Republican Leaders Refuse To Make Appointments To Key Obamacare Panel  —  The top two Republicans in Congress informed President Obama on Thursday that they will refuse to fulfill their duty under the Affordable Care Act to recommend members of a new board with the power to contain Medicare spending.

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 …

Heritage Foundation does damage control  —  The Heritage Foundation has gone into damage-control mode in the last few days, after coming under fire from Republicans and conservative outside groups over a report it published that puts the price tag of immigration reform at $6.3 trillion.

Joe Biden: The Rolling Stone Interview  —  The vice president on guns, global warming and why he's “the last guy in the room” on every decision Obama makes  —  There is a keen Kennedy-like vigor to Joe Biden that overwhelms any room.  As was once said of Theodore Roosevelt, he, too …

Exclusive: The RNC Benghazi Attack Ad that Never Ran  —  It was the Benghazi attack ad the Republican National Committee created but never aired.  —  ABC News has obtained an ad the RNC made last fall and approved to air in the final weeks of the presidential campaign.

State Department Demands Takedown Of 3D-Printable Gun Files For Possible Export Control Violations  —  The battle for control of dangerous digital shapes may have just begun.  —  On Thursday, Defense Distributed founder Cody Wilson received a letter from the State Department Office …

Darrell Issa Acknowledges He Learned Nothing New From His Benghazi Hearing  —  House Oversight Committee chairman Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA) tacitly admitted on Wednesday that his hearing on the Benghazi terror attacks the same day didn't turn up any new information.  —  “I'm curious, did you learn anything new today?”

Minnesota House approves gay marriage bill after two-hour debate  —  The measure now goes to the Senate, which will take up the issue Monday.  —  A pivotal vote Thursday in the Minnesota House positioned that state to become the 12th in the country to allow gay marriages and the first in the Midwest …

Senate fails to approve resolution condemning illegal medical practices  —  Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) tried to pass a Senate resolution that would have condemned illegal abortion practices.  —  Lee asked unanimous consent to pass his resolution on Wednesday in reaction to the case of Kermit Gosnell …

John McCain Wants To Blow Up The Cable Industry As We Currently Know It  —  John McCain is going to release a bill that would dismantle cable as it's currently constructed, Brenden Sasso at The Hill reports.  —  The legislation would force cable companies and satellite TV providers …

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 …

Nancy Pelosi: Kermit Gosnell case ‘really disgusting’ … During her press conference Thursday afternoon, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi was asked if she was aware of the Kermit Gosnell case and whether Congress should hold hearings to make sure similar atrocities are not occurring in other abortion clinics.

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

Obama pushes $9 minimum wage bill in visit to red state Texas  —  President Obama on Thursday declared that the nation is “poised for progress” but called on Congress to help strengthen the middle class by promoting economic polices he proposed in his State of the Union address in February.

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 …

Most Say Immigration Policy Needs Big Changes  —  But Little Agreement on Specific Approaches  —  OVERVIEW  —  Americans overwhelmingly say the nation's immigration policy is in need of sweeping changes.  Overall, 75% say immigration policy needs at least major changes …

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 …

Bryan Fischer Won't Answer a Simple ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ Question  —  We seem to recall that after the last time Bryan Fischer appeared on Alan Colmes' radio program, he vowed never to appear on his show again.  But he must have changed his mind, because last night he returned to Colmes' program …

In Hours, Thieves Took $45 Million in A.T.M. Scheme  —  It was a brazen bank heist, but a 21st-century version in which the criminals never wore ski masks, threatened a teller or set foot in a vault.  —  In two precision operations that involved people in more than two dozen countries acting …

Tunisian Man Charged with Visa Fraud Related to Terrorism, Intended to Remain in U.S. to Facilitate an Act of International Terrorism … Preet Bharara, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York; George Venizelos, the Assistant Director in Charge of the New York Field Office …

Puppy mill bill passes House  —  RALEIGH, N.C. — With first lady Ann McCrory watching from the gallery, state House lawmakers voted overwhelmingly Thursday to approve North Carolina's first attempt to curb puppy mills.  —  House Bill 930 was not on the day's official calendar, but GOP leaders added it at the beginning of session.

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 …