMES
President Tells His Backers To Get ‘Fired Up’ for Deeds; Helderman WASHINGTON POST
Is Bush still relevant?; Coller POLITICO
Obama injects life into Deeds campaign; Martin POLITICO
Beck’s ‘poison’ joke gets harsh rebuke; Bresnahan POLITICO
Obama raises money for Deeds, sans healthcare talk; Wilson THE HILL
Obama ratings may be aiding GOP in Virginia; Wilson THE HILL
New Jersey: More Older Voters Want Corzine Out; Kapochunas CONGRESSIONAL QUARTERLY
McDonnell Still Leads in Virginia; McDonald CONGRESSIONAL QUARTERLY
ADMINISTRATION:
Clinton Offers Assurances to Somalis; Gettleman NEW YORK TIMES
Jewish Groups Say Obama’s Pick for Medal Has Anti-Israel Bias; Landler NEW YORK TIMES
Detention Reform; Editorial NEW YORK TIMES
Agency Plans to Improve Oversight of Immigrant Detention; Hsu WASHINGTON POST
Clinton Regrets U.S. Not Part of Court; Sheridan WASHINGTON POST
In Tire Tariff Case, Obama Faces First Chinese Trade Policy Test; Shin WASHINGTON POST
After the Thrill Is Gone; Gerson WASHINGTON POST
Doubt Raised on Gitmo Closing Date; Gorman, Perez WALL STREET JOURNAL
It’s Time to Legislate a Spending Cap; Moore WALL STREET JOURNAL
Clinton wants SAfrica to press Zimbabwe reform; Lee ASSOCIATED PRESS
Obama’s Approval Ratings Show a Summer Slump; Walsh US NEWS AND WORLD REPORT
Obama aims to overhaul immigration jail system; Gorman LOS ANGELES TIMES
Obama’s counter-terrorism advisor denounces Bush-era policies; Miller LOS ANGELES TIMES
EXCLUSIVE: Obama pledge to whistleblowers in doubt; LoBianco WASHINGTON TIMES
U.S. no longer at war with ‘terrorism’; Ward WASHINGTON TIMES
SCOTUS:
Sotomayor Faces Heavy Workload of Complex Cases; Liptak NEW YORK TIMES
Sotomayor Wins Confirmation; Goldstein, Kane WASHINGTON POST
Justice Sotomayor; Editorial WASHINGTON POST
Alaska freshman pegs Sotomayor as a moderate; Alarkon THE HILL
BAILOUT/ECONOMY:
Another Hurdle for the Jobless: Credit Inquiries; Glater NEW YORK TIMES
Ex-Chief of A.I.G. Settles S.E.C. Case for $15 Million; Walsh, Healy NEW YORK TIMES
Birth Rate Is Said to Fall as a Result of Recession; Roberts NEW YORK TIMES
Job Losses Slow but Still Weigh on Economy; Irwin, Shin WASHINGTON POST
Mortgage Giants’ Revamp Disputed; Cho, Goldfarb WASHINGTON POST
Fixing Fannie Mae; Editorial WASHINGTON POST
Bankers Beat Odds in Toxic Pay Plan; Lucchetti WALL STREET JOURNAL
Fannie Seeks $10.7 Billion From Treasury After Big Loss; Timiraos WALL STREET JOURNAL
Washington vs. Silicon Valley; Editorial WALL STREET JOURNAL
W.H. braces for 10% unemployment; Javers POLITICO
Fewer layoffs expected as recession winds down; Aversa ASSOCIATED PRESS
HEALTHCARE:
Democrats Say No to Cost Cap for Drug Manufacturers; Kirkpatrick NEW YORK TIMES
Governors Fear Added Costs in Health Care Overhaul; Krauss NEW YORK TIMES
Republicans Propagating Falsehoods in Attacks on Health-Care Reform; Pearlstein WASHINGTON POST
Democrats Weigh the Calculus of Public Insurance; MacGillis WASHINGTON POST
Health-Care Reform: A Better Plan; Krauthammer WASHINGTON POST
Harry and Louise, Closet Socialists; Kinsley WASHINGTON POST
‘You Are Terrifying Us’; Noonan WALL STREET JOURNAL
France Fights Universal Care’s High Cost; Gauthier-Villars WALL STREET JOURNAL
White House Vows to Defend Democrats on Health Reform; Meckler WALL STREET JOURNAL
Rahm warns liberal groups to stop ads; Martin POLITICO
WH to Dems: Punch back twice as hard; Brown POLITICO
Groups coordinate Obama opposition; Allen POLITICO
White House advises Dems on health care protests; Alonso-Zaldivar, Werner ASSOCIATED PRESS
THE INFLUENCE GAME: Insurers fighting back quietly; Fram ASSOCIATED PRESS
Activists to keep heat on with health protests; Werner ASSOCIATED PRESS
Axelrod Counsels Democrats on August Recess Strategy; Drucker ROLL CALL
Democrats Brace for More Protests; Bendery, Pierce ROLL CALL
Castellani Urges Bipartisan Health Bill; Ackley ROLL CALL
Democrats Strike Back Against Health Insurers; Ackley ROLL CALL
Axelrod gives Dems their health talking points; Bolton, Young THE HILL
Democrats slam town-hall protests as ‘phony’; Bolton THE HILL
STIMULUS:
With Jobs Data Due, Experts See Some Lift From Stimulus; Andrews NEW YORK TIMES
LABOR/EFCA:
No Coverage
ENERGY/ENVIRONMENT:
Culling the Gas Hogs; Editorial NEW YORK TIMES
Can Wal-Mart Be Sustainable?; Editorial NEW YORK TIMES
Oil slips below $72 ahead of US unemployment data; Kennedy ASSOCIATED PRESS
DEFENSE/WAR ON TERROR:
Iraqis Freed by U.S. Face Few Jobs and Little Hope; Robertson NEW YORK TIMES
White House Struggles to Gauge Afghan Success; Sanger, Schmitt, Shanker NEW YORK TIMES
5 U.S. Marines Killed in Afghanistan; Filkins, Wafa NEW YORK TIMES
C.I.A. Missile Strike May Have Killed Pakistan’s Taliban Leader, Officials Say; Mazzetti, Schmitt NEW YORK TIMES
A $191 Million Question; O’Harrow WASHINGTON POST
Pakistan Taliban Chief May Have Been Killed; Warrick WASHINGTON POST
Police: 7 die in Baghdad as bombs target Shiites; Ahmed ASSOCIATED PRESS
3 NATO troops killed in southern Afghanistan; ASSOCIATED PRESS
Adviser: US has 2 more tough years in Afghanistan; Gearan ASSOCIATED PRESS
U.S. LOCAL:
Virginia Governor Sets Free 3 Sailors Convicted in Rape and Murder; Urbina NEW YORK TIMES
California Scrambles to Prepare for Inmate Release; White, Knutson WALL STREET JOURNAL
OF NOTE:
Iran’s Show Trial; Editorial NEW YORK TIMES
UPS Employees Say They Were Forced to Lobby Against FedEx; Eggen WASHINGTON POST
GAO: Postal Service in financial disarray; Yager THE HILL
TOP BLOGS:
Deficit hits record $1.3 trillion for July; Kady POLITICO’S THRUSH BLOG
And now fist fights at a town hall?; Kady POLITICO’S THRUSH BLOG
Another Dem overrun by protesters at town hall; Kady POLITICO’S THRUSH BLOG
Dems rip Limbaugh’s use of Nazi symbol; Kady POLITICO’S THRUSH BLOG
NJ-Gov, VA-Gov: Republicans Lead in New R2K Polls; SWING STATE PROJECT