Daily Beast drops Howard Kurtz  —  The Daily Beast is dropping Howard Kurtz, the veteran media critic who made headlines this week for his erroneous report about NBA star Jason Collins.  —  “The Daily Beast and Howard Kurtz have parted company,” Tina Brown, the site's editor in chief, said in a statement sent to POLITICO.

The New Study that Republicans Who Reject Medicaid Must Read  —  A major new study on Medicaid just became public.  I know—nothing excites readers more than the phrase “major new study on Medicaid.”  Bear with me.  This study is already getting a lot of attention: Conservatives and libertarians …

Special ops called for military backup during Libya attack, sources say  —  On the night of the Benghazi terror attack, special operations put out multiple calls for all available military and other assets to be moved into position to help — but the State Department and White House never gave …

The Rand Machine Ramps Up  —  Rand Paul's chief strategist is leaving his Senate post to run the Kentucky Republican's political shop.  —  Doug Stafford, who is widely seen as Paul's closest adviser, will soon resign as chief of staff to manage Paul's national political operation.

Friend Who Had “Fling” With Dzhokhar Tsarnaev on the 3 Additional Suspects: “They All Idolized Jahar”  —  In an interview with Mother Jones, a woman who says she hooked up with Tsarnaev sheds light on him and his friends now in custody.  —  Azamat Tazhayakov, Dias Kadyrbayev, and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev.

HPD: Man fired gun, then shot himself at Bush Intercontinental Airport  —  HOUSTON — A gunman walked into Bush Intercontinental Airport with an AR-15 Thursday afternoon and fired at least two shots before shooting himself.  It happened in the ticket area inside Terminal B around 1:35 p.m.

Why I Am Signing Marriage Equality Into Law  —  PROVIDENCE, R.I.  —  ON Thursday, the Rhode Island House of Representatives is expected to approve legislation to extend the right to marry to all Rhode Islanders, regardless of sexual orientation.  I plan to sign the Marriage Equality Act …

Hillary Clinton and Chris Christie to headline event  —  Hillary Clinton and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie will be the featured attractions at next month's Clinton Global Initiative in Chicago, according to a release going out from the group Thursday.  —  The focus of the gathering …

Mountain Dew Releases Arguably the Most Racist Commercial in History Tweet  —  If you've never heard of Felicia the Goat, you'll know about her soon.  Felicia the Goat is the main character in a recent Mountain Dew commercial, created in part by Tyler the Creator.

Emerson College Poll: Markey Starts with 6 Point Advantage Over Gomez in U.S. Senate Race  —  A new survey of registered voters finds Congressman Ed Markey (D) with a 6 point lead over Republican candidate Gabriel Gomez 42 percent to 36 percent with 797 respondents.

FBI Adds Cop Killer Joanne Chesimard To Most Wanted Terrorist List  —  NEWARK, N.J. (CBSNewYork/AP) - The decades-old international case of a convicted cop killer is getting new attention in New Jersey.  —  It was 40 years ago today that New Jersey State Trooper Werner Foerster was shot …

CBO report: Principal reductions could save billions  —  A new report out Wednesday could give Democrats more muscle in their push for mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to reduce principal mortgage balances.  —  The Congressional Budget Office's (CBO) analysis shows …

‘Smoking’ gun nets 60G fine  —  60G fine for cig lighter  —  The owner of a Midtown tourist shop is firing back at Mayor Bloomberg's crusade against toy guns, filing papers to block a $60,000 fine from the city for selling lighters shaped like small pistols.

Part-timers to lose pay amid health act's new math  —  Some workers are having their hours cut so employers won't have to cover them under Obamacare.  But many will benefit from the healthcare law's premium subsidies and Medicaid expansion.  —  “I understand there are costs to healthcare reform …

Six Ways to Separate Lies From Statistics  —  The discovery of a spreadsheet error in an influential study by Harvard University economists Carmen Reinhart and Kenneth Rogoff inevitably raises a troubling question: To what extent can we trust what any researcher claims to be true?

Terry McAuliffe Got Into an Argument About Socialized Medicine During His Son's Birth  —  When his daughter was being born, the Virginia Democrat's wife told him to attend a reporter's party.  Maybe this is why.  —  Despite the best efforts of Mark Sanford and Elizabeth Colbert Busch …

Woman missing 11 years turns up alive  —  (CNN) — A Pennsylvania woman who mysteriously disappeared 11 years ago has resurfaced in Florida, saying that she just walked out on her family, her life and her problems.  —  Brenda Heist, 54, turned herself into authorities in Key Largo …

Biden: ‘There Should Be Two Senators from the State of D.C.’  —  Last night in Washington, Joe Biden stated that abused women fear getting “raped again by the system.”  He also made the push that Washington, D.C. should be its own state, with two U.S. senators.  —  Via the pool report:

Obama group misleadingly cites a vote on a climate change bill  —  “Number of House members who voted in 2011 that climate change was a ‘hoax’: 240”  —  President Obama's new political group, Organizing for Action, last week released a new video that mocks Republican lawmakers for appearing …

Ayotte's gun vote: ‘Disgusting’ political bullying  —  A senator's job is to study the issues that come before the Senate, to engage thoughtfully in debate and to cast a considered vote.  On the Senate's voluminous gun control legislation, Sen. Kelly Ayotte did that job incredibly well.

Penny Pritzker to be nominated for Commerce secretary … Making official what many Democrats have expected for weeks, President Obama plans to nominate Chicago business executive Penny Pritzker, a longtime political supporter and heavyweight fundraiser, as his new Commerce secretary this morning.

Feminism may be dead: 72 percent of Americans say they're not ‘feminists’  —  It is likely disappointing news for old school bra-burners and Gloria Steinham-inspired activists.  —  “Has feminist become a dirty word?"demands a new Economist/YouGov Poll released Wednesday.