Don’t be embarrassed if you still don’t know who’s who in the sprawling U.K. phone hacking scandal. Here’s a quick run-through of most of the major players:
House Ethics Committee hires outside counsel to handle the problem-plagued case against Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA).
Parliament accuses News Corp. of “deliberately trying to thwart” phone hacking investigation.
The Wisconsin GOP’s effort to retaliate for the recall push against Republican state senators by launching similar challenges against Democrats isn’t off to such a good start.
The House passed the dead-on-arrival Cut, Cap, and Balance Act a short time ago by a vote of 234-190.
The theory — still very much theoretical — is that voting for this bill will give House Republicans political cover to go ahead and vote for a debt ceiling deal that contains fewer spending cuts and more tax expenditure reductions than they would like. Not sure I buy it, but that’s the theory.
TPM’s Brian Beutler will be chatting with readers about the debt ceiling negotiations tonight at 9 p.m. ET on TPM’s Facebook page. You can submit your questions now. Hope you’ll join us later this evening. Read More
Miss the Murdochs’ testimony today? We’ve got the highlights.
After calling DNC Chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz “the most vile, unprofessional, and despicable member of the US House of Representatives,” Rep. Allen West (R-FL) concludes his stinging letter with this blast from the past: “You have proven repeatedly that you are not a Lady, therefore, shall not be afforded due respect from me!”
Dan Savage, on Obama’s support for repeal of DOMA: “I think it’s great, very heartening, in part because it’s clear that the cold, political calculations are adding up in our favor now. We’re seeing significant political movement in our direction because it’s not just the right thing to do, or the just thing, but because, in the long run, it’s the politically smart thing to do.”