From TPMDC:

The change of heart is a time-honored part of American political theater. As public sentiments (read: polling) change, politicians often find a way to alter their positions through seemingly heart-felt rhetoric. But there are rare occasions when the change of heart is real. And according to one of the Muslim community members Herman Cain visited with Wednesday, the Republicans newfound respect for Islam is completely genuine.

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From Gallup:

President Barack Obama averaged a 43% job approval rating for the week of July 18-24, tied for the lowest weekly average of his administration. Obama's rating at this point is lower than President Bill Clinton's ratings were in the fall of 1995 when he was embroiled in a budget dispute similar to the one Obama faces now.

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From Court House News:

A high school southeast of Little Rock would not let a black student be valedictorian though she had the highest grade-point average, and wouldn't let her mom speak to the school board about it until graduation had passed, the graduate claims in Federal Court.

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From American Progress:

Our nation's economy is now two years into a shaky recovery following the Great Recession of 2007–2009, yet for the millions of Americans still out of work, the recovery is largely meaningless. All Americans saw significant job losses during the Great Recession and comparatively high unemployment rates persist for all population groups-none more so than African Americans.

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From USA Today:

The NAACP plans a big push to increase minority turnout in the 2012 elections, hoping to gain political influence and turn back what the civil rights group says are efforts in various states to deny minorities the right to vote. To do it, the group is going to reach out to black churches, fraternities and sororities as well as use sophisticated databases, social media and boost training of volunteers to include things like getting a contact for each voter they register.

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From the New York Times:

For more than a decade, anthropologists and historians pieced together the history of a short-lived African-American community that was snuffed out in the 1850s by the creation of Central Park. They combed vital records and tax documents, scanned parkland using radar and studied soil borings.

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From the New York Times:

As camps go, the Summer Program in Mathematical Problem Solving might sound like a recipe for misery: six hours of head-scratching math instruction each day and nights in a college dorm far from home.

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From the Salon:

On Sunday, Cenk Uygur was interviewed by CNN's Howard Kurtz about Uygur's departure from MSNBC, and Ugyur claimed that Al Sharpton -- widely reported to be his replacement -- vowed in a 60 Minutes interview never to criticize President Obama under any circumstances.

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From the Atlantic:

With East Africa facing its worst drought in 60 years, affecting more than 11 million people, the United Nations has declared a famine in the region for the first time in a generation. Overcrowded refugee camps in Kenya and Ethiopia are receiving some 3,000 new refugees every day, as families flee from famine-stricken and war-torn areas.

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From New York Magazine:

Each spring, the King's College, a Christian school occupying two floors in the Empire State Building, hosts a series of lectures and debates on a single theme. This year's theme is villainy. In a windowless basement room, Dinesh D'Souza, the college's newly installed president, is delivering his remarks to a student camera crew, two potential donors, and about 30 undergraduates. In keeping with the college's dress code, the students wear business suits.

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