There's a fly in my soup  —  “Horrible customer service.”  That's what the newly fired IRS commissioner averred was the agency's only sin in singling out conservative political groups for discriminatory treatment.  —  In such grim proceedings one should be grateful for unintended humor.

Gabriel Gomez calls Ed Markey ‘pond scum’  —  Massachusetts GOP Senate candidate Gabriel Gomez called his opponent, longtime Rep. Ed Markey, “pond scum” during an interview with an NPR reporter on Thursday.  —  “I don't think there's anything more offensive,” Gomez said …

Cars, people sent tumbling into Skagit River as I-5 bridge collapses  —  By KOMO Staff & news services Published: May 23, 2013 at 7:39 PM PDT Last Updated: May 23, 2013 at 11:20 PM PDT  —  MOUNT VERNON, Wash. — The Interstate 5 bridge over the Skagit River collapsed Thursday evening …

California Will Be Spared the Obamacare Apocalypse  —  No sticker shock here—just affordable insurance premiums  —  Predictions of an Obamacare apocalypse seem a little less credible today, thanks to California.  —  On Thursday, officials in that state offered the first detailed glimpse …

Obama debates Obama  —  A heckler briefly interrupted President Barack Obama while he was arguing with himself on Thursday.  —  Days after Obama told reporters he makes “no apologies” about surveillance of Associated Press reporters, the president summoned his inner Constitutional law professor …

Strassel: Conservatives Became Targets in 2008  —  The Obama campaign played a big role in a liberal onslaught that far pre-dated Citizens United.  —  The White House insists President Obama is “outraged” by the “inappropriate” targeting and harassment of conservative groups.

Laying Down My Pen  —  When an opportunity comes to do something good, one must grab it.  —  At 2 p.m. central time Thursday afternoon in Mobile, word spread that U.S. Rep. Jo Bonner, a six-term Republican from a dark red district, would announce that he is resigning mid-term (Aug. 15) …

Scores of TGI Fridays in New Jersey ‘busted for selling caramel-colored rubbing alcohol as top-shelf scotch’ in statewide crackdown dubbed Operation Swill  —  At one bar, a mixture that included rubbing alcohol and caramel coloring was sold as scotch.  In another, premium liquor bottles …

Bloomberg gun group hits a Democrat  —  Washington (CNN) - A large gun advocacy group is hitting its first Democrat in their most recent campaign to increase gun control measures.  —  Mayors Against Illegal Guns, founded by independent New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg …

Nearly a Quarter of People in Greece and the U.S. Can't Afford Food  —  Hunger has grown dramatically in Europe since 2007  —  No matter where you're from, not having enough to eat is the ultimate signifier of economic distress.  Food is the base of Maslow's hierarchy.  It's the first concern in disaster zones.

Woolwich attack: Watch shocking video of terrorists charging at police car in attempt to kill WPC  —  The footage obtained by the Daily Mirror reveals how, after beheading the soldier, they hatched a plot to ambush and murder the first police officers to come to his aid

No Wonder Republican Criticism of Obama Isn't Working  —  They're attacking the president where he's least vulnerable at a time when they have minimal credibility.  —  Henny Youngman, the late borscht belt comedian, told hundreds of politically incorrect jokes.  One of them was his response when asked, “How's your wife?”

Fewer Americans Identify as Economic Conservatives in 2013  —  Thirty percent say they are liberal on social issues, a new high  —  WASHINGTON, D.C. — Forty-one percent of Americans now characterize their economic views as “conservative,” or “very conservative,” the lowest since President …

Budget Cuts Get Personal; Those Who Are Hurt, Holler  —  The federal budget sequester may be dampening a rise in economic optimism: Nearly four in 10 Americans now say sequestration has hurt them personally, up substantially since it began in March - and they're far less sanguine than others about the economy's prospects overall.

Poll: Two-thirds say economy in bad shape  —  The survey, by CNN and ORC, found that 67 percent of Americans rate the nation's economic conditions as poor.  But that's down from the 74 percent who said the same at the end of last year.  And while just 33 percent say the economy is doing well, that's up from 26 percent in December.

McCain Accuses Tea Party Colleagues Of Pushing Dems Too Far  —  WASHINGTON (AP) — A long-simmering feud between establishment Republicans and Tea Partyers broke into full view Thursday, with Sen. John McCain accusing younger colleagues of overplaying their hands and tempting Democrats …

The Collapse Of Public Infrastructure Spending In One Chart  —  The big news today is that a bridge in Washington collapsed, throwing cars into the water.  Amazingly, nobody died.  —  This may revive debate about the need to spend more on infrastructure, which would have multiple positive effects.

Huma Abedin Is an Unexpected Driving Force in Weiner's Comeback  —  When Chelsea Clinton wanted to make a low-key visit to the hurricane-stricken Rockaways last fall, she arranged to take a trip with her close friend Huma Abedin, a longtime aide to Hillary Rodham Clinton.

President Obama forgets to salute  —  Washington (CNN) - President Obama, seemingly preoccupied, forgot one piece of protocol as he boarded Marine One on his way to Annapolis Friday.  —  Obama walked past the Marine at the bottom of the helicopter's stairs and didn't give the traditional salute.

White House press secretary Jay Carney discusses favorite band, Guided by Voices  —  On the walls of Jay Carney's office: a photo of the Berlin Wall being dismantled.  Snaps of his kids.  His employer, President Obama, gracing the cover of his former employer, Time magazine.

Court hears ‘sensitive jobs’ fight  —  Ten judges heard arguments Friday in a fight over who decides whether employees are fit to hold jobs that the federal government has desginated as “sensitive.”  —  The long-running legal battle that played out before the U.S. Court of Appeals …

Obama met privately with Friedman, Ignatius, etc.  —  President Obama held a private meeting with top national security journalists on Thursday afternoon following his national security policy address at the National Defense University in Washington, POLITICO has learned.