Panel hits Rangel with 13 ethics charges (AP)

Rep. Charles Rangel, D-N.Y., leaves his office to go to a vote on Capitol Hill in Washington, Thursday, July 29, 2010. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)AP - House investigators accused veteran New York Rep. Charles Rangel of 13 violations of congressional ethics standards on Thursday, throwing a cloud over his four-decade political career and raising worries for fellow Democrats about the fall elections.
Dems, GOP warily eye Arizona immigration ruling (AP)

A woman waves a U.S. flag as protesters gather Thursday, July 29, 2010 in Phoenix to rally against Arizona's new immigration law, SB1070. Opponents of Arizona's immigration crackdown went ahead with protests Thursday despite a judge's ruling that delayed enforcement of most the law. (AP Photo/Matt York)AP - On the surface, a judge's decision to block tough provisions of Arizona's immigration law was a defeat for the state's Republican governor and a win for the Democratic Obama administration. But neither party is sure it will play out that way politically, either this fall or beyond.
Rep Rangel faces charges, trial may hurt Democrats (Reuters)
Reuters - Representative Charles Rangel reached a tentative plea agreement on ethics charges on Thursday, but Republicans may reject it and push for a trial that could hurt his fellow Democrats in the November elections.
Veteran US congressman accused by ethics panel (AFP)

US Rep. Charles Rangel speaks to the media as he returns to his office from a vote at the US Capitol in Washington, DC. The House ethics committee on Thursday accused Rangel of 13 violations including financial wrongdoing, a potential headache for Democrats three months ahead of mid-term elections.(AFP/Jim Watson)AFP - The House ethics committee on Thursday accused veteran US Representative Charles Rangel of 13 violations including financial wrongdoing, a potential headache for Democrats three months ahead of mid-term elections.
House ethics panel charges Rangel on 13 counts (McClatchy Newspapers)
McClatchy Newspapers - WASHINGTON — A special House of Representatives subcommittee on Thursday outlined 13 counts of ethics violations against Rep. Charles Rangel, the former chairman of the powerful tax-writing Ways and Means Committee. The charges place his political career in jeopardy and could put Democrats on the defensive as November's elections approach.
Democrats catch break with trial's early end (AP)

FILE - In this April 27, 2010 file photo, White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel laughs while participating in the annual Richard J. Daley Global Cities Forum in Chicago. Defense attorneys in the corruption trial of former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevoich had wanted to call Emanuel to testify but the defense rested without calling a single witness, not even Blagojevich himself, sparing Democrats potentially embarrassing testimony and wrapping up the trial well in advance of Labor Day, the traditional kickoff of the fall campaign. (AP Photo/M. Spencer Green, File)AP - Jurors deciding if former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich tried to sell President Barack Obama's old Senate seat were out of sight Thursday, a far more benign result for Democrats than if the corruption trial had lasted through the summer as expected while the party geared up for tough elections.
How a Non-Disaster Will Sink Democrats (U.S. News & World Report)
U.S. News & World Report - You won't hear any politicians talking about "counterfactuals" when they campaign this fall. Yet the biggest factor in the midterm elections will be what didn't happen over the last two years.
Hoyer Confident Democrats Will Contain Electoral Losses (CQPolitics.com)
CQPolitics.com - House Majority Leader Steny H. Hoyer confidently painted a rosy picture Thursday of House Democrats' prospects in the midterm elections.
When the Tax Hikes Are Coming (U.S. News & World Report)
U.S. News & World Report - If you love class warfare, your moment has arrived. The next several weeks, leading up to the November elections, are sure to be filled with resounding political invective over who should pay for Washington's profligate spending over the last decade. Democrats will argue that the rich and near-rich should pony up, since they have the most money to start with. Republicans will point to the needy, arguing that they've been getting too much aid for too long. Tea Partiers will struggle to decide whose benefits should be cut in order to achieve the smaller government they envision. ...
Democrats tie Republicans to Tea Party agenda (Reuters)
Reuters - With memories of last year's bitter town hall meetings still fresh, Democrats vowed on Wednesday to go on the offense during the August congressional recess and aggressively link Republicans with the conservative Tea Party movement.
Senate unveils energy bill, doubts on passage (Reuters)

Senate Majority leader Harry Reid (D-NV) listens to remarks in Washington, March 25, 2010. REUTERS/Jim YoungReuters - Senate Democrats unveiled a slimmed down bill on Tuesday aimed at reforming offshore drilling, as doubts grew that Congress would be able to pass any substantial energy legislation this year.
Dems election strategy: Equate GOP and tea party (AP)

'Tea Party' supporters are seen at a protest rally in Fort Collins, Colorado. The movement, which sprung up in 2009 as a grass roots revolt against President Barack Obama's taxation, economic and health reform policies, has electrified the Republican Party base.(AFP/Getty Images/File/John Moore)AP - The Democrats' national chairman on Wednesday trotted out his party's fall election strategy to limit potential GOP gains, claiming Republican goals are inseparable from the tea party's, from killing off Medicare to abolishing the departments of Education and Energy.
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