In 2-1 vote the US 6th District Court Of Appeals has ruled that the mandate provision of Health Care Reform is valid. As a bit of background, the Commerce Clause gives Congress the power to ‘regulate commerce among the several states’. It has been determined that this allows them to regulate any activities with a significant impact on interstate commerce. One of the key cases that set down this...

Some of you may have noticed that the Taliban has engaged in a terror attack on Kabul, Afghanistan’s Intercontinental Hotel. They just don’t seem interested in cooperating with the Afghan government or any Western entity. This attack may or may not be over. Apparently helicopters just shot terrorists on the hotel roof. Kabul, Afghanistan (CNN) — Gunmen and suicide bombers attacked Kabul’s...

UPDATE: JURY FINDS BLAGO GUILTY ON 17 COUNTS Experts are now commenting on possible sentence for Blago, looks like he’ll be looking at about a decade behind bars. The jury has convicted former Governor Soprano on 17 of the 20 counts against him. He was found not guilty on one count and they hung on two counts. He was found guilty on all counts related to the alleged (or perhaps no longer alleged) effort...

Andy Towle talked to Mike Long, chairman of the NY Conservative Party, earlier this evening: “I’m sorry to say that the bill’s going to pass,” Long told me in a phone interview minutes ago. He said that the recently released religious liberty amendment would serve as an “excuse for some Sepublican senators to hang their hat on.” “I know they’ve got the 32nd vote,...

Several days ago I began writing a well balanced article about right wing ideas to dissolve, curtail or under-fund agencies (who knows actually) like the EPA and OSHA. Regulations are costing us jobs they say. They say the huge pile of private capital on the sidelines would come rushing to create jobs if only for those burdensome government regulations. I planned to point out in my column how a 50 state solution...

The United Nations, which seems to be emerging as the indispensable partner in global affairs even for the United States, will be led for a second five-year term by South Koreas’s Ban Ki-moon who took over as Secretary General in 2007. The 15-nation UN Security Council decided unanimously today to recommend him to the 192-nation UN General Assembly for confirmation through to the end of 2016. The eighth...

According to our professional news persons (who report the news BEFORE it happens, more and more often), Anthony Weiner will announce his resignation from Congress at 2 PM, EDT, in Brooklyn, New York. So, in keeping with this premature ejaculation of reportage, Andrew Breitbart and (anonymous) Publius (who broke the story) ought be pointed out for their instrumental role in taking out one of the few Democrats...

Current signs are that European efforts to save Greece from defaulting on its debt will be too feeble to prevent new financial tensions. They may grow into a global crisis equal to or worse than the fall of 2008. The latest indication came today from the European Central Bank’s blunt refusal to back a German plan to force creditors to take a haircut (accept less than 100 cents to the dollar) or reschedule...

Along with the Freemasons, the Illuminati, and the Zionists, the Bilderberg Group is a member of that august club of organizations that in the minds of conspiracy theorists around the world, are at the helm of global affairs. According to this article from Switzerland’s Suedostschweiz, which includes a letter from Swiss MP Dominique Baettig calling for the arrest of U.S. officials, the group is rumored...

According to reports from Associated Press the top staffers to Newt Gingrich’s Presidential campaign have resigned en masse. No reported reason yet for the resignations but you would have to assume there is a story there. CNN indicates his campaign manager Rob Johnson and ‘other top aides’ have resigned. Some say it relates to his taking time off for a vacation. If so it seems silly to me...

Update: Weiner just confessed that he did what he was accused of. He did take the original picture and he did intend to send it as a direct message (IE a private email) and accidentally sent it as a tweet (IE a public posting). He also confessed that sent many pictures and had online ‘relationships’ with many women over the last 3 years and that he has continued some of these after his marriage. It’s...

John Edwards, who sought the Democratic nomination twice and who enjoyed a legion of loyal, dedicated followers who believed in him, has been indicted by a federal grand jury on six counts over coverup of extramarital affair, including conspiracy, illegal campaign contributions, CBS News reports: A federal grand jury indicted two-time presidential candidate John Edwards on Friday over $925,000 spent to keep...

Republicans spent their time on the Sunday news shows saying they were the only serious deficit reducers in town. If we didn’t support the Ryan budget plan, we apparently enjoyed watching our country circle the bowl. Since they had the corner on seriousness, they told us the special election in New York was lost because the Democrats demagogued the Medicare issue. GOP mouthpieces called Democratic characterizations...

All or most of them were women and children. The lethal strikes took place in Helmand province. Local Afghan authorities are apparently saying that 12 of the deaths are children, two are women, and six others were injured. Hamid Karzai, in condemning the killings, gave a different breakdown: 10 children, two women, and two men.

Last week the largest defense contractor in the world and the United States government’s top technology information provider battled off a “significant and tenacious” cyber attack, Lockheed Martin Corp announced Saturday. And, the Huffington Post Reports, the Department of Homeland Security has now confirmed it: Hackers launched a “significant and tenacious” cyber attack on Lockheed...

From NPR: “Gil Scott-Heron, Poet and Musician, Has Died.”

Ezra Klein calls it the “now more than ever” plan:

The nation’s three biggest cities did not even make the list. Very disappointing.

The updated number of Joplin, Missouri, residents killed by last Sunday’s massive tornado is 132; 156 people are still unaccounted for. Joplin authorities say the bulldozers will not come out until every missing person is found.

Karl Rove thinks Republicans need a more “populist” narrative on Medicare (emphasis is mine):