In a fundraising email to supporters, Sarah Palin's political action committee announced that the former Alaska governor has reached 2 million fans on Facebook.

(CNN) – Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin has reached a new milestone: 2 million fans on Facebook.

SarahPAC, Palin's political action committee made the announcement in the form of a fundraising email sent to supporters on Thursday.

"On behalf of Sarah and SarahPAC, I want to thank everyone for their support and encouragement, especially on Facebook, where Sarah has just passed 2,000,000 fans," the email from SarahPAC treasurer Tim Crawford says.

"Over the last year and a half, we have received an outpouring of encouragement and support from people across this great nation. During that time, Sarah has used her Facebook account as an outlet to express her hopes and concerns about the direction of the country."

Palin has used the social media site, which has more than 500 million users, to issue a slew of endorsements in advance of the 2010 midterm elections.

The former vice presidential candidate is also active on the social media site Twitter, where she has 206,996 followers.

Palin is one of many politicians who have amassed a large number of fans on Facebook. Former President Bill Clinton has 359,030, former President George W. Bush, who joined the site in June, has 283,429, Palin's former running mate John McCain has 632,622, and President Barack Obama has more than 11 million.

'We're not interested in re-litigating the past but we don't want to relive it either,' Senior White House adviser David Axelrod said after a meeting with Senate Democrats on Thursday.

Washington (CNN) – Senior White House adviser David Axelrod told Democratic senators behind closed doors on Thursday that if they want to win re-election they need to go on offense and stress to voters that it's Republicans who are to blame for the economic mess the country is in today.

"We're not interested in re-litigating the past but we don't want to relive it either," Axelrod said after the closed-door strategy session with Senate Democrats in the Capitol. "People need to know that when they cast that Republican vote they're casting that vote for those same discredited policies that punished the middle class and created this crisis in the first place."

A senior administration official added to CNN that President Obama will be "ramping up" his personal campaign schedule in a major way in September in order to make that very case, that his administration is moving the country forward after passage of key parts of his agenda - including the stimulus package, health care reform, and Wall Street reform.

But retiring Sen. Evan Bayh (D-Indiana) said some of his colleagues told Axelrod at the private meeting that it's a "tough environment" in which many voters have such negative feelings about the direction of the country that it's hard to break though and get credit for some of the President's accomplishments.

"The feeling was expressed that people aren't listening to any of this," said Bayh. "Any positive message we have people aren't prepared to listen to it. They don't believe any of it. So in an environment like that the best thing to do is go on the offense against the other side."

Axelrod acknowledged the slow pace of the economic recovery "creates a difficult political environment" for Democrats running to maintain their majorities in Congress, but he counseled that over time the party will get credit for making tough decisions.

"Though we weren't responsible for digging the hole, we're responsible for solving the problems and it's going to take a longer time than people would like," Axelrod said after the private session, which also included Democratic strategists Paul Begala and Stephanie Cutter.

Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) noted that voters in his state have three former Republican lawmakers running for office this fall: Former Rep. Rob Portman for Senate, former Rep. John Kasich for governor, and former Sen. Mike DeWine for attorney general.

Brown said the former lawmakers "are asking voters for the car keys…after running the economy into the ditch. I think the election is that contrast. Do you want to go back to that or do you want to go forward?"
Brown argued that comparisons to the 1994 wave that swept the GOP into power in the House don't hold up this election season because Republicans are much less popular today then they were then.
"Democrats are a lot more optimistic than the pundits and what the Republicans are crowing about," Brown said.

Washington (CNN) - Call it the "Dreams of My Native American Father."

Much has been said about the multi-ethnic heritage of the president but he tried to add even more to that diverse background today. At an otherwise somber signing ceremony of the Tribal Law and Order Act, a law aimed at giving Indian tribes more authority to combat crime on reservations, President Obama lightened the mood by addressing his own tribal links.

"As we celebrate today, I'm reminded of a visit I made a couple of years ago to the Crow Nation out in Montana. While I was there I was adopted into the nation by a wonderful couple, Hartford and Mary Black Eagle. So I'm Barack 'Black Eagle'." Obama said.

Amid laughs and applause, the president ended the ceremony by saying, "I can't help but think that only in America could a guy like me, named Barack Obama, adoptive son of the Crow Nation, go on to become president."

Washington (CNN) - President Barack Obama on Thursday signed the Tribal Law and Order Act, which provides greater law enforcement powers for tribal authorities on Indian reservations.

At an emotional White House ceremony, Obama comforted a rape victim who broke down while trying to introduce him, by coming out early and offering her reassurance as she struggled to tell her story.

Lisa Marie Iyotte of the Rosebud Sioux Tribe wept openly in describing the assault in 1994 by an attacker who was later convicted of another rape, but never prosecuted for the crime against Iyotte.

Obama said the law he was signing would help prevent something like that from happening.

Crime rates on some Indian reservations are 20 times higher than the national average, Obama said, adding that one in three Native American women are raped in their lifetimes, which he called "an assault on our national conscience."

"These are significant measures that will empower tribal nations and make a real difference in people's lives," Obama said of the new law.

The law requires the Department of Justice to improve coordination with tribal justice officials in prosecuting crimes on reservations, and provides resources for better overall cooperation between tribal, state and federal agencies.

In addition, the measure increases the maximum sentence that tribal courts can impose to three years, instead of the previous limit of a one-year sentence. Supporters of the measure say the sentencing provision will expand the number of cases handled by tribal courts, increasing local tribal control on reservations.

The new law reauthorizes existing initiatives such as at-risk youth programs and treatment programs, said Jefferson Keel, president of the National Congress of American Indians.

"Law enforcement on tribal lands has long been hamstrung by a lack of resources and by restrictions placed by the federal government," Keel said.

"The Tribal Law and Order Act is a significant step forward for tribal police."

The House approved the bill last week; it passed the Senate in June.

On Wednesday, South Carolina Republican Sen. Jim DeMint announced his endorsement for Washington Senate candidate.

Washington (CNN) - Republican Sen. Jim DeMint announced his endorsement of Washington Senate candidate Dino Rossi on Thursday.

The move is the latest in a series of endorsements made by the South Carolina senator, many of which have pitted him against either the GOP establishment or former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin.

"Dino Rossi is a principled conservative who will help us take our country back. He will fight to stop the massive spending, bailouts, and debt that are bankrupting our country," DeMint said in a statement. "Dino understands the stimulus bill was a failure, he will fight to repeal the health care takeover, and he will help us pass a constitutional amendment to balance the budget.

Rossi and two other Republicans, Clint Didier and Paul Akers are in the battle to challenge incumbent Democratic Sen. Patty Murray.

Palin, another prominent Republican who has a full stable of endorsed candidates, backed Didier, a Tea Party favorite and former professional football player with the NFL's Washington Redskins earlier this year.

The 2010 bid is Rossi's third run for statewide office in Washington. He ran for governor in 2004 and 2008.

Washington is the only state in the nation to hold a non-partisan primary, with the top two vote-getters advancing to the general election.

Earlier this year California voters passed a referendum that would move the Golden state towards a similar system.

– CNN's Paul Steinhauser and Peter Hamby contributed to this report

Washington (CNN) - The vast majority of Americans say they favor allowing illegal immigrants to stay in the U.S. if they have a job and pay their taxes, according to a new national poll. But a CNN/Opinion Research Corporation survey also indicates that a majority of the public says such a plan takes a back seat to stopping the flow of illegal immigrants into the country.

Eighty-one percent of people questioned in the poll say they support creating a program that would allow illegal immigrants already living in the U.S. for a number of years to stay here and apply to legally remain in this country permanently if they had a job and paid back taxes, with 19 percent opposed to such a plan.

According to the poll 78 percent of white respondents favor the program, 16 points lower than the 94 percent of Hispanics questioned who back a plan that would provide a pathway to legal status for some illegal immigrants.

But the survey indicates that 57 percent of Americans say the main focus of the federal government in dealing with the issue of illegal immigration should be developing a plan that would stop the flow of illegal immigrants into the country and deporting those already in the U.S. That's 15 points higher than the 42 percent who say developing a plan that would allow illegal immigrants who have jobs to become U.S. residents should be Washington's top priority.

The survey's Tuesday release came two days before parts of an Arizona immigration law took effect Thursday, after a federal judge blocked several of its most controversial aspects. The preliminary injunction, issued Wednesday, means that, at least for now, police are prevented from questioning people's immigration status if there is reason to believe they are in the country illegally.

The CNN/Opinion Research Corporation poll was conducted July 16-21, with 1,018 adult Americans questioned by telephone, including a special sample of 308 black and 303 Hispanic respondents. The survey's overall sampling error is plus or minus three percentage points.

Full results (pdf)

EDITOR'S NOTE: When this story originally appeared on Tuesday, the number of white and Hispanic respondents who back a plan that would provide a pathway to legal status for some illegal immigrants was mistakenly transposed. The above wire is correct.

Potential Republican presidential candidate Tim Pawlenty has released a video touting his conservative credentials.

Washington (CNN) – Potential Republican presidential candidate Tim Pawlenty posted a video Thursday on his website that offers a biographical snapshot and emphasizes his conservative credentials a full year before the first test of the GOP presidential primary.

At no point in the 3 minute and 34 second video does Pawlenty mention his interest in running for the White House, but based upon his political travel and organizing activities the retiring governor is taking the necessary steps to launch a campaign for the GOP nomination.

While Pawlenty is a two-term governor, vice chairman of the Republican Governors Association, and was on the short list to be Sen. John McCain's running mate in the 2008 presidential race, public polling shows he trails other well known Republicans such as Mitt Romney, Sarah Palin and Newt Gingrich in hypothetical 2012 match-ups.

Sitting in a chair, a tieless Pawlenty narrates the short bio video in which he stresses his blue collar roots. As the background music gains momentum into a cinematic crescendo, the Minnesota governor outlines his conservative fiscal philosophy.

"We need strong leaders who are going to stand up, rise up, tell the truth, tell the American people the system is broken, it's headed towards the cliff and we need to stop it before it happens," Pawlenty says in the video that highlights his political action committee. "And the way we do that is to start by getting control on spending, have a budget, live within our means, set priorities and then do those things that we are going to do well. But we have to start reducing and slowing down spending in every other category."

Pawlenty also appears to try and differentiate himself from the other potential GOP candidates, think Romney, as he explains his appeal beyond Republican base voters.

"When people say, 'Oh you Republicans, you know, you don't understand us, you haven't walked in our shoes, you don't know what its like to worry about whether you can afford gas for your car, whether you are going to have health care, whether you can even get to college or pay your tuition for college," Pawlenty says. "I can look them right in the eye and say, 'Yes I have. I've walked exactly in those shoes. I've lived that life and so I can relate to them with some credibility that at least allows me to make the case from a conservative standpoint of why our ideas, our values, our principles are better for their hopes and dreams.'"

Pawlenty heads to Iowa this weekend, home to the first nominating contest in the GOP presidential campaign early in 2012. But in August 2011, a straw poll considered to be a reliable yardstick to measure a candidate's strength in the state, will be held in Ames.

Follow Mark Preston on Twitter: @prestoncnn

Rep. Charlie Rangel said Thursday he would not attend an ethics committee hearing on his alleged violations of House rules.

(CNN) – Rep. Charles Rangel said Thursday he does not plan to attend an ethics committee hearing on his alleged violations of House rules.

The House Ethics Committee on Thursday accused veteran Rep. Charles Rangel of 13 violations of House rules involving alleged financial wrongdoing and harming the credibility of Congress.

"Credibility is what's at stake here; the very credibility of the House itself before the American people," said Rep. Mike McCaul, the ranking Republican on a subcommittee that will hold a trial-like hearing on the charges against Rangel.

McCaul spoke at the subcommittee's first meeting, which heard the charges against Rangel, a 20-term Democrat from New York running for re-election this year. Rangel was not required to attend and did not show up.

According to committee documents, Rangel earlier filed a motion to dismiss the allegations against him that was denied.

Rangel said this week that his lawyers were in talks with committee lawyers on a possible deal to avoid the public hearing on his alleged violations. When Thursday's hearing was delayed for 55 minutes with no explanation, rumors of an imminent agreement quickly spread.

However, the panel gathered and held the hearing, which included the first public announcement of the specific committee charges against Rangel.

According to the charges, Rangel allegedly failed to report more than $600,000 on financial disclosure reports and improperly solicited funds for a project he supported at the City College of New York.

The committee also alleged that Rangel improperly used a rent-subsidized apartment as a campaign office and failed to pay taxes on a home in the Dominican Republic.

McCaul said the allegations, if proven, would violate "the most fundamental code of conduct" for House members.

Rep. Gene Green of Texas, a Democrat who led a two-year ethics subcommittee investigation of Rangel, said it was a difficult job.

"The task is even more difficult when the subject has befriended and mentored so many new members, and I'm one of them," Green said.

Another ethics committee member, Republican Rep. Jo Bonner of Alabama, said "this is truly a sad day where no one, regardless of their partisan stripes, should rejoice."

Rangel temporarily stepped down as Ways and Means Committee chairman earlier this year following the announcement of an ethics investigation of several allegations, including failure to pay taxes on the Dominican Republic residence.

The congressman has also admitted a failure to report several hundred thousand dollars in assets on federal disclosure forms. In addition, he is under scrutiny for the purported misuse of a rent-controlled apartment for political purposes, as well as for allegedly preserving tax benefits for an oil-drilling company in exchange for donations to a project he supported at the City College of New York.

The House ethics committee previously admonished Rangel for violating rules on receiving gifts. Specifically, the committee found that Rangel violated House gift rules by accepting reimbursement payments for travel to conferences in the Caribbean in 2007 and 2008.

Rangel, whose autobiography that discusses his Korean War experience is titled "And I Haven't Had a Bad Day Since," told reporters earlier Thursday that "I have to reassess that (statement)" in light of the pending hearing.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Thursday - in response to a question about Rangel - that there must be "accountability" and "transparency" in cases of ethical transgressions.

"Holding a high ethical standard is a serious responsibility ... and a top priority" for the House Democratic leadership, she said. In terms of political fallout from cases such as Rangel's, "the chips will fall where they may," she said.

Congressional Democrats have reportedly expressed concern that an extended public airing of the charges against Rangel could damage the party's prospects in the November midterm elections.

– CNN's Deirdre Walsh, Brianna Keilar, Evan Glass, Alan Silverleib and Tom Cohen contributed to this report.

Former Rep. Tom Tancredo is scheduled to formally announce his bid for governor as the nominee of the American Constitution Party on Thursday.

(CNN) – Former Rep. Tom Tancredo officially jumps into Colorado's gubernatorial race Thursday. The long time conservative Republican is scheduled to formally announce his bid for governor as the nominee of the American Constitution Party. An event is planned for later Thursday in Lakewood, Colorado.

Tancredo says he is launching a third party candidacy because he doesn't believe that either of the two current GOP gubernatorial candidates can beat Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper, the likely Democrat nominee. Tancredo called on Scott McInnis and Dan Moes, who have both been beset by scandals, to withdraw from the general election race after the August 10 primary, if polls suggest that Hickenlooper is far ahead. Both candidates say they are staying in the race.

Tancredo's campaign tells CNN that following the formal announcement, their candidate plans public speaking events and fundraisers. They say they hope to get up on Colorado radio and TV with commercials as soon as possible.

Colorado GOP Chairman Dick Wadhams says Tancredo's entry into the general election battle will benefit the Democrats. Leaders of local Tea Party groups have also urged Tancredo not to run.

Tancredo, who also made a bid for the 2008 Republican presidential nomination, is best known for his hard-line stance against illegal immigration. He came under fire earlier this year when he kicked off a Tea Party convention by proclaiming, "people who could not even spell the word 'vote', or say it in English, put a committed socialist ideologue in the White House. His name is Barack Hussein Obama."

Tancredo also stirred the pot earlier this month at a campaign rally for Colorado Republican Senate candidate Ken Buck, saying President Obama constitutes more of a threat to the United States than terrorist organizations.

Follow Paul Steinhauser on Twitter: @psteinhausercnn

The Senate Intelligence Committee on Thursday unanimously approved retired Air Force Lt. Gen. James Clapper to be the next Director of National Intelligence.

The full Senate is expected to take up the nomination before it leaves on its August recess at the end of next week.

Former Georgia Secretary of State Karen Handel, who is campaigning for the state's Republican gubernatorial nomination, has a new television ad touting her conservative credentials.

(CNN) - Less than two weeks before Georgia's Republican gubernatorial runoff, a rough campaign is getting tougher.

Former Georgia Secretary of State Karen Handel's up with a new television commercial highlighting her gender and touting her conservative credentials while attacking her opponent, former Rep. Nathan Deal. And Deal's campaign is firing back.

"One carries a purse. The other carries baggage. One whom Sarah Palin says has cut government, and is the true conservative. Or the other, who added trillions to our national debt. One a conservative reformer. One a corrupt relic of Washington DC. Karen Handel is Georgia's strong conservative," says the narrator in the ad.

Handel was endorsed before the July 20 primary by Palin, the former Alaska governor and 2008 GOP vice presidential nominee. Palin's backing appeared to quiet some on the right who criticized Handel as not being conservative enough and appeared to help Handel rise in the final polls conducted before the primary.

Handel came out on top in that contest, capturing 34 percent of the vote in an eight candidate field. Deal finished second with 23 percent of the vote. Since no candidate won 50 percent, Handel and Deal, the top two finishers, moved onto an August 10 runoff. Since the primary, former Republican presidential hopeful and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney has also endorsed Handel. Deal has the backing of former House Speaker Newt Gingrich.

"Karen Handel has never done a positive ad. She's just continuing her line of attack. She has no new ideas for Georgia," says Deal campaign spokesman Brian Robinson. "Nathan has one of the strongest records on fiscal conservatism that you will find."

Handel's ad, her first commercial of the runoff campaign, refers to accusations that Deal used his position in politics to make deals with the state of Georgia that earned him hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Deal says he's not the target of a federal investigation currently looking into a meeting he had last year at the state capitol.

"I think it is somewhat ironic that this surfaces after the original primary and just a couple of weeks before the runoff. I think you recognize that it is being used as a political tool," Deal told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

The winner of the Republican runoff will face off in November against former Gov. Roy Barnes, who easily captured the Democratic gubernatorial nomination.

Follow Paul Steinhauser on Twitter: @psteinhausercnn

Elizabeth Warren is among those being considered by President Obama to head the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.

Washington (CNNMoney.com) - Elizabeth Warren doesn't look or sound scary. She's a 61-year-old Harvard Law School professor from Oklahoma who has written personal finance books, some with her daughter.

But conservatives and some bankers are trying to kill any chance that Warren – a consistent critic of the financial sector before it was cool to be one – will run the consumer financical protection agency that's part of the Wall Street reform measure just signed into law by President Obama. Naysayers, such as Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., say they just don't trust her – although he doesn't say why.

"I think there's a lot of controversy around Elizabeth Warren's services," McConnell said Tuesday in a media briefing. "It is an
extraordinarily powerful position with an incredibly large budget and authority that is constrained by almost nothing. And, therefore, the person that does serve in that capacity is going to have to be trusted by everyone."

Warren, who chairs a congressionally appointed watchdog panel over the federal bailout, is not the only candidate for the job. But she is the one everyone is watching.

Full story



 President Obama appeared on the daytime talk show ‘The View’ on Thursday. (PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images)


(CNN) – President Obama wasted no time in an interview on ABC's The View to pounce on the media for providing a culture that "loves conflict."

"The things that the media may focus on are not necessarily the things I focus on," Obama, the first sitting president to visit a daytime television show, said. "I have to sign letters to parents of children who have been killed in Afghanistan or the husbands or wives of people who have been killed in battle and that gives you a sense of perspective that is just different from what is going on on cable TV on any given day."

The president highlighted the recent Shirley Sherrod controversy, which seemingly drown out his major legislative accomplishments such as the Wall Street reform bill becoming law.

Sherrod, a former U.S. Agriculture Department employee, was forced to resign after a right-wing blogger showed an edited video clip of her making controversial remarks on race. However, it was later determined that her speech focused on how the incident changed her mind about racial relations.

The president, who has spoken with Sherrod by phone, hit back at how the story was covered.

"What I do think happened in that situation is that a 24/7 media cycle that's always looking for controversy and often times doesn't get to the facts first, generated a phony controversy," he said. "A lot of people overreacted, including people in my administration."

The lesson to be drawn from all of this? "Let's not assume the worst about other people; let's make sure we get the facts straight," Obama said.

President Obama delivered a speech on education reform Thursday.

Washington (CNN) - President Barack Obama said Thursday his plan to improve America's education system includes charter schools, intense teacher education and parent involvement.

"Now, I know some argue that during a recession, we should focus solely on economic issues ... but education is an economic issue, if not the economic issue, of our time," Obama said at the National Urban League's 100th Anniversary Convention in Washington. "We've tolerated a status quo where America lags behind other nations."

On the issue of higher education, he noted that America used to be first and is now 12th globally when it comes to college graduation rates. Middle-schoolers continue to fall behind in math and science, and the income gap continues to widen between white and African-American students, he said.

Full story

Shirley Sherrod spoke Thursday at the National Association of Black Journalists convention in San Diego.

San Diego (CNN) - Provocative issues regarding race will be on display at the largest gathering of African-American journalists on Thursday. This comes as two-thirds of blacks say they have been victims of racial discrimination, in a fresh CNN/Opinion Research Corporation poll, and a growing number say that racial tensions between blacks and whites will always exist.

Thousands of producers, editors, reporters, media executives and others are attending The National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) convention in San Diego, which ends on Sunday. The annual gathering is a venue for journalism education and career development and provides networking opportunities for assembled media professionals.

It will also serve as a forum on an issue that continually inflames passions or stokes tension: race relations between minorities and whites.

Ousted USDA staffer Shirley Sherrod spoke at the convention Thursday and indicated she would sue the conservative blogger Andrew Breitbart - the man responsible for posting an edited video clip of Sherrod appearing to say she discriminated against a white farmer looking for assistance. The NABJ said it had invited Breitbart to also attend the gathering and that the conservative blogger initially accepted, but later declined.

A recent video posted by Breitbart, that was selectively edited, alleged to show Sherrod as admitting to racial discrimination in helping a white farmer. But the full context of Sherrod's March speech at an NAACP event vindicated her. President Obama apologized to Sherrod and the USDA offered her the chance to return to the agency.

Also at the NABJ on Friday, Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele - the first African-American to lead the GOP - will take questions.

A recent CNN/Opinion Research Corporation poll shows that more blacks have grown pessimistic about racial discrimination and race relations.

In the poll, 64-percent of African-Americans say they have been the victim of racial bias. 57-percent of all Americans believe that is a serious problem. But that number is far higher among blacks, with 80-percent saying that racial discrimination is a serious issue.

Equally troubling, more blacks now say there will never be an end to racial problems with whites.

In the poll, 59-percent of blacks say relations with whites will always be a problem. But that number is 14-points higher than just over a year ago. In May of last year, during the Obama administration's early days, just 45-percent of African-Americans felt that racial problems with whites would never cease.

"There is a big gender gap among African-Africans on this question," says CNN Polling Director Keating Holland. "Black men are evenly divided over whether the country will find an answer to its racial problems. Two-thirds of black women say that race relations will always be a problem."

Many people who will watch Sherrod's appearance at the NABJ convention are anxious to know if she will accept the USDA's offer to return to the agency after she was forced out. Another question swirling over the event: how her being an African-American played into the controversial episode.

The CNN/Opinion Research Corporation poll was conducted by telephone, with 1,018 adult Americans questioned. A special sample of 308 African-Americans and 303 Hispanics were interviewed for this poll. The survey's overall sampling error is plus or minus three percentage points.

The FAA has instituted a no-fly zone (indicated by the red circle, above) over the site of Chelsea Clinton’s wedding.

Washington (CNN) - Chelsea Clinton and Marc Mezvinsky will exchange vows under a sky free of low-flying air traffic, courtesy of the Federal Aviation Administration.

At the request of the U.S. Secret Service, the FAA is restricting air traffic Saturday evening within 1.5 miles of Rhinebeck, New York, the expected site of the much-anticipated wedding. Air traffic over 2,000 feet - including all commercial flights - will not be interrupted.

The Secret Service requested the flight restrictions for security reasons only, the FAA said. In this instance, the notice says it is for "VIP movements."

It is common for the FAA to grant temporary flight restrictions - or TFRs - to increase security where government VIPs are moving or gathering. The number of security-related TFRs has jumped since the 2001 terrorist attacks.

And while the guest list for the Clinton-Mezvinsky wedding has not been announced, at least two prominent participants will clearly be in attendance - Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and former President Clinton.
The restrictions on low-level flights will last from 3 p.m. Saturday until 3:30 a.m. Sunday.

President Obama told the ladies of ‘The View’ that he has no idea who Snooki is.

(CNN) – Jersey Shore cast member Nicole "Snooki" Polizzi may have bashed President Obama earlier this year over a new federal tax on tanning salons, but Obama made clear Thursday he knows little about the infamous reality star.

"I've got to admit, I don't know who Snooki is. I'm sorry," Obama said on ABC's The View when asked if the pop-culture sensation should consider a run for Mayor of Wasilla, Alaska - the post Sarah Palin once held.

Though Obama says he isn't familiar with Snooki, that hasn't stopped him from making light of the Jersey Shore cast member in the past. At this year's White House Correspondents Dinner, the president joked the new ten percent tax on tanning salons had a "Jersey Shore-Up" provision.

"The following individuals shall be excluded from the indoor tanning tax within this bill – Snooki, J-WOWW, the Situation, and House Minority Leader John Boehner," Obama joked.

But Snooki herself wasn't laughing over the tax that took effect in July, saying "I don't go tanning anymore because Obama put a 10% tax on tanning," she said. "And I feel like he did that intentionally for us."

Shirley Sherrod said Thursday that she plans on suing Andrew Breitbart.

(CNN) - Former Agriculture Department employee Shirley Sherrod said Thursday she will pursue a lawsuit against conservative blogger Andrew Breitbart.

Breitbart posted an edited video clip of Sherrod appearing to say she discriminated against a white farmer looking for assistance. The clip showed her addressing a chapter of the NAACP.

"I will definitely do it," she said when asked whether she was considering legal action. Sherrod made her remarks during an appearance at the National Association of Black Journalists convention in San Diego, California.

Breitbart "had to know that he was targeting me," Sherrod said. "At this point, he hasn't apologized. I don't want it at this point, and he'll definitely hear from me."

Earlier: Sherrod deserved better, Obama says

Full story

Washington (CNN) - Two-thirds of Hispanics indicate they've been victims of racial discrimination, but a majority say that a solution to their problems with whites will eventually be found, according to a new national poll.

A CNN/Opinion Research Corporation survey released Thursday indicates that 66 percent of Hispanics say they've been a victim of discrimination because of their race or ethnic background. Almost as many African-Americans said the same thing, but only 31 percent of white respondents who said they've been the victim of racial discrimination.

Full results [pdf]

Overall, 57 percent of people questioned in the poll say that racial discrimination against blacks is a serious problem, with that figure rising to eight in ten among black respondents. The poll indicates that 62 percent of the public says that racial discrimination against Hispanics is a serious problem, and among Hispanics, that rises to 78 percent.

Looking to the future, the poll suggests that Hispanics are more optimistic than African-Americans when it come to ending racial tensions.

"While most black respondents say that there will never be a solution to racial problems between blacks and whites, a majority of Hispanics say that a solution to their problems with whites will eventually be found," says CNN Polling Director Keating Holland.

The poll's release comes as parts of an Arizona immigration law take effect Thursday, after a federal judge blocked several of its most controversial aspects. The preliminary injunction, issued Wednesday, means that, at least for now, police are prevented from questioning people's immigration status if there is reason to believe they are in the country illegally.

The CNN/Opinion Research Corporation poll was conducted July 16-21, with 1,018 adult Americans questioned by telephone, including a special sample of 308 black and 303 Hispanic respondents. The survey's overall sampling error is plus or minus three percentage points.

– CNN Deputy Political Director Paul Steinhauser contributed to this report