The Benghazi patsy  —  Nakoula Basseley Nakoula deserves a place in American history.  He is the first person in this country jailed for violating Islamic anti-blasphemy laws.  —  You won't find that anywhere in the charges against him, of course.  As a practical matter, though …

McCarthy's nomination in doubt, angering Democrats  —  President Barack Obama's nominee to head the Environmental Protection Agency is in jeopardy after Republicans formed a united front Thursday to deny her a vote in committee.  —  Democrats erupted in frustration at the GOP “obstructionism” …

Meet Democrats' Newest Republican Crush: Ted Cruz?!?!  —  Starting around the time he launched a bogus attack on then-Defense Secretary nominee Chuck Hagel, Democrats have loved to hate Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX).  —  They made sure as many as people as possible saw him condescend to Sen. Dianne Feinstein …

The tragedy of US higher education  —  The tragedy of Cooper Union is endemic to most American higher education, outside a few community colleges; Cooper is just the special case where the blind rush to some kind of global greatness directly and explicitly violates the institution's founding mission.

Body of Tamerlan Tsarnaev is buried outside Massachusetts, official says  —  WORCESTER - The body of Tamerlan Tsarnaev has been buried somewhere outside of Massachusetts, according to a funeral home official briefed on the situation.  —  The official said that the remains …

McCain working on bill to allow for ‘a la carte’ cable TV packages  —  Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) is working on legislation that would pressure cable and satellite providers to allow their customers to pick and choose the channels they pay for, his office confirmed on Wednesday.

Gomez took $281,500 home tax deduction  —  Republican US Senate nominee Gabriel E. Gomez claimed a $281,500 income tax deduction in 2005 for pledging not to make any visible changes to the facade of his 112-year-old Cohasset home, a concession so valuable that it is classified …

NYC Considering Allowing Non-Citizens To Vote  —  New York City could soon become the first major city in the country to give non-citizens the right to vote.  The proposal, which would allow certain non-citizens to vote in local elections, appears to have a veto-proof majority in the New York City Council …

Senate panel vote signals GOP support for immigration reform  —  The Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday adopted a substitute amendment to immigration reform legislation with a strong bipartisan margin, signaling which Republicans are most likely to support the bill.

The Myth of Presidential Leadership  —  Many Washington pundits are critical of the president's ability to wrangle concessions out of Congress, but they forget that his power has limits.  —  The theme of presidential leadership is a venerated one in America, the subject of many biographies …

House GOP sees few options on debt  —  House Republican leaders don't know how they're going to address the debt limit later this summer, but early plans show that Washington is casually strolling into a five-month political and legislative minefield.  —  A clean debt-limit increase without …

Lindsey Graham faces down primary challenge  —  COLUMBIA, S.C. — If any Senate Republican up for re-election next year would seem ripe for a primary defeat it's Lindsey Graham.  —  Running in a conservative, Southern state that has proven friendly to insurgents in recent years …

Ariel Castro, Cleveland Kidnapper, Is a Registered Democrat  —  According to voter registration records, Ariel Castro, the Cleveland kidnapper, is a registered Democrat.  He was also the alleged leader among the three Castro brothers, who were arrested this week, and the owner of the house …

Top White House Aide Has A Secret Beer With Rep. Paul Ryan  —  On April 10, the day President Obama released his 2014 budget, White House Chief of Staff Denis McDonough held a secret meeting with House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan at a K Street restaurant, Brasserie Beck, to talk …

POLITICO to test metered paywall  —  From the folks up top: … Also: We started experimenting with sponsored content today.