The former Republican Senator from North Carolina passed away Friday, July 4th.

Kim Brimer's lawsuit looking to get challenger Wendy Davis off of the ticket for state Senate is even more interesting in light of the recent decision against House Speaker Tom Craddick putting former Midland City Councilman Bill Dingus on the ballot against him.

Over the last six years, more than more than 4,000 US soldiers have lost their lives in the Iraq War. We have spent over over 500 billion dollars. Nearly every excuse used to justify the invasion has been proven false.

A hot news item this morning is the new FBI plan to allow investigations of people based on ethnicity or race, initiating counterterrorism investigations of individuals without probable cause or evidence. I'll just point you to the story and say that this seems like an incredibly bad idea, and you don't have to be some terrorism or policy expert to know that.

First there were the ties to Myanmar, now this. Big-time McCain fundraiser Carl H. Lindner Jr. was CEO of banana producer Chiquita Brands International. During his tenure the banana company sent hundreds of thousands of dollars to the United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia, a brutal paramilitary organization. Last year, the company was ordered to pay fines for supporting the group.

Starbucks is closing 600 stores. Now there will only be one store on some blocks rather than two.

CF: "statistical dead heat"

With just over four months remaining until voters weigh in at the polls, the CNN/Opinion Research Corporation survey out Tuesday indicates that among registered voters nationwide, Obama holds a 5-point advantage over the Arizona senator, 50 percent to 45 percent.

The House Energy & Commerce Subcommittee met recently with experts to discuss the impact of speculators on the price of oil. The witnesses concluded that oil should be trading at $65 to $70 a barrel instead of $137. They claim index speculators are responsible for this inflation.

Last week, Lousiana Governor Bobby Jindal signed Senate Bill 733 into law, against the objections of scientists and teachers. The bill, couched in buzz-words like "critical thinking" and "logical analysis," claims to be religion-neutral. However, one need look no further than its pro-creation science sponsors, groups like The Louisiana Family Forum and The Discovery Institute, to see Senate Bill 733 for what it really is.

The 2004 election saw a preponderance of well-funded attack ads. Independent pro-Republican groups are still raking in cash for the campaign ($80 million in the first 16 months, nearly double what they made four years ago in that period) but that money has been spread out over a larger number of groups. So where are the vicious attack ads this year?