A West Virginia University has discovered (shocker) that poverty and mountaintop removal mines are linked. How long will it take King Coal to tie this to inbreeding? [H-L]

Styrofoam and light bulb wars continue to heat up in the U.S. House because mouth-breathers are just too stupid for common sense. [Politico]

Hauling tons of nuclear waste from Germany and dumping it in Tennessee to be burned sounds like a splendid idea. [NPR]

The United States wastes $34 billion in Afghanistan and Iraq on contracting. Can you imagine the amount of good this country could do with that kind of cash? [Reuters]

Wall Street is giving big to President Barack Obama’s re-election campaign despite tensions. [WaPo]

American homebuilders have endured a horrible five years. Will they survive this slump? [The Economist]

What’s the deal with News Corp’s other U.S.-based hacking scandal? [Pro Publica]

Unions are pressing Democrats to stand firm on the Social Security and Medicare front. [The Hill]

In need of some statistical and informational nerdiness? Go search 2010 census housing information for all 120 Kentucky counties. [H-L]

Wall Street Futures and the U.S. Dollar were dropping with no debt deal in place. [HuffPo]

What happens when a white Norwegian man shoots/bombs a bunch of people in Oslo? The mouth-breathing wingnuts freak out and start screaming about Nobama and the Muslins. [Wonkette]

Yet another Clay County official used and sold drugs. But wait for it – this constable was/is a convicted felon. [H-L]

Finally, Kentucky isn’t the absolute worst at something! [WSJ]

Walter Reed Military Hospital is closing its doors after more than a century of operation. [NPR]

Credit Suisse is unlikely to get any more help over the latest U.S. tax probe. Maybe uber-wealthy tax dodgers are finally going to have to take the same responsibility the rest of America takes. [Reuters]

Sarah Palin’s movie is suffering from a serious case of the quits – just like her. [Wonkette]