The campaign rhetoric in this cycle's ads “is getting ugly,” the Washington Post writes. “'We always say this is the most negative cycle, but 2010 probably will be it,' said Evan Tracey, who tracks campaign ads for the Campaign Media Analysis Group, which is based in Northern Virginia. 'The national issues are huge, and both parties hold the view that you have to blow up your opponent.'”

The Democratic National Committee has announced it's distributing $2.5 million to various campaign committees and state parties to help the Democrats this fall. Of that $2.5 million, the DNC transferred $833,333 to the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee; an equal amount to the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee; $400,000 to the Florida state party; $333,333 to the Pennsylvania state party; and $100,000 to the Maryland state party.

"The state grants represent our commitment to the governor races in those states," a DNC official tells First Read. "The way the Democratic Governors Association is structured, we can't give to them like we can to the DSCC and the DCCC."

With these new transfers, the DNC has now handed out $4.5 million of its $20 million cash commitment to Democratic entities this midterm season. Overall, the DNC says it will spend a combined $50 million on the midterms.

Speaking of the DSCC, the committee will issue a memo today arguing that, [i]n Nevada, Kentucky, Louisiana, and Illinois, Democratic prospects have improved over the last five weeks as Republican candidates have been exposed for their extremism, evasiveness and exaggerations. Despite the headwinds of history, Democratic Senate candidates in these states – two of which would be pick-up opportunities -- have becoming increasingly competitive.”

CALIFORNIA: “With the campaigns in full swing over what are supposed to be lazy summer months, a new survey from the Public Policy Institute of California finds the races for governor and U.S. Senate are both up for grabs,” the L.A. Times' PolitiCal blog writes. “Democratic gubernatorial nominee Jerry Brown is leading his Republican opponent Meg Whitman, 37% to 34%. Meanwhile, Democratic Sen. Barbara Boxer is ahead of Republican Carly Fiorina, 39% to 34%.”

FLORIDA: One-time longshot candidates Rick Scott (R) and Jeff Greene (D) lead in their primaries for governor and senate, respectively. Scott is beating Attorney General Bill McCollum 43%-32%, and Greene leads 33%-23% in the latest Quinnipiac poll.

“Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Kendrick Meek will kick off a 10-day bus tour next Wednesday in Orlando, concluding with a hometown rally in Miami on Aug. 14,” Tampa Bay Buzz writes.

KENTUCKY: “Coal company executives are considering whether to launch an industry-funded campaign organization aimed at defeating Kentucky Democrats Jack Conway and Ben Chandler and others deemed to be 'anti-coal,'” the Louisville Courier-Journal writes.

MISSOURI: Tea Party favorite Michelle Bachmann's plans to campaign with Rep. Roy Blunt over the weekend has state Tea Party groups crying foul, the St Louis Dispatch writes. “While those groups haven't endorsed anyone in Tuesday's primary, many of their members say underdog Chuck Purgason, a state senator, is the real Tea Party candidate.”

NEVADA: “In Sen. Harry Reid's new campaign ad, a kindergarten teacher Bridget Zick praises the senator for passing the Recovery Act to save 3,500 Nevada education jobs,” the Las Vegas Review Journal writes. “But, it turns out, Zick's specific job wasn't on the chopping block. That's not mentioned in the ad, which gives the impression the stimulus kept Zick in the classroom with her kids.”

NEW HAMPSHIRE: A new WMUR Granite State Poll finds that “Republican Kelly Ayotte still holds an 8-point lead over [Democratic candidate Paul] Hodes, but that's a slide from the 15-point edge she held in April,” WMUR writes.

From NBC's Lauren Smiley
Today, House Democrats used the commemoration of the 75th anniversary of Social Security to blast Republicans -- given that some GOP candidates this midterm season have called to phase out the government-backed retirement benefit for seniors.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi stated, "This year, Republicans are charting a course right back to the failed ideas of the past. Again, Democrats and the American people are saying no."

Other Democrats took their turn at the mic to deliver the same message. House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer asserted that Republicans want to privatize Social Security and go "back to the pre-1935 days when it was a crapshoot for seniors."

The jabs continued with House Majority Whip James Clyburn, House Ways and Means Chairman Sander Levin, and a very fired-up Caucus Chairman John Larson, who described Republicans -- just as FDR did decades ago -- as "frozen in the ice of their own indifference toward the American people." Larson made the connection to this year's elections as he promised to engage the Republicans throughout the entire campaign and fight for the "people's party."

From NBC's Ali Weinberg
Democratic National Committee Chairman Tim Kaine and several Democratic House members today unveiled the new Democratic midterm attack plan against Republicans: GOP = Tea Party.

In an effort to demonstrate what they see as the dangers of Republican Congressional control, Democrats will spend the next few months until Election Day trying to tie all Republicans to policies advocated by some members of the Tea Party, including repealing the health care and Wall Street reform laws, abolishing the Departments of Labor and Education and the EPA, and ending Medicare.

Kaine said the DNC has an "aggressive" plan, along with the White House "to make sure the American people know what the Republicans really believe what their blueprint for governing is," tracking candidates' comments on the campaign trail, distributing research, and airing commercials nationwide.

He said what he sees as the Tea Party's extreme agenda is reflected in the beliefs of most of the GOP House leadership. As evidence of mainstream Republicans' acceptance of Tea Party policies, Kaine pointed to the decisions of some members of Republican House leadership to join the new Tea Party Caucus -- the first official iteration of the movement within the halls of Capitol Hill.

Kaine noted that the caucus garnered support from Republican leaders like NRCC Chairman Pete Sessions and House Republican Conference Chairman Mike Pence. "The Republican Party agenda has become the Tea Party agenda, and vice versa," he said.

Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman-Schultz later added, "Essentially, you don't know where the Republican Party ends and the Tea Party begins."

The centerpiece of the DNC's new campaign is a parody of the Tea Party Patriots' "Contract From America" and former Republican House Speaker Newt Gingrich's 1990s-era Contract With America. The Tea Party's contract laid out the group's 10 priorities, including repealing the health-care law -- the only point that appears on both the Tea Party list and the Democrats.'

The ten agenda items on the DNC's "Republican Tea Party Contract On America" are privatizing Social Security, ending Medicare, extending the Bush tax cuts for the wealthy, repealing the financial regulation overhaul and the health care reform law, protecting those responsible for the oil spill, abolishing the departments of Education and Energy, as well as the EPA, and repealing the 17th Amendment, which provides for the direct election of senators.

The strategy carries some risk for Democrats. Several vulnerable members are running in conservative-leaning districts. However, in the most recent NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll (June 17-21), just 24% of self-described moderates viewed the Tea Party positively and 37% viewed it negatively. Another 39% were either neutral, didn't know, or weren't sure. (Conservatives were the only ideological group in which a majority viewed them favorably -- 56%-12%.

"This isn't a joke," Kaine said. "These are things Republicans will pursue if they were back in power, positions that would halt the progress that we have made in a very difficult time."

Repeating a common Democratic campaign line -- that their party must stay in power in order to undo Republican damage -- Kaine said, "The election in November is a choice, and the positions of this contract are what the American people have to look forward to if they put Republicans back in charge."

One reporter at the event pointed out that some of the "Contract On America's" more extreme policies, like repealing the 17th Amendment, do not reflect the beliefs of the Republican leadership. Kaine said, "We welcome anybody on the other side coming forward and disabusing Americans that this is what they plan to do. ... If they violently disagree with any of them, I'm sure that we'll hear that."

"They're one and the same," Rep. Wasserman-Schultz added. "Their standardbearers, their nominees for race after race, they stand at rallies with Tea Party people who embrace this agenda," she said.

Democrats' dare to Republicans to disavow specific points in the contract also highlights the danger for the GOP, particularly for someone like Sessions, who is tasked with trying to get Republicans elected to the House.

The GOP was quick to respond, but didn't refute specific points. Republican National Committee spokeswoman Katie Wright called the Democrats' faux contract, "the DNC's latest attempt to distract voters from the Democrats' failing agenda and falling poll numbers."

In a statement e-mailed to reporters shortly after the Democrats' press conference, Wright wrote that Democrats are unwilling to equate voter frustration with their failed policies. "Not wanting a repeat of last summer's Town Hall meetings, the Democrats strategy for this summer appears be attacking voters as opposed to listening to them," Wright wrote.

Per NBCChicago's Ward Room, former Democratic Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich said his legal fate was "in God's hands," with the jury now considering whether to convict him on corruption charges.

"[The jurors] are the ones who will decide and make the decision," Blagojevich said. "Patti and I have great confidence and faith in their judgment common sense and decency. And ultimately in the final analysis Patti and I always have a deep and abiding faith in God ... and ultimately it's in God's hands."

[snip]

"Let me also say from a personal point of view, having been the governor, how gratifying it is to hear the different people who have come up to me during this trial who've thanked me. A young mother came up to me and expressed gratitude for the 'all kid's program and health care for her child.

"The number of senior citizens who have come up and flashed their senior bus rides cards; that's very meaningful and it gives me perspective to know that while I was governor real good things happened for the people of Illinois while I was governor. That has sustained me during this trial."

NBC's Kelly O'Donnell reports that Sen. Olympia Snowe (R-ME) will vote for Elena Kagan, President Obama's nominee to the Supreme Court.

"After a careful and considered review of Elena Kagan's testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee," Snowe said, "her overall record, and my personal meeting with her, I have concluded that General Kagan should be confirmed."

Even though Kagan is thought to be more to the center than Sonia Sotomayor, Kagan is likely to get fewer votes than Sotomayor's 68. Nine Republicans voted for Sotomayor, including Snowe, Lindsey Graham (SC), Richard Lugar (IN), Susan Collins (ME), Lamar Alexander (TN), as well as retiring Sens. Kit Bond (MO), Judd Gregg (NH), and George Voinovich (OH) plus retired Sen. Mel Martinez.

Graham, Lugar, and Collins have said they will vote for her. Alexander has said he will not. There is no indication yet of how Bond, Gregg, or Voinovich will vote. There is also no indication yet how Martinez's replacement, former Charlie Crist Chief of Staff George LeMieux, or Scott Brown will vote. Sen. Ted Kennedy did not vote.

Here's more of what Snowe had to say:

"Throughout my tenure in the Senate, I have applied a uniform standard for evaluating nominees for the United States Supreme Court, under both Republican and Democratic administrations. I find that Ms. Kagan has met that standard with the strong intellect, respect for the rule of law, and understanding of the important but limited role of the Supreme Court that I believe is required of any Justice. On that note, she has testified and spoken about the necessity of courts to maintain a fidelity to the law, and of the essential requirement not to pre-judge any case, stating during her hearing that judging is about '…what the law says, whether it's the Constitution or whether it's a statute…the question is always what the law says…it's what the text of the Constitution says…what the law says, not a judge's personal views.' It also is significant that, for her work as Solicitor General, Ms. Kagan has won the support of all ten Solicitors General who have served since 1985, including five Republican appointees, and she has also earned the support of over fifty deputy and assistant solicitors general who have served over the last forty-two years. Indeed by all accounts -- including those from conservative former Solicitors General Ken Starr and Ted Olson, and Assistant Solicitor General Miguel Estrada -- General Kagan has a clear reputation for a sound judicial temperament.

"Also, she has affirmed forcefully that adherence to Court precedent is a vital command for the Court. And in that light, in my view as a longtime, ardent supporter of Second Amendment rights, it was critical that General Kagan stated during her testimony that the precedents set by the Supreme Court in the Heller and McDonald cases -- which upheld a personal right to possess a firearm -- are 'deeply rooted in this nation's history and traditions' and are 'settled law;' that she has 'absolutely no reason to think that the court's analysis was incorrect in any way;' and, that she will apply these cases as law 'going forward.'"

From NBC's Mark Murray
On Monday, we pointed out this quote from Dino Rossi, the leading Republican to take on Washington state Sen. Patty Murray (D) in November:

"The idea of dragging home pork is an old-school measurement of a senator,’ said Republican Dino Rossi… ‘And right now, with Republicans and Democrats alike doing that, it's bankrupting America. There's nothing in the Constitution that says the job of a senator is bringing home pork."

Yet this new TV ad from Murray appears to be a response of sorts to that Rossi claim. Murray is essentially here, "Bringing home the pork also means bringing home -- and keeping -- jobs to your state."

Breaking news from the AP:

A judge has blocked the most controversial sections of Arizona's new immigration law from taking effect Thursday, handing a major legal victory to opponents of the crackdown.

The law will still take effect Thursday, but without many of the provisions that angered opponents -- including sections that required officers to check a person's immigration status while enforcing other laws. The judge also put on hold a part of the law that required immigrants to carry their papers at all times, and made it illegal for undocumented workers to solicit employment in public places.

*** UPDATE *** Per NBC's Pete Williams, here's a statement from the Justice Department:

"We believe the court ruled correctly when it prevented key provisions of SB1070 from taking effect. While we understand the frustration of Arizonans with the broken immigration system, a patchwork of state and local policies would seriously disrupt federal immigration enforcement and would ultimately be counterproductive. States can and do play a role in cooperating with the federal government in its enforcement of the immigration laws, but they must do so within our constitutional framework.

"This administration takes its responsibility to secure our borders seriously and has dedicated unprecedented resources to that effort. We will continue to work toward smarter and more effective enforcement of our laws while pressing for a comprehensive approach that provides true security and strengthens accountability and responsibility in our immigration system at the national level.

That question is given new meaning with the following story about candidates running in Rhode Island for a job they want to eliminate.

It's kind of like Rand Paul running for Education Secretary, if it were an elective position.

AP:

Robert Healey Jr. is running for Rhode Island lieutenant governor -- not to excel in the position, but to eliminate it altogether. He lampoons the office as a $1 million waste of taxpayer money, a "useless appendage" of state government whose sole reason for existence is for its occupant to step forward if the governor dies or can't serve. "We're cutting programs left and right, and yet we need an office for a million dollars a year to advise people," Healey said. "I'd rather spend the million dollars feeding people."

Healey founded his own political party and named it the Cool Moose. He has twice run unsuccessfully for the position but believes his message might hold extra resonance at a time of anti-incumbent fervor and resistance to big government. A lawyer and former cheese shop owner, he cuts a distinct picture with a long-flowing beard and curly hair that falls below his shoulders. His campaign website shows a cartoonish image of him, modeled on the iconic photograph of John Lennon in a sleeveless "New York City" T-shirt, with the words, "Imagine No Lieutenant Governor ... It's Easy if You Try."

His improbable idea might be dismissed as just a clever conceit, but the state Republican Party has co-opted the message by running its own candidate on the same platform. "There are no duties," said Heidi Rogers, 44, a small business owner and GOP candidate for the job. "I did my research on that and found that really there are no duties with that office except to wait for the governor to become incapacitated or die." ... Forty-three states have elected lieutenant governors. In West Virginia and Tennessee, the position is assigned to the leader of the state Senate. Some governors and legislatures, including in Louisiana and Wisconsin, have proposed eliminating the office, but most states seem to recognize an inherent value in having a designated deputy at the ready in case of emergency... ."

From NBC's Mark Murray
As we mentioned earlier today, the results from last night's primaries in Oklahoma ensure that Oklahoma will have its first-ever female governor -- either Mary Fallin (R) or Jari Askins (D).

In fact, per Rutgers' Center for American Women and Politics, there are eight states this year that could very well elect it's first-ever female governor: California (Republican Meg Whitman?), Florida (Democrat Alex Sink?), Georgia (Republican Karen Handel?), Maine (Democrat Libby Mitchell?), Minnesota (Dem Margaret Anderson Kelliher?), New Mexico (either Dem Diane Denish or Republican Susana Martinez), Oklahoma, and South Carolina (Republican Nikki Haley?).

As NBC's Jillian Hughes noted earlier this month, come 2011, we could approach or surpass the previous record or nine women residing in governors mansions simultaneously.

Obama heads to New Jersey and New York to talk about the economy then raise money… Once again, folks are asking: Is Obama too exposed? (The answer is yes, but in today's media environment, he probably has to be.)… DNC to blast what they say is the GOP/Tea Party Contract with America… It's going to be Fallin vs. Askins in Oklahoma's gubernatorial race… Profiling ID-1… And Rob Simmons says unequivocally that he's back in the Connecticut Senate race.

From Chuck Todd, Mark Murray, Domenico Montanaro, and Ali Weinberg
*** The fundraiser-in-chief: After recently sharpening his campaign message against Republicans (he refers to them almost daily now as the "partisan minority") -- as well as acknowledging yesterday that we're less than 100 days until Election Day -- President Obama attends a pair of fundraisers this afternoon and tonight in New York City. Democrats are hoping their DNC/DSCC/DCCC money hauls are enough to protect their majorities in the House and Senate. Yet before donning his fundraising cap, Obama will talk about the economy in Edison, NJ, where he 1) will meet with small business owners to discuss the importance of Congress passing legislation to help small businesses, and 2) will make a statement to the press (at 2:20 pm ET). This will become a familiar pattern for the president's travel where campaigning and fundraising will trump official speeches.

*** Overexposed, again? Also today, Obama tapes his appearance on "The View." That appearance -- plus even his new video on Web MD explaining the health-care law and how to use HealthCare.Gov -- has once furthered a narrative that the president is overexposed. (If you'll recall, we had this same discussion last year after Obama went on Leno, etc.) There is a potential danger here, and it does highlight the fact that there really isn't another key spokesman in the administration to talk about the economy or health care. But as the White House reminds us, the media world is now so diffuse (TV, newspaper, Web, cable Twitter, Facebook) that Obama has to do more than his predecessors ever did. That's the reality. So while folks INSIDE THE BELTWAY believe he's over-exposed, and those folks that watch a lot of cable TV might believe he's overexposed, ask the working parent of two if they think the same thing. One other related point: The White House also recognizes that even while it's losing rhetorical arguments about the economy or health care, it can't give up talking about them. If it does give up, then it will not only lose the short-term battle but also the long-term war.

*** The GOP/Tea Party Contract: At 11:00 am ET, DNC Chair Tim Kaine, DNC Vice Chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz, and other Democratic members will hold a press conference to introduce what they will say is the "Republican-Tea Party Contract With America." These Democratic leaders, DNC spokesman Hari Sevugan tells First Read, "will present the American people a handy 10-point blueprint for how the Republican-Tea Party would govern, based on actual positions taken and held by Republican-Tea Party members." The blueprint includes: repealing the health-care law, privatizing Social Security or phasing it out altogether, extending the Bush tax cuts for the well-off, repealing financial reform, and abolishing the Education and Energy Departments.

*** Today's deficit/debt meeting: President Obama's 18-member bipartisan deficit/debt commission meets at 9:30 am ET on Capitol Hill. Per a release, the commission "will hear from two witnesses -- Maya MacGuineas, president of the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget and Barry Anderson, who recently served as head of the Budgeting and Public Expenditures Division of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)."

*** Last night's Oklahoma results: As expected, Rep. Mary Fallin (R) cruised to victory in last night's GOP gubernatorial primary to succeed term-limited Gov. Brad Henry (D). But there was an upset on the Democratic side, with Lt. Gov. Jari Askins edging Attorney General Drew Edmondson by fewer than 2,000 votes. Fallin vs. Askins ensures that the next governor of Oklahoma will be a woman -- the first time that's happened in the state's history. Fallin goes into November as the front-runner.

*** 75 House races to watch: ID-1: The Democratic nominee is one-term incumbent Walter Minnick. The GOP nominee is state Rep. Raul Labrador. McCain won 62% in this district in '08, and Bush won 69% here in 2004. Minnick voted no on the stimulus, no on cap-and-trade, and no on health care. Both Cook and Rothenberg rate the district as Lean Democrat. Just this week, Minnick became the second Democrat to call on Charlie Rangel to resign.

*** More midterm news: In Connecticut, Republican Rob Simmons -- after suspending his Senate campaign but then airing TV ads to announce that he's still on the ballot -- declared at forum last night: "I am running for the United States Senate"… In Wisconsin, "Republican Senate candidate Ron Johnson said … he hasn't decided whether to sell his BP stock, two weeks after he told reporters he would get rid of it."
Countdown to KS and MO primaries: 6 days
Countdown to CO and CT primaries: 13 days
Countdown to Election Day 2010: 97 days

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“The House on Tuesday approved spending an additional $37 billion on the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, overcoming the opposition of some Democrats who have concluded that the Afghan conflict is unwinnable,” the Washington Post says. “The funding bill, which passed 308 to 114, had stalled for two months as a growing number of Democratic lawmakers objected to the continuation of the war in Afghanistan and insisted that spending on the conflicts be accompanied by funding for domestic initiatives, to help Americans suffering from the recession. The domestic funding was stripped from the final bill.”

“The legislation was passed by the Senate last week in a voice vote, and it now goes to President Obama for his signature.”

The Boston Globe says while the 308-114 vote is "an indication there is still support for President Obama's war strategy," there are "divisions developing even among top Democrats."

The New York Times reminds us of the context of yesterday’s vote: the Wikileaks leak. The vote “came after the leak of an archive of classified battlefield reports from Afghanistan that fueled new debate over the course of the war and whether President Obama’s counterinsurgency strategy could work. But Mr. Obama and top military officials said Tuesday that the disclosure of the documents should not force a rethinking of America’s commitment to the war. As Mr. Obama told reporters in the Rose Garden, ‘While I’m concerned about the disclosure of sensitive information from the battlefield that could potentially jeopardize individuals or operations, the fact is these documents don’t reveal any issues that haven’t already informed our public debate on Afghanistan.’”

Welcome to Jersey... President Obama is making a pit stop at the Tastee Sub Shop in Edison, N.J., Wednesday to talk about the economy -- and maybe nosh on a few sandwiches," the New York Daily News writes. The owner "said if Obama asks, he'll recommend the $8.30 Super Sub with five kinds of meat, including pressed ham, cappacola and proscuttini."

Conservatives can't help but criticize President Obama's appearance on The View.

Did you know Joe Arpaio's county has deported a quarter of all the illegal immigrants deported since 2007? AP reports: "Statistics obtained by The Associated Press show that the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office was responsible for deportations or forced departure of 26,146 immigrants since 2007. That's about a quarter of the national total of 115,841 sent out of the U.S. by officers in 64 law enforcement agencies deputized to help enforce immigration laws, some since 2006, under the so-called 287(g) program."

The New York Times writes, "The Senate on Tuesday refused to take up a bill that would require more disclosure of the role of corporations, unions and other special interests in bankrolling political advertisements, after Democrats failed to persuade even one Republican to support it… President Obama and Democratic leaders have been seeking to use the Republicans' opposition to the bill to portray them as beholden to corporate interests. Republicans, in turn, say the Democrats drafted the legislation in an effort to gain an advantage in this year's midterm elections."

The Boston Globe: "Senator Chuck E. Schumer, Democrat of New York, bemoaned the lack of bipartisanship that had carried campaign bills in the past. 'It's like skins and shirts,' he said of the two parties."

Per the AP, "Representative Charles Rangel attempted a last-minute plea deal yesterday to head off a House ethics trial that could embarrass him and damage Democrats facing potentially severe election losses." It adds that Rangel "would have to admit to multiple, substantial ethics violations unless ethics lawyers dramatically changed their negotiating stance. Earlier negotiations broke down when Rangel would admit to only some allegations -- not enough to satisfy the Ethics Committee lawyers, according to people familiar with those talks who were not authorized to be quoted by name."

The New York Daily News: "Charlie Rangel finally dropped the hang-tough bluster Tuesday after House Speaker Nancy Pelosi signaled she wants the Harlem Dem to cut his losses. ... The Daily News has learned Rangel began to change his mind Monday when he met with House ethics chairwoman Zoe Lofgren. Until then, he planned to fight on. But with Pelosi pressing for a plea, Rangel cleared the way for lawyer Leslie Kiernan to begin serious talks toward a deal."

But Lofgren denies that.

Idaho Rep. Walt Minnick became the second Democrat to call for Rangel to resign.

The Boston Globe's top story: "Senator John F. Kerry announced yesterday that he will voluntarily pay $500,000 to Massachusetts tax collectors on his luxury yacht, a pledge made hours after state officials had begun inquiring into whether he had attempted to evade the payment by docking the boat in Rhode Island."

(By the way, Curt Schilling is moving his video game company to Rhode Island. )

"Democrats say they are prepared to spend $49 million on TV ads during the final weeks of the midterm elections in their effort to maintain a House majority," the AP reports, adding: "The ad reservations bring the total number of House districts that party strategists are willing to discuss publicly to 60.”

"House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer plans a busy August on the campaign trail, with appearances planned for more than two dozen House Members and candidates, particularly moderates for whom the Maryland Democrat is the go-to leader, according to his office," Roll Call reports.

CALIFORNIA: "Republican gubernatorial candidate Meg Whitman today 'challenged' her opponent, Democrat Jerry Brown, to three debates," says the San Francisco Chronicle's Politics Blog, pointing out, "remember how Brown, the former governor and current state attorney general, announced last month that he was up for 10 debates? It seems like he had accepted Whitman's challenge before she even issued it."

COLORADO: Roll Call looks at the Democratic Senate race: "If it’s all really just an act, Sen. Michael Bennet plays it well. On the campaign trail, the Colorado Democrat doesn’t come across as the son of a diplomat, an Ivy League graduate or one of the 50 richest Members of Congress. He’s just Michael. He wears a $20 watch from Target (“It keeps perfect time,” he says), shows up to campaign events in a shirt with holes in the collar and forgets that he should stand facing the cameras during photo ops arranged by his staff. When addressing a room full of supporters, he often has a hand in the pocket of his frayed jeans."

MISSOURI: "The conservative activist known as Joe the Plumber is airing a TV ad in Missouri calling Rep. Roy Blunt (Mo.) a 'pretender' and touting state Sen. Chuck Purgason as the best candidate for the Republican Senate nomination," The Hill writes.

NEW HAMPSHIRE: "Kelly Ayotte, the tough former prosecutor and wife of an Iraq war vet, seemed to be on a glide path to the Republican nomination in New Hampshire and perhaps the U.S. Senate," AP writes, adding, "But GOP rivals have tripped her up and an endorsement from Sarah Palin has been a mixed blessing."

OKLAHOMA: “Lt. Gov. Jari Askins narrowly secured the Democratic nomination, while Republican U.S. Rep. Mary Fallin moved ahead without a runoff to set up an all-female race for governor,” the Tulsa World reports. “Attorney General Drew Edmondson conceded the Democratic primary late Tuesday. Fallin fended off three challengers in the Republican primary, including state Sen. Randy Brogdon of Owasso.”

“With all precincts counted, Askins had a 1,493-vote lead over Edmondson in unofficial results. Fallin picked up nearly 55 percent of the Republican vote. Askins and Fallin will square off on the Nov. 2 general election ballot.”

After last night's primary elections, there will be "a general election matchup that has happened only three times in U.S. history: two women, each backed by a major political party, facing off for their state's top elected post," the AP adds.

The Washington Post notes that either Fallin or Askins will be Oklahoma’s first female governor.

WISCONSIN: "Republican Senate candidate Ron Johnson said Monday he hasn't decided whether to sell his BP stock, two weeks after he told reporters he would get rid of it," the AP reports. Johnson previously said he planned to sell the stock to help finance his campaign against Democratic Sen. Russ Feingold, but on Monday Johnson backtracked: "'I think that will eventually happen, but I'm going to do it based on market conditions,' Johnson said after a lunch hosted by the political website wispolitics.com."

NBC's Luke Russert reports the war supplemental bill has passed, 308-114. Of the 114 no votes, 102 of them were Democrats. That's more than triple the number of members of the president's party (32) that voted against it last year. It also means that more Republicans voted for it (160) than Democrats (148).

The bill contains $37 billion for the war operations in Afghanistan and Iraq. It will be signed by President Obama as soon as is possible.

Defense Secretary Robert Gates had said the bill would have needed to pass by August to prevent the military from having to furlough employees to fund the war effort.

Here's the vote breakdown: 308 Yea (148 D, 160 R); 114 Nay (102 D, 12 R).

Earlier today we wrote that ahead of next week's Tennessee gubernatorial primary, Rep. Zach Wamp, Knoxville Mayor Bill Haslam and current Lt. Gov. Ron Ramsey were thought to be essentially tied in the polls.

And then there's this video that has surfaced of Ramsey at a July 14th event, questioning whether Islam is, perhaps, a "cult."

"You could even argue whether being a Muslim is actually a religion or is it a nationality, way of life or cult, whatever you want to call it," he said, responding to a question about Muslims that are "invading our country."

The New York Times' Lede blog framed it this way: "Mr. Ramsey, who hopes to win the Republican nomination for governor in a primary next month with support from Tea Party activists, was asked by a constituent this month to explain his position on the 'threat that’s invading our country from the Muslims.' As Jeff Woods of The Nashville Scene reported, a tape of the exchange posted online shows the lieutenant governor responding, 'I’m all about freedom of religion,' before casting doubt on Islam’s credentials as a religion...."

Here's a partial transcript with the questions and answers in the YouTube clip:

QUESTION: I had an opportunity as I mentioned to you earlier to talk with Richard Foy (sp?) the other day, a representative from this area. He made a point that is of national concern at least in my mind and in my heart that is more of a national threat than it is to (inaudible) the state of Tennessee, we've got a threat that is invading our country from Muslims. What's your stance on that?

RAMSEY: OK, well absolutely. Right now, I've been in Rutherford County where this all got started. This is so ironic. This, this is one of those questions that I ran for 17 months and nobody ever asked me about this until about a month ago, three weeks ago, in which, what happened is they're trying to put a mosque into Rutherford County. I don't know if y'all know this or not.

Now, I'm all about freedom of religion. I value the First Amendment as much as I value the Second Amendment as much as I value the Tenth Amendment and on and on and on. But you crossed the line when, when they start trying to bring Sharia law here to the state of Tenn, in the United States. We are a law- we live under our Constitution and they live under our Constitution. But it's scary if we get there. It's always arguable- and I've been studying this issue, but I'll be right up front with you, like I say until two weeks ago, three weeks ago, nobody ever asked me about this on a governor's race. And why do you ask about that? Til this mosque started coming in up there.

I've been trying to learn about Sharia law, I've been trying to learn about what going on-, it is not good if that's what's going on. Now, you could argue whether being a Muslim is actually a religion, or is it a nationality way of life, or cult whatever you want to call it.But certainly, we do want to protect our religions, but at the same times, this is something that we are gonna to have to face.

Right now, though, the most ironic part of what's happening in Rutherford County is I'm in the real estate business, you want to get something re-zoned, if you want to get something put in-, that's a three-month process. They approved that in 17 days ["mmm" from audience] in Rutherford County. The least they can do is back up, and say, let's, let's see what we're doing over there, (inaudible) 53,000 square foot mosque in the middle of basically a neighborhood and they did it all almost overnight 5:16. So that has become an issue, and what an issue. I've tried to study up on it. But I've read enough about Sharia law to know that it's crazy.

QUESTION: 22 communities have been established under Sharia law, and it's expanding rapidly.

RAMSEY: I'd be willing to say, stay tuned that when I'm governor we'll pass some kind of resolution or law or whatever it takes to say that it doesn't-, I don't see how it applies anyway, cause we're about the Constitution. Just enforce our Constitution when they try to push that down our throats.

From NBC's Mark Murray
Republicans have made this argument about the stimulus: After it was signed into law, the U.S. economy has lost more than 2 million jobs so far.

That argument, of course, is misleading. It doesn't take into account the jobs the stimulus created or saved; it doesn't reflect what the jobs market would have looked like had the stimulus not passed; and it doesn't take into consideration the 3.6 million jobs that were lost in George W. Bush's last year as president.

But if you use that same GOP argument in the context of the current debate over the Bush tax cuts -- should they be extended or not? -- it paints a flawed but still revealing picture: After the tax cuts were passed in June 2001, and furthered in 2003, the U.S. economy has lost nearly 1.6 million jobs.

To be sure, plenty of external factors (like 9/11 and the 2008 financial crash) contributed to that job-loss total from 2001 to now. Yet the figure does demonstrate that tax cuts -- especially those targeted for the wealthy -- aren't the be-all, end-all for economic and job growth.

"Taxes do not make the world go round," said Josh Bevins, an economist at the left-leaning Economic Policy Institute.

Indeed, Bill Clinton's eight years as president -- which included a tax increase and higher tax rates (which current taxes would go back to if the Bush tax cuts aren't extended) -- produced more than 22 million jobs. By comparison, the number from Bush's eight years was just 1.8 million.

Curtis Dubay, a senior tax policy analyst at the conservative-leaning Heritage Foundation, says it's unfair to compare the Clinton years (which included a technological boom and a time of relative peace) with the Bush years (which included 9/11, a financial crash, and two wars).

Dubay also argues that 2003 through 2007 created nearly 7 million jobs -- a sign that the tax cuts grew the U.S. economy. "That is when growth took off" from the tax cuts, he said.

But Bevins counters that the 2003-2007 economic expansion -- especially regarding jobs -- was weak compared with other expansions in a business cycle.

"The economic expansion was subpar across the board, except for corporate profits."

From NBC's Ken Strickland
The procedural vote on the DISCLOSE Act failed to get the 60 votes needed to bring the bill to the floor. The vote was 57-41.

The bill would have required groups to disclose who paid for their campaign commercials.

The moderate republicans Majority Leader Harry Reid sought support from (Collins, Snowe, and Scott Brown) had all previously indicated they would vote against bringing it to the floor.

(Sen. Joe Lieberman did not vote. He is out of town at a funeral, so the best Democrats could have mustered was 58 votes. Reid also voted against it, because, according to the rules of the Senate, only someone who is on the losing side of a measure can bring it back up.)

The Senate now returns to the small-business jobs bill.

From msnbc.com's Vaughn Ververs:

There are some pretty common-sense rules of thumb that most candidates try to adhere to on the campaign trail these days: Don't say anything in public you wouldn't want to see on YouTube, don't stray from the stump-speech script and don't embrace the establishment even if you're part of the establishment.

Oh, and don't insult anything about the Boston Red Sox when you're running in New England. That's one former Sen. Lincoln Chafee broke on Monday.

In an interview with WPRO radio, Chafee, who is running as an independent candidate in the Rhode Island governor's race, was asked about a just-completed deal state development officials struck with 38 Studios, a video game company, which includes $75 million in state loan guarantees. The issue has been hotly debated in the state because of the hefty price tag involved.

The complicating factor: 38 Studios is a company co-owned by former Boston Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling, one of the key players in Boston's 2004 World Series push that broke a championship drought reaching back to 1918.

Schilling enjoys a hallowed place in Red Sox Nation. Not only did he play a major role in the 2004 playoffs, he did so in heroic fashion, winning Game Six of the American League Championship series on a severely injured ankle that produced a now-famous bloody sock during the performance.

In his interview Monday, Chafee responded to questions about the 38 Studios loan guarantees by raising doubts about Boston's hometown hero. Chaffee said part of his concern was the "trust" that state development officials "have in him to deliver." He continued: "I just remember his own teammates didn't like him. They thought he was a bit of a salesman. I remember one of his teammates said he painted his sock, the bloody sock, he painted it. [His teammate] Kevin Millar, I think, said that. I don't know if I trust Curt Schilling."

Chafee spokesman J.R. Pagliarini later clarified the former senator's statement, telling the Providence Journal that his mistrust was not related to the sock. "We don't trust Curt Schilling in that he doesn't have a track record of running a business of this size, and as such we're putting the taxpayers' money in jeopardy. He's not questioning Curt Schilling's honesty and sincerity. He's just questioning whether he can produce what he says he can."

Pagliarini added that Chafee "respects Curt Schilling's achievements as a professional athlete and his support of charitable causes."

For Sox fans, it's not a minor faux pas to get on the wrong side of the beloved baseball team. During last winter's special election for the seat of the late Massachusetts Sen. Ted Kennedy, Democrat Martha Coakley helped solidify the perception that she was aloof and disengaged with voters with an offhand remark that drew plenty of attention.

In a radio interview shortly before the hotly contested election, Coakley mistakenly suggested that Schilling was a fan of Boston's sworn enemies, the New York Yankees.

Schilling, who was campaigning for Brown, offered a withering reply in a blog post. "I've been called a lot of things,'' he wrote, "but never, and I mean never, could anyone ever make the mistake of calling me a Yankee fan. Well, check that, if you didn't know what the hell is going on in your own state maybe you could…."

From NBC's Kelly O'Donnell
Rep. Charlie Rangel -- facing an Ethics Committee hearing Thursday -- and his lawyers are working directly with "career professional staff" at the Ethics Committee and not House colleagues, Capitol Hill aides said.

Those staffers are "dually appointed," meaning both political parties appointed them to the staff and many are former prosecutors. No members of Congress are officially negotiating with Rangel and his lawyers.

Aides say the work of any settlement of violations is walled off from the elected members serving on the "Standards of Official Conduct" Committee. Any deal struck on the Rangel charges would take effect only when accepted by the committee with a majority vote including both Democrats and Republicans. Aides say they would expect a unanimous vote to resolve the Rangel case -- though that is not required.

Before the report on alleged violations was filed last week, the four House members who acted as the investigative subcommittee worked as a "cell within the ethics committee." They could not share any of their information on Rangel with other Ethics Committee members. The secrecy requirements are specifically spelled out in the adopted rules of the committee. All that means is the chair and ranking member learned of the specific counts against Rangel last Thursday.

Aides say, "The ball is in Rangel's court." The New York Democrat has three options: Agree to a settlement much like a plea agreement, let it go to trial, or resign.

If Rangel were to resign -- and there is no indication he is considering that -- the Ethics Committee's work ends immediately, because its jurisdiction covers only current serving members. The case would be dead.

From NBC's John Yang and Stephanie Himango, with WMAQ's Phil Rogers
The prosecution in the trial of disgraced former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich was dry, systematic, methodical, using a PowerPoint presentation to walk through the evidence in its closing argument.

The defense was dramatic and emotional.

Blago lawyer Sam Adam Jr. started right in with his biggest challenge -- what he called, "The pink elephant in the room" -- his opening statement promise that the jury would hear from Blagojevich directly. "I had no idea that in two months of trial, they would prove nothing," he said of the prosecution. "I told you he'd testify. We were wrong. I was wrong. Blame me."

(After a few other references to himself, Judge James Zagel interrupted: "It's nice if we didn't talk about one's self.")

"He had no intention of bribing anybody, no intent of extorting anybody," Adam said of his client. "Think about it: They're telling you he's trying to extort the President of the United States! Give me a break!"

Adam tried to dismiss the secret FBI wiretaps. "If you put Joan and Melissa Rivers in one room, you wouldn't get that much talk," he said, describing his client's comments are merely the talk of an insecure man surrounded by weak aides. Turning to Blagojevich, Adam said: "I'm sorry, guv, but you've got absolutely horrible judgement in people." Turning to the jury: "And they want you to find him guilty of these horrible things because of that."

From NBC's Jillian Hughes
Recent polling has the Tennessee Republican gubernatorial primary in a three-way battle between Tennessee congressman Zach Wamp, Knoxville mayor Bill Haslam and current Lt. Governor Ron Ramsey. But a fourth, rather eccentric, candidate has made his way onto the scene.

Former Marine Basil Marceaux (otherwise known as Basil Marceaux dot com) shared his vision for Tennessee last week on WSMV-Nashville.

Note that the three-stripe flag he is referring to is probably the first Confederate flag, used from 1861 to 1863.

His website, where he claims he will “immune you from all state crimes for the rest of your life” is also worth a visit.

The AP reports that Rep. Charlie Rangel is attempting to hammer out a settlement in the ethics case against him, an agreement that would spare him a lengthy trial this fall. According to the AP's report, the settlement would require Rangel to admit that he committed some ethical misconduct.

It's not clear what the terms of the settlement might be or what exactly the ethics panel's charges entail.

But Congress does have a series of protocols that it has historically used to discipline members found to have seriously violated House rules. Republicans attempted to use one of these methods early in the Rangel inquiry, offering a rare motion to "censure" the House Ways and Means Chairman shortly after Rangel called for an ethics probe of himself in July 2008. That motion was shelved by a vote of 254-138.

Here’s a look at the kinds of disciplinary measures that the House has used over the past 200 years:

In addition to punishing its own members for any criminal or civil charges against them, the House is authorized to discipline members for “disorderly Behavior” under Section 5 of the First Article of the Constitution, according to the Congressional Research Service.

While it is possible for the House to vote to expel one of their own, it’s very rare. Expulsion requires a two-thirds vote of the body’s 435 members. Only five congressmen have ever been expelled from the House; the most recent ousting, in 2002, was that of the outlandish Ohio Rep. Jim Trafficant, who went on to serve seven years in prison for corruption and racketeering. In 1980, Rep. Michael Myers of Pennsylvania was ousted after a bribery charge related to the ABSCAM scandal. Three Southern congressmen were ejected for “taking up arms against the United States” in 1861.

More common than expulsion votes are “censures” and “reprimands,” which only require a majority vote.

A total of 22 members of Congress have been subject to a “censure” since the 1830s. A perusal of the list shows that most of those took place during the Civil War and subsequent Reconstruction era, with several members punished for “unparliamentary language.” (For example: Rep. Fernando Wood – who, like Rangel, was a New York Democrat who served as Chairman of the Ways and Means committee – was censured in 1868 for calling a piece of legislation “a bill without a name, a child without a name and probably without a father, a monstrosity, a measure the most infamous of the many infamous acts of this infamous Congress.”)

In 1983, Reps. Gerry Studds of Massachusetts and Daniel Crane of Illinois were censured after admitting to having sexual relationships with teenage pages.

The formal vote of censure usually includes the requirement that the accused member must stand at the “well” of the House chamber to be verbally chastised by the Speaker of the House. After the vote itself, however, there are no specifically mandated consequences for those who have been censured.

Less severe than a “censure” is a “reprimand,” a disciplinary action that has been used since the 1970s, generally to register disapproval related to charges related to abuse of political influence or failure to accurately report campaign contributions. The major difference between a “censure” and a “reprimand” – terms that were often used interchangeably before the 1970s – is that a reprimand usually does not involve a verbal admonishment by the Speaker.

Eight members of Congress have been reprimanded. Republican House Speaker Newt Gingrich was reprimanded in 1997 after the Ethics Committee determined that he improperly used tax-exempt money for political purposes and supplied inaccurate information to the panel investigating the matter. Democratic Rep. Barney Frank of Massachusetts also received a reprimand in 1990 for fixing over 30 parking tickets and trying to influence probation officers on behalf of a male prostitute.

From NBC's Shawna Thomas
This week's Republican Conference message: Letting the Bush tax cuts expire will actually be tax increases across the board for the public.

Minority Leader John Boehner (R-OH) promised to hammer that point home in his meeting with President Obama today. The president should be meeting with congressional leadership now.

Taxes aside, the press wanted to know about Charlie Rangel (D-NY) and the war supplemental. The Rangel question gave Boehner a chance to play the "When-I-AM-Speaker" card and the supplemental question allowed both he and Minority Whip Eric Cantor (R-VA) a chance to hit the White House for playing politics with war funding.

Boehner on Rangel:

"This isn't really about Charlie Rangel. This is a sad day when the the U.S. House of Representatives has to sit in trial of one of it's own members. And it's one of the biggest broken promises from speaker Pelosi and her team who promised to drain the swamp." ...

"The Ethics Committee is overwhelmed with the number of transgressions that are there. I can tell you that if, in fact, we're the majority and I'm fortunate enough to be speaker, the ethics committee is going to work. It's going to do it's job on behalf of the institution, on behalf of the members of the institution and most importantly, on behalf of the American people."

(The Ethics Committee IS holding a hearing Thursday on Rangel and has been working investigating other members.)

Cantor and Boehner said they will support the war supplemental and that the votes are there.

"We expect a very strong Republican vote in support of this supplemental," Cantor said. "This supplemental, as the leader said, we have indicated, communicated all along we are about putting the troops first. This bill has it some monies as the leader indicated for FEMA, it has monies in it for Haiti and our vets. We are going to support this bill and it's high time that the administration stop playing games."