IRS Official Lois Lerner Called Lawyer To Plant Targeting Question  —  The veteran tax lawyer whose pre-arranged question to an IRS official at a panel last week prompted the admission that the agency had targeted conservative groups said in a written statement on Friday that she did not know what the answer to the question would be.

Sarah Palin  · 3,548,133 like this  —  Mr. President, when it rains it pours, but most Americans hold their own umbrellas.  Today in the Rose Garden you dismissed the idea of a Special Counsel to investigate the IRS scandal.  With that, your galling political hubris shined bright in the midst of today's dark clouds.

Harry Reid eyeing July for the ‘nuclear option’  —  Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid is increasingly focused on the month of July as the time to exercise the so-called “nuclear option” and revisit filibuster reform, and he has privately told top advisers that he's all but certain to take action …

Radio Host Frequented By Gun Activists Calls For Shooting of Bush Family & Obama, Sexual Violence Against Hillary Clinton  —  Pete Santilli is the kind of person we normally wouldn't cover here - an unhinged Internet ranter who exists somewhere to the crazier side of Alex Jones.

At Cincinnati IRS office, surprise over claims of partisan villainy  —  CINCINNATI — The fog of scandal hangs over a boxy, modernist, 10-story building that looks like a monument to paperwork.  Shrubs and chain smokers flank its front entrance here on Main Street, in the heart of downtown.

PM's ally: our party activists are ‘loons’  —  Grassroots Conservative activists are “mad swivel-eyed loons” who are forcing Tory MPs to take extremist positions opposing gay marriage and Europe, one of David Cameron's closest allies has said.  —  The comments, from a member …

LGBT: Portuguese parliament approves right to adoption - Portugal  —  Portuguese parliament has approved Friday a bill that will allow same-sex married couples to adopt their partner's bilological or adopted children.  The bill was approved with 99 votes in favor, 94 votes against, and 9 abstentions.

Mountain of Petroleum Coke From Oil Sands Rises in Detroit  —  WINDSOR, Ontario — Assumption Park gives residents of this city lovely views of the Ambassador Bridge and the Detroit skyline.  Lately they've been treated to another sight: a three-story pile of petroleum coke covering …

Federal Judge Blocks Arkansas' Stringent 12-Week Abortion Ban From Taking Effect  —  Earlier this year, Arkansas Republicans overrode their governor to enact one of the harshest abortion restrictions in the nation, a 12-week ban that would criminalize one out of every 10 abortions in the state.

Rep. Issa subpoenas Benghazi auditor Thomas Pickering  —  The lawmaker leading the charge to investigate the Benghazi terror attack on Friday subpoenaed the co-author of a report that slammed the State Department but didn't interview Hillary Clinton.  —  House Oversight Committee Chairman Darrell Issa …

(Update) We Are Raising $200,000 to Buy and Publish the Rob Ford Crack Tape  —  As you may have heard, Rob Ford, the mayor of Toronto, smokes crack cocaine.  We've seen a video of him smoking crack cocaine, and the people who have the video would like to sell it.  Through the miracle of crowdfunding, you can help.

‘Best rant ever!’  Huge applause after Rep. Mike Kelly nails acting IRS chief [video]  —  GOP Rep. Mike Kelly was a huge hit at Friday's House hearing on IRS harassment of conservative groups as he skewered acting IRS commissioner Steven Miller.  —  Some tasty highlights from his fiery rant:

Why the underwear-bomber leak infuriated the Obama administration  —  Journalists gasp and growl whenever prosecutors issue lawful subpoenas ordering them to divulge their confidential sources or to turn over potential evidence, such as notes, video outtakes or other records.

Under-Rehearsed Flash Mob  —  So a day after reports that it was stalemated, the House “Gang of Eight” working on immigration reform legislation announced an agreement today—or rather announced an agreement had been reached, since no details were released.  It seems, according to various sources …

FEC fines John Ensign's family $54,000  —  The Federal Election Commission has fined former Sen. John Ensign and his parents $54,000 for improper severance payments to Cindy Hampton, a former campaign aide who had an extramarital affair with the Nevada Republican.

Even Obama's umbrellas are a scandal now  —  Even President Obama's use of umbrellas has become a scandal in the eyes of some Republicans.  —  On Thursday, during a joint press conference with Turkish Prime Minister Recep Erdogan, Obama signaled to two Marines and asked them to protect him and his guest from the rain.

Tsarnaev's lawyer loses photo bid  —  A federal magistrate on Friday denied a bid by the defense attorneys for Boston bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev to take pictures of him in jail as he awaits trial.  —  Attorneys had filed a motion requesting permission to override the no-photography rule …

Simpson's lawyer testifies in appeal case  —  LAS VEGAS (AP) - The lawyer who unsuccessfully defended O.J. Simpson against armed robbery charges testified Friday his client knew two companions had guns in a 2007 confrontation with memorabilia dealers.  —  Miami attorney Yale Galanter contradicted …

BREAKING: The Scandals are Falling Apart!  —  So says Ezra Klein, who may turn out to be one of the stupidest people ever to be given column inches in a printed medium of any variety.  —  After reading Klein's desperate attempt to map onto reality his own desires, written in the form …

Report: IRS Deliberately Chose Not to Fess Up to Scandal Before Election  —  NBC's Lisa Myers reported this morning that the IRS deliberately chose not to reveal that it had wrongly targeted conservative groups until after the 2012 presidential election:  —  The IRS commissioner …