The press must have the ability to ask questions  —  A FREE press in a democracy demands a delicate balance.  The First Amendment means the media must have the right to inquire without hindrance.  The government has a legitimate interest in keeping some national security information secret.

MI5 ‘approached Woolwich suspect’  —  MI5 asked Woolwich murder suspect Michael Adebolajo if he wanted to work for them, a childhood friend has said.  —  Abu Nusaybah told BBC Two's Newsnight his friend had revealed to him six months ago that the security service had been “knocking on his door”.

Inside IRS Unit Under Fire  —  Office at Center of Controversy Rankled Other Groups With Its Aggressive Tactics  —  The Internal Revenue Service unit under fire for its reviews of conservative organizations has a long history of targeting groups with extra scrutiny, including foreclosure …

The rise of the fourth branch of government  —  Jonathan Turley is the Shapiro professor of public interest law at George Washington University.  —  There were times this past week when it seemed like the 19th-century Know-Nothing Party had returned to Washington.

‘Why are you standing so close to me?’:  Snooki and New Jersey Governor Chris Christie clash as they come together to reopen storm ravaged Shore  — Gov. Christie and Snooki had an angry exchange of words Friday morning at the reopening of Seaside Height's boardwalk

‘Alice in Wonderland’ coercion  —  Barack Obama, vowing to elevate Washington to the level of his fastidiousness, came from Chicago, where the political machine inoculates itself from scandals by the proliferation of them: Many scandals mean merely cursory scrutiny of most.

Inhofe: Okla. thanks the nation for its support  —  Oklahoma will bounce back from this week's tornado just as strongly as it has from previous disasters, the state's senior senator said Saturday in this week's Republican address.  —  Sen. Jim Inhofe, on the ground in Moore, Okla. …

Hagel: Sexual assault ‘a profound betrayal’  —  Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel told graduates of the United States Military Academy at West Point on Saturday that sexual assaults would be a “a profound betrayal” of their oaths to the Army.  —  Hagel challenged the 2013 West Point graduates to …

Globe investigation: The Ford family's history with drug dealing  —  This investigative report reveals that:  — Another brother, Randy, was also involved in the drug trade and was once charged in relation to a drug-related kidnapping.  —  In the 1980s, anyone wanting to buy hashish had to know where to go.

Scores of TGI Fridays among New Jersey bars accused of substituting cheap alcohol for premium brands in statewide crackdown  —  At one bar, a mixture that included rubbing alcohol and caramel coloring was sold as scotch.  In another, premium liquor bottles were refilled with water - and apparently not even clean water at that.