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.

Boston Plot Said to Initially Target July 4  —  WASHINGTON — The surviving suspect in the Boston Marathon bombings told F.B.I. interrogators that he and his brother considered suicide attacks and striking on the Fourth of July as they plotted their deadly assault, according to two law enforcement officials.

Pelosi says she ‘prays’ Hillary Clinton will run for president  —  House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi said Thursday that she “prays” Hillary Rodham Clinton will run for president.  —  Pelosi, D-Calif., speaking in Little Rock about current affairs in American politics …

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 …

Biden ponders a 2016 bid, but a promotion to the top job seems to be a long shot  —  View Photo Gallery — Biden weighs a White House run in 2016.  But will events conspire against him?:   The vice president is at the top of his political game as President Obama's avuncular No. 2.

The Immigration Reform Opportunity  —  Several Senate colleagues and I drew up a reform bill, and now Americans' input will help us improve it.  —  Next week, the Senate will begin making changes to and, hopefully, improve the immigration-reform legislation I introduced with several colleagues last month.

Yet Again, Anarchists Highjack Peaceful Left Wing Protest  —  I am just sick to death of these peaceful socialist and communist gatherings being highjacked by politically unaffiliated anarchists who have no political affiliation and no relation at all to the organized American political left.

Colorado Senate OKs mail-ballot voting, as GOP maintains fraud concern  —  The Colorado state Senate passed a bill Thursday that would provide a ballot by mail to every state voter, allow vote centers for those who choose not to use the mail ballot, and — controversially — allow people to register and vote on Election Day.

Commerce Appointment Opens A New White House Rift  —  Room enough for Valerie Jarrett and Penny Pritzker both to reach out to business, the White House says.  But Jarrett tried to kill the appointment.  —  Via: Larry Downing / Reuters  —  WASHINGTON — The nomination of billionaire Penny Pritzker …

Bloomberg Refused Second Slice of Pizza at Local Restaurant  —  New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg was denied a second slice of pizza today at an Italian eatery in Brooklyn.  —  The owners of Collegno's Pizzeria say they refused to serve him more than one piece to protest Bloomberg's proposed soda ban …

Pentagon Bulks Up ‘Bunker Buster’ Bomb to Combat Iran  —  U.S. Upgrades Weapon to Penetrate Key Nuclear Site; Push to Persuade Israelis … A 2009 satellite image shows a suspected nuclear facility being built in Iran.  —  WASHINGTON—The Pentagon has redesigned its biggest “bunker buster” …

Poll: 29% of Registered Voters Believe Armed Revolution Might Be Necessary in Next Few Years  —  Twenty-nine percent of registered voters think that an armed revolution might be necessary in the next few years in order to protect liberties, according to a Public Mind poll by Fairleigh Dickinson University.

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 …

Hagel: US rethinking resistance to arming Syrian opposition  —  Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said Thursday that the Obama administration is re-thinking its opposition to arming the Syrian rebels, as officials weigh a range of options in the wake of findings that chemical weapons were likely used in the country's civil war.

The New NRA President Fantasizes About “Whipping” Anti-Gun Opponents  —  Just in time for its wingnut-filled annual meeting tomorrow, the National Rifle Association is set to install a new president: an Alabama lawyer who laments “the war of Northern Aggression,” calls Barack Obama …

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.

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.