**Sonia Sotomayor Hearings
*L.A. Times: "Sotomayor, relying on her long judicial record, gave detailed explanations of her court decisions but steadfastly refused to engage Republicans who were interested in her views on abortion, the 2nd Amendment and same-sex marriage. She dismissed as "abstract" questions of whether a state could limit late-term abortions or whether advances in medical care for premature babies could curb the period of time when abortion is legal."

*Broder: "The combination of an over-rehearsed witness and opposition senators fighting without much ammunition robbed the Sonia Sotomayor confirmation hearings of their expected drama. Those who watched the proceedings were left only with the occasional reminder of past Supreme Court battles and the promise of more to come."

*NYT: "By forcing Judge Sotomayor to retreat from Mr. Obama's desire for justices with "empathy," Republicans have effectively set a new standard that future nominees will be pressed to meet. The Republicans hope their aggressive questioning of Judge Sotomayor on race discrimination, gun control and the death penalty will make it harder for Mr. Obama to choose a more outspoken liberal in the future."

**Health Care
*AP: "House Democrats are preparing to advance legislation that would deliver on President Barack Obama's promise to remake the nation's costly health care system and cover some 50 million uninsured."

**President Obama
*AP previews the NAACP speech: "Obama also planned to urge young people to aspire to surpass their role models and resist the lure of mediocrity during a speech Thursday to the NAACP. White House aides said the president did not intend to introduce new programs or policy, instead striking an inspirational tone on the 100th birthday of the civil rights groups."

*The Hill: Obama's address will be a homecoming of sorts for many NAACP members who didn't think they would see a black man in the White House in their lifetime. Yet some NAACP officials say the president's general approach to the economy and unemployment has not gone far enough to address the specific concerns of the black community.

*Unemployment: "The Federal Reserve raised its fourth-quarter unemployment forecast to as much as 10.1% and said the jobless rate would be higher than anticipated through 2011 but it also boosted its economic-growth projections, according to a report released Wednesday."

*NY Times on the Hillary Clinton speech: "Faced with a White House that has tended to centralize control over policy, Mrs. Clinton is defending her prerogatives as an influential, but loyal, member of the president's team. ... Mrs. Clinton is said by her aides to brush off the scuttlebutt about her low profile. They note that she kept her head down early in her Senate career, too."

**Fundraising Numbers
*OH Sen: Rob Portman (R) raised $1.7 million in the second quarter, ahead of Democrats Lee Fisher ($900,000) and Jennifer Brunner ($228,000).

*MO Sen: "Republican Roy Blunt posted a strong fundraising quarter to pull ahead of Democrat Robin Carnahan in cash available." Blunt raised $1.4 million in the second quarter and has $1.8 million on hand; Carnahan raised $1 million and has $1.4 million cash on hand.

*CT Sen: The Day reports, Chris Dodd reported $1.2 million in new contributions, "putting him well in front of his most serious well-funded challengers, including former U.S. Rep. Rob Simmons and former ambassador to Ireland Thomas C. Foley." But opponents are "already seeking to capitalize on what they portray as evidence of his close connection to the very industries over which he has oversight as chairman of the Senate Banking Committee and acting chair of the committee crafting a key health care reform bill."

*NY Sen: Gannett reports that Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D) raised $1.5M in the 2ndQ and has $3.2M in the bank. Her potential Dem primary opponent, Rep. Carolyn Maloney, raised $577k and has $1.66M in the bank. CQ reports that Rep. Peter King (R) has $1.3M in the bank after raising $246k in the 2ndQ.

*KY Sen: Lt. Gov. Daniel Mongiardo (D) said he raised $302,993, putting him well behind Atty Gen. Jack Conway (D), who raised $1.3 million. Sen. Jim Bunning (R) did not publicly release his campaign numbers.

*ND Sen: Sen. Byron Dorgan (D) raised $1 million for what could be a tough race if Gov. John Hoeven (R) decides to challenge him. "Hoeven has said he intends to decide by early September whether he will run against Dorgan, who is seeking his fourth Senate term."

*TX Sen: Houston Mayor Bill White (D) raised $1.8 million, more than $800,000 of which is personal funds. Former state Comptroller John Sharp (D) raised $656,000.

*CO Sen: Appointed Sen. Mike Bennett raised $1.2 million, and has $2.2 million cash on hand.

*UT Sen: Facing several challenges, Sen. Bob Bennett raised $700,000 in the second quarter. Rep. Jim Matheson (D), who may run for Senate, has over $1 million in the bank.

*AK Sen: Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R) has $1 million in the bank, including $5k from Sarah Palin's PAC, AP reports

**Other Campaign Stuff
*Gallup: "About one in four Republicans and Republican-leaning independents make Mitt Romney their top choice for the 2012 Republican presidential nomination, giving him a slight edge over Sarah Palin and Mike Huckabee. Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich is the choice of 14% of Republicans, with much smaller numbers choosing current Govs. Tim Pawlenty of Minnesota and Haley Barbour of Mississippi."

*A Rasmussen poll of 373 likely Democratic primary voters in New York shows Rep. Carolyn Maloney leading Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand 33-27.

*PolitickerNJ: "President Barack Obama lands on a stage today against the backdrop of a party frantically trying to figure out what to do about Gov. Jon Corzine's apparent number one choice for lieutenant governor," Randal Pinkett of "Apprentice" fame.

The Newark Star-Ledger preemptively slams the choice. "It raises this question: Governor, are you serious? And this one: What, no one from "Survivor" is available?"

*Marco Rubio denies a report from CongressDaily that he was considering dropping his Florida Senate bid and instead running for state attorney general. "It's not true," Rubio said before addressing a meeting of the Northeast Leon County Conservative Club.

*Rep. Mark Kirk (R-Ill.) will announce his Senate candidacy on Monday, the Tribune reports. "Kirk's path became clearer when state GOP Chairman Andy McKenna said he wouldn't oppose the congressman in a Senate primary bid, a move he considered during Kirk's lengthy period of indecision. Kirk's bid also was aided by Democratic Illinois Atty. Gen. Lisa Madigan's decision to seek re-election instead."

**Outer Space
*ABC News: "Apollo 11 launched from Cape Kennedy on July 16, 1969, carrying Neil Armstrong, Michael Collins and Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin. Four days later, the world watched as Armstrong stepped onto the moon and made his "giant leap for mankind." Where are the astronauts now? Click through to find out.

*Buzz Aldrin, in WaPo: "Forty years ago today, Neil Armstrong, Mike Collins and I began our quarter-million-mile journey through the blackness of space to reach the moon. ... Much has been said recently about the Vision for Space Exploration and the future of the international space station. As we all reflect upon our historic lunar journey and the future of the space program, I challenge America's leaders to think boldly and look beyond the moon. Yes, my vision of "Mars for America" requires bold thinking. But as my friend and Gemini crewmate Jim Lovell has noted, our Apollo days were a time when we did bold things in space to achieve leadership. It is time we were bold again in space."

--Mike Memoli and Kyle Trygstad