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. Levin won't seek re-election in 2014  —  Washington (CNN) - Democratic Sen. Carl Levin, 78, announced Thursday that he will not run for a seventh term in 2014.  —  Levin, chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, called it an “extremely difficult” decision and stated …

Is Michelle Obama About to Honor an anti-American antiSemite?  —  Tomorrow afternoon, First Lady Michelle Obama and the secretary of state, John Kerry, are scheduled to present the International Women of Courage Award to 10 women who have shown leadership in advocating for women's rights around the world.

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.”

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.

North Korea threatens U.S. with preemptive nuclear strike  —  (Reuters) - North Korea threatened the United States on Thursday with a preemptive nuclear strike, raising the level of rhetoric while the U.N. Security Council considers new sanctions against the reclusive country.

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.

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 …

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.

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.