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 …

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 …

HPD: Bush IAH gunman left suicide note saying he had ‘monster within’  —  HOUSTON — A gunman walked into Bush Intercontinental Airport with an AR-15 and a handgun Thursday and fired at least two shots before shooting himself.  It happened in the ticket area inside Terminal B around 1:35 p.m.

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.

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.

C-SPAN's ‘Road to the White House 2016’ starts tomorrow  —  For those who still think it's too soon to be talking about 2016 ... tough luck.  —  On Friday, C-SPAN will start branding events with likely presidential hopefuls as “Road to the White House 2016.”

Even With U.S. Guns, Syria's Rebels Still Might Lose  —  As the Obama administration debates belatedly arming the Syrian opposition, military analysts are arriving at an uncomfortable conclusion: the U.S. can't hand the rebels guns or rockets and expect them to topple dictator Bashar Assad.

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.

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

Attack on the U.S. Consulate in Libya  —  (CNN) — Several Yemeni men belonging to al Qaeda took part in the terrorist attack on the U.S. diplomatic compound in Benghazi last September, according to several sources who have spoken with CNN.  —  One senior U.S. law enforcement official told CNN that …

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.

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:

Anti-abortion group releases new secretly recorded video  —  Washington (CNN) — The anti-abortion group that recently revealed two videos from a secret investigation into abortion clinics released a third on Thursday.  —  The group, Live Action, previewed it first to CNN …

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.

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 …