Jonathan Chait is a senior editor at The New Republic.

With eight days left until the Aug. 2 deadline set by the Treasury, Washington has yet to reach a compromise on increasing the debt ceiling. If a compromise isn't reached by Aug. 2, the United States could for the first time in history default on its debt.

Thousands of people traveled to a field near Jim Thorpe, Pa., earlier this month to re-create one of the most famous battles in history: D-Day, the invasion of Normandy. But with live ammunition — paintballs — and no predetermined winner, it wasn't a typical re-enactment.

In the paintball world, the invasion of Normandy isn't just an event, it's the event.

"This is our Super Bowl," says Nicky Angel Valor.

After two years, the federal government has released new guidelines for surface coal mines. In 2009, the Environmental Protection Agency announced it would increase scrutiny on a number of mountaintop removal permits in Appalachia and  would release guidelines for future permits.Those guidelines were released last week. Mine operators will now find it much harder to get permits for valley fills—where valleys and streams are filled with debris from mining.

The newly-formed federal Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has the power to regulate payday loans. But a Kentucky lawmaker who has repeatedly attempted to cap payday loans says the feud in Congress over the bureau doesn’t make him confident that any progress will be made. State Senator Gerald Neal, D-33, has spent years trying to cap the annual interest for payday loans at 36 percent. That’s something the protection bureau could theoretically do…if it had a director. Currently, a Republican-led effort in the U.S. Senate has kept the president’s appointment to the bureau unconfirmed.

The percentage of people renting a place to live went up far more in Kentucky than those buying a home between 2000 and 2010, according to U.S. Census data. The downturn in jobs during the recession and tighter credit were key reasons, several real estate agents said. Statewide, the percentage of people renting their residence was 16 percent higher than in 2000, while the percentage of owner-occupied housing was up just 5 percent.

Kentucky State University President Mary Sias got a glowing annual review and a raise at Friday’s meeting of the Board of Regents. Chairwoman Laura Douglas said the regents were impressed in particular with Sias’ participation on national boards and committees, her handling of the budget and students’ academic achievements.

Preparations have been completed to have the body of Bracken County soldier, U.S. Army Sgt. Jeremy R. Summers brought home to Kentucky for burial. According to officials, a flight will arrive at 9:25 a.m., today at Bluegrass Airport in Lexington with Summers' casket and remains.

A pilot flying out of Warren County was forced to land his single-engine plane on the Natcher Parkway late Sunday morning after losing engine power while flying over Ohio County. Bentley Floyd and grandson Caleb were flying in his RV-6 kit aircraft around 11 a.m. CDT, when he lost power at 7,000 feet. Floyd said looking below he quickly identified the parkway as the most-suitable landing area. The plane touched down in the southbound lanes, about a mile south of the interchange with the Western Kentucky Parkway. The plane sustained damage to the right wing, which scrapped along a guardrail, the right front landing wheel and the rear landing wheel. Floyd said the plane was likely totaled in the parkway landing.

The AP, the NFL Network and ESPN are reporting that owners and players have reached a deal that would end the lockout and the NFL's first work stoppage since 1987. NFL.com reports:

Legal teams for NFL owners and players negotiated deep into Monday morning, wrapping up at 3 a.m. with an agreement on basic terms.