Obama Administration Responds To Rand Paul On Drones  —  The U.S. government cannot target an American citizen who is not engaged in combat on American soil, White House Press Secretary Jay Carney said Thursday during his daily press briefing.  —  Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) …

Sen. Carl Levin announces he will not seek re-election in 2014  —  WASHINGTON - Sen. Carl Levin, D-Mich., announced today that he will not seek re-election in 2014.  He released the following statement:  —  I have decided not to run for re-election in 2014.

US postpones award for Egyptian woman over tweets  —  WASHINGTON — The Obama administration is postponing an award for an Egyptian activist who rallied worldwide attention against forced “virginity tests” on female protesters because of anti-American and anti-Semitic comments discovered on her Twitter account.

north korea says it will launch nuclear attack on america  —  Tensions ... North Korea leader Kim Jong-un  —  NORTH Korea led by tyrant Kim Jong-un has sensationally vowed to launch a NUCLEAR attack on the USA.  —  The provocative statement comes weeks after the country conducted underground nuclear tests …

The Good, Racist People  —  Last month the actor Forest Whitaker was stopped in a Manhattan delicatessen by an employee.  Whitaker is one of the pre-eminent actors of his generation, with a diverse and celebrated catalog ranging from “The Great Debaters” to “The Crying Game” to “Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai.”

New York National Rifle Association official barred from carrying a gun  —  An order of protection stemming from a domestic disturbance at his Long Island home in 2010 prevents Richard D'Alauro, the NRA's field representative for the city and its suburbs, from carrying the weapons.

Homeland Chair: Osama bin Laden's Son-in-Law ‘Cooperating’  —  Osama bin Laden's son-in-law, Sulaiman Abu Ghaith, has been “cooperating” and has already revealed “key intelligence” about the current status, personnel and finances of al Qaeda even before he was secretly spirited to New York City, U.S. officials told ABC News today.

Obama invites Paul Ryan to lunch  —  President Barack Obama —seeking to sell Republicans on a revival of “grand bargain” talks — has invited 2012 GOP veep candidate Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.), the chairman of the House Budget Committee, over to the White House for lunch on Thursday, POLITICO has learned.

Source: Preparations underway for Obama vacation on Martha's Vineyard  —  President Obama and his family are likely headed to Martha's Vineyard for a summer sojourn again this year.  —  A source tells POLITICO that the Secret Service has started booking accommodations on the toney island off the Massachusetts coast.

How Disney Bought Lucasfilm—and Its Plans for ‘Star Wars’  —  One weekend last October, Robert Iger, chief executive officer of Walt Disney (DIS), sat through all six Star Wars films.  He'd seen them before, of course.  This time, he took notes.  Disney was in secret negotiations to acquire Lucasfilm …

Al Gore Sued Over Current TV Sale to Al Jazeera (Exclusive)  —  A $5 million lawsuit claims Gore was “adamant” about not selling his network to oil-rich Qataris but had a “change of heart,” then stiffed the man who came up with the idea for the deal.  —  Current TV's $500 million sale …

The War On Entitlements  —  The debate over reform of Social Security and Medicare is taking place in a vacuum, without adequate consideration of fundamental facts.  —  These facts include the following: Two-thirds of Americans who are over the age of 65 depend on an average annual Social Security benefit …

The GOP's easy route to victory in fiscal fight  —  It's this: Republicans are not going to get the serious entitlement cuts they say they want unless they agree to new revenues.  —  To put this in another way, there is no imaginable scenario in the next three years, and probably beyond, under which Republicans win a total victory.