Tuesday's Daily Brief

Tuesday, July 26, 2011 Arianna Huffington: The Debt Ceiling Impasse: The Myth of Grand Bargains and Win-Win Unicorns There is still no deal in the debt ceiling impasse between Congressional Republicans and the president, so we can't say who "won." But we can definitely say who lost: America. Even if we ultimately get the touted "Grand Bargain," it's not going to be grand for anybody who correctly identifies unemployment and our economy's anemic growth as the biggest crises we're facing. After the champagne has been uncorked and lots of backs have been slapped in DC, the lives of regular Americans will not be better -- indeed, they will almost certainly be worse. Here's the maddening part: if Congress and the president had focused on the crisis of jobs and growth, the solutions they would have come up with would also have been the best solutions to the long-term debt crisis. The fact is, you can cut all the discretionary spending you want -- but it's growth, not cutting that will solve our long-term deficit problem. POLITICS Rival Debt Ceiling Plans In Congress Create Stalemate WORLD Terror Case Suggests Norway Suspect Is Insane: Lawyer SPORTS NFL Lockout Officially Over POLITICS Boehner Debt Ceiling Plan May Still Trigger S&P Downgrade: Report POLITICS Wealth Gap Between Whites, Minorities Widens To Greatest Level In A Quarter Century BLOG POSTS Chris Matthews: Why Bill Clinton Should Be Treasury Secretary It's a bigger idea than usual because in many ways, Clinton as treasury secretary is a life-saver. Let me give you the case, although I think merely the thought of it is enough. Trey Ellis: Debt Ceiling Is Health Care All Over Again Didn't we elect a transformative, Democratic president? Don't we still have the Senate? I can't watch anymore. Twenty-four hour news giving us political sausage making, each compromise more non-sensical, gruesome and depressing than the last. Keli Goff: The Most Shocking Thing My Mother Ever Told Me About Sex (And How It's Shaped My Politics) Recently my mother told me something shocking. When she decided that her family was complete and sought to have her tubes tied, she was told that her husband would have to sign a form giving his consent. Marty Kaplan: What Story Is the Murdoch Story? There is nothing like an English accent to make bulls--t sound like Shakespeare. But it was the King's English Rebekah Brooks spoke at the hearing that made me wonder if I was being too hard on her. John Merrow: To Save Our Schools, Wear Sunblock and Bring Ideas The acronym SOS is catchy and convenient for Saturday's march and rally. But what are protestors hoping to save our schools FROM? And, just as important, what are they FOR?

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