Anti-Illegal Immigrant Group Proposes "Safe Departure" Checkpoints

Fox News is reporting that the Americans for Legal Immigration PAC (ALIPAC) is pressuring the White House and the Homeland Security Department (DHS) to establish “safe” checkpoints along parts of the U.S./Mexico border.

ALIPAC believes this will persuade illegal immigrants to leave the U.S. without having to take more perilous routes through the desert, or pay cartels.

Neither the White House nor DHS has issued a statement in response…

- Brandon Kosters

BP Reports $17 Billion Loss In Second Quarter

BP lost more than $17 billion dollars in the second quarter of 2010, the company is reporting. Incoming CEO Robert Dudley, however, is optimistic about the future of the oil giant.

The New York Times quoted Dudley as saying he does “not underestimate the nature of the task ahead, but the company is financially robust, with an enviable portfolio of assets and professional teams that are among the best in the industry.”

Since announcing that Dudley, who will become the company’s first ever American CEO, will take over, BP has also announced that $32.2 billion has gone toward dealing with the Gulf spill disaster, and that the company plans to sell up to $30 billion in assets to limit the financial damage in order to ensure financial stability for the coming months…

- Alexa Gitler

Rangel Hoping To Avoid Trial

Rep. Charles Rangel (D-N.Y.) said on Tuesday that he is hopeful for a settlement with House ethics investigators, but added that he isn’t sure about the status of such talks.

Rangel is facing a number of allegations that he violated House ethics rules; including claims that he improperly used a rent-stabilized apartment as a campaign office, used official stationery to solicit support for a City College center named in his honor and failed to properly report ownership of a vacation villa in the Dominican Republic.

The negotiations surrounding the case between senior congressional Democrats and Rep. Rangel have put some Democrats in an uncomfortable situation. Many House Democrats that have been close with Rangel for years are now worried about the subsequent political fallout for the Democratic Party in the November elections if an ethics trial occurs in September…

- Alexa Gitler

Leahy Puts Forth Bill To Protect Gun Owners During Bankruptcy

Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) unveiled a bill Tuesday that would prohibit creditors from seizing personal firearms from individuals that declare bankruptcy. Rep. John Boccieri (D-Ohio) has already filed companion legislation in the House. Click here to read more about the Protecting Gun Owners in Bankruptcy Act…

GOP Sides With Hillary Clinton In New Ad

The RNC has released a new web video blasting President Barack Obama for mismanaging the federal response to the Gulf oil spill, calling it his “3 am phone call.” Watch the video below…