The dog days of summer are quieting things down a bit, finally -- on the non-debt ceiling stuff. Of that, however, there is plenty. Here's today's Morning EDition:
TODAY
- Two House committees hold hearings on homegrown terrorism. Unless it's by white Christians.
BUDGET
- The Treasury might have an extra week's worth of cash on hand.
- Pres. Obama's call for contacting Congress worked. Just ask Rep. Allen West (R-FL). And it ain't over yet.
- Wall St. created a monster it can't control. Yet, anyway.
- The Wall St. Journal is also sad about the monster.
- But maybe Wall St. just hasn't flexed its full muscle against the monster. Yet.
- The market's jitters remain relatively arcane.
- But maybe having to delay their deluxe vacations will get them to crack the whip.
- Speaker Boehner (R-OH) delays his vote so he can whip support.
- Senate GOP Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) tries to get Republicans to accept compromise.
- Maybe because McConnell is quietly working on one with Senate Leader Harry Reid (R-NV).
- Democrats are gambling on a Boehner fail.
- And Democrats are whipping against the Boehner plan.
- Who's balking at the Boehner plan in the House GOP.
- Tim Pawlenty comes out against the Boehner plan. Tim Pawlenty, we should note, is a Republican presidential candidate.
- Who's leading the charge against the Boehner plan? The key architect of Bush-Cheney torture policies.
- The right-wing fears moderate Republicans will get a deal through the Senate.
- The Tea Party says Mission Accomplished.
- The CBO weighs in on both the Boehner and Reid deals.
- Boehner works to rejigger his deal in response to CBO report.
- The White House is working on its own deal...and might be open to a short short-term debt-ceiling hike.
- Polls show Obama could suffer for targeting entitlements.
- Poll: Most Americans side with the president.
- Greenwald: Obama's pursuit of the middle is costing him.
- VIDEO: GOP rallies support for Boehner's plan by playing movie clip of criminals planning a violent attack.
- Affleck responds.
WALL ST. / BANKS
- Even if the US avoids default, Wall St. may punish Americans for not embracing even more austerity.
- But Moody's assures Americans all they have to worry about is higher interest rates. Whew!
- Anti-Dodd/Frank lobbyists doing brisk business, which is weird, what with Dodd-Frank having impoverished Wall St.
- Alabama county tries to stave off the largest municipal bankruptcy ever.
- DOJ preparing to go after Wells Fargo for allegedly targeting black borrowers for predatory lending.
BROKEN GOVERNMENT
- House Dems work to end the FAA shutdown.
VOTING RIGHTS
- Maine GOP tries to scare college students out of voting.
ISLAMOPHOBIA
- Rep. Peter King (R-NY) goes ahead with anti-Muslim hearings; blocks Muslim Rep. Keith Ellison (D-MN) from testifying.
- Birther accused of fraud.
MISOGYNY
- Senators protest some of Saudi Arabia's sexist policies.
IMMIGRATION
- Rep. Luis Gutierrez (D-IL) is arrested outside the White House protesting immigration policy.
TERRORISM
- Is al Qaeda on the brink of extinction?
AFGHANISTAN
- Kandahar mayor assassinated.
MITT ROMNEY
- Romney names his VP short list. All swing staters.
MICHELE BACHMANN
- Add "home loan" to the list of government loans/aid Bachmann both rails against and has utilized.
RICK PERRY
- Perry follows in Bush's footsteps to the door of the religious right, with one big misstep.
Oh, and thanks to whomever it was that pointed out my billions/millions slip yesterday. I apologize and I've fixed it. Thanks for the eagle eye.
(What I'm reading: Greg Sargent's Plum Line, Think Progress, Matt Yglesias, Talking Points Memo, TPMDC, Taegan Goddard's Political Wire, the Washington Monthly, CNN's PoliticalTicker, the National Journal, Ezra Klein, Politico's Playbook and Huddle, Dave Weigel, Wonkette, Firedoglake, the NYT Caucus, Daily Kos, Crooks and Liars. What my iPod has me listening to: Dance to the Music by Sly and the Family Stone.)
Follow Senior Producer Jonathan Larsen (@jtlarsen) on Twitter