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.

The Macks Are Getting Divorced  —  Former Reps. Mary Bono Mack, R-Calif., and Connie Mack, R-Fla., are getting divorced.  —  Bono Mack and Mack served together in Congress as a married couple.  (Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call File Photo)  —  The couple said in a joint release Friday …

Alex Jones Responds To Maddow's Take Down: 'I'm Attracted To Mr. Maddow, And That Really Conflicts My...'  —  Alex Jones responded to Rachel Maddow's skewering of his special tornado-weather-machine-conspiracy theory on his radio show Friday by saying she looks like a man.

Woolwich attack: Michael Adebowale's mother ‘tried to prevent radicalisation’  —  The mother of a suspected Islamic terrorist who allegedly hacked a British soldier to death tried desperately to turn him away from extremism but “could not get through”, according to friends.

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.

GOP Governor Shuts Down Lawmaking Until Her Party Agrees To Expand Medicaid  —  Gov. Jan Brewer (R-AZ) has a message for her party: expand Medicaid — or else.  —  The combative GOP governor is sticking by a threat she made to veto all legislation until lawmakers resolve the 2014 state budget and pass Obamacare's Medicaid expansion.

‘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.

GOP: Energy high on IRS  —  GOP lawmakers home for the Memorial Day recess predict they won't have to do anything to further fan the flames over the IRS's targeting of conservative groups.  —  Two weeks after the IRS's first apology on the matter, Republicans say they've only scratched …

‘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

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.

One-year-old fatally shot Friday night in Cherry Hill  —  Two people, including a child, were shot at 7 p.m. Friday in Baltimore's Cherry Hill neighborhood, police say  —  A 1-year-old boy was fatally shot Friday in the early evening in Baltimore's Cherry Hill neighborhood and an adult man …

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. …