Schumer hints that Obama may not need Congress to avoid default.

What’s more bizarre than accusations of one Justice putting another Supreme Court Justice in a chokehold? Reading the full court’s emails to each other arguing about what to do first after the incident — meet with the Capitol Police or sit for that group Court photo.

Reps. Meeks (D-NY) and Schmidt (R-OH) both now being investigated by the House Ethics Committee.

State Rep. Robert Mecklenborg (R), key sponsor of the Ohio bill that cracks down on voting rights (part of which is soon to become law) was arrested in April for drunk driving with a 26 year old woman as his passenger and Viagra in his system.

Ironically, losing his drivers license might complicate his ability to vote, though presumably he can get a non-drivers state ID to allow him to vote.

2012 phenom Herman Cain announces a $2.46 million campaign haul in the 1st quarter. It’s a bit hard to know what yardstick to measure Cain against. But it’s barely half Pawlenty’s number — although Pawlenty’s is supposed to be a first tier candidate. So it’s not really something that knocks your socks off.

China grows its own version of Twitter, with Chinese characteristics: Weibo.

Okay, this wasn’t something I imagined I’d see. One of our reporters, Ryan Reilly, being interviewed by Al Sharpton about Stephen Colbert. Video after the jump … Read More

In honor of July 4th, relieve the top seven fails of the 2012 election season SO FAR.

On July 4th we celebrate America. The most obvious thing is our civic tradition, our history of democratic government. But since it’s so rightly and well celebrated, I thought I’d focus on something else for today: American music, or more specifically America’s distinct and world-transforming musical idioms. Most of them originating or coming into view of recorded sound between about 1910 and 1930 from an interplay of upcountry white and low country black sounds. If you listen to the amazing British single Adele today she’s still working through basic Blues and Jazz musical idioms from going on a century ago.

So a few acts and performers to celebrate today. Robert Johnson, Muddy Waters, Hank Williams, Ike Turner, Elvis Presley, Leadbelly. I’ve gone pretty light on the Jazz side of the equation. I’d say Armstrong, Charlie Parker and John Coltrane, though that leaves out most of the greats.

Who else am I missing? And not just great musicians but the ones who defined if not always created the idioms. I can think of dozens of others. But I hardly know where to start because it’s impossible to know where to stop.

(ed.note: If you’ve never heard him, pick up an album of Robert Johnson’s. It also doesn’t matter which one, aside from remastering quality, since he only did two recording sessions. And it all amounts to about one long album’s worth of music. It’s like listening to the rosetta stone of maybe half of American music for the next 75 years.)

Over night, Fox News twitter account was hacked, announcing the false news of President Obama’s assassination in Iowa. He wasn’t in Iowa, wasn’t attacked. All false.