Syria Has Used Chemical Arms on Rebels, U.S. and Allies Find  —  WASHINGTON — American and European intelligence analysts now believe that President Bashar al-Assad's troops have used chemical weapons against rebel forces in the civil war in Syria, an assessment that will put added pressure …

Officials: Edward Snowden took NSA secrets on thumb drive  —  Edward Snowden, who worked as a contract employee at the National Security Agency.  (The Guardian / Associated Press / June 9, 2013)  —  WASHINGTON — Former National Security Agency contract employee Edward Snowden used …

Rubio: 'I'm done' if immigration bill includes gay couple amendment  —  Florida Republican Sen. Marco Rubio, a co-author and key proponent of the Senate immigration bill, said he will revoke his support if an amendment is added that allows gay unauthorized immigrants to claim foreign same-sex partners as family.

Sarah Palin, Fox News Together Again  —  Fox News announced on Thursday that Sarah Palin will rejoin the network as a paid contributor.  The Drudge Report was first to break the news.  —  Fox News previously hired Palin as a contributor but did not renew her contract earlier this year.

REVOLT AMONG REPUBLICANS ON IMMIGRATION BILL: 70 HOUSE MEMBERS RISK CAREERS IN PLANNED SHOWDOWN WITH LEADERSHIP  —  Seventy House Republicans are planning a politically risky showdown with Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) to try to force additional debate on an immigration bill they say will mean amnesty …

Supreme Court Rules Human Genes May Not Be Patented  —  WASHINGTON — Human genes may not be patented, the Supreme Court ruled on Thursday.  —  The case concerned patents held by Myriad Genetics, a Utah company, on genes that correlate with increased risk of hereditary breast and ovarian cancer.

News Corp's Rupert Murdoch Files For Divorce Which Won't Affect News Corp Split  —  EXCLUSIVE 9 AM, 4TH UPDATE 11 AM WRITETHRU (new details): News Corp Chairman/CEO Rupert Murdoch filed for divorce from wife Wendi Deng Murdoch this morning in New York State Supreme Court, Deadline learned at 9 AM.

Americans' Confidence in Congress Falls to Lowest on Record  —  Congress ranks last on list of 16 institutions; military earns top spot again  —  WASHINGTON, D.C. — Americans' confidence in Congress as an institution is down to 10%, ranking the legislative body last on a list of 16 societal institutions for the fourth straight year.

Document: Major resources needed for Obama Africa trip  —  When President Obama makes his first extended trip to sub-Saharan Africa this month, the federal agencies charged with keeping him safe won't be taking any chances.  —  Hundreds of U.S. Secret Service agents will be dispatched …

Pelosi Can't Explain Difference Between Gosnell Slayings and Late-Term Abortions  —  At a Thursday press conference, House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi condemned a bill that would prohibit abortions during the final four months of pregnancy with and exception for when the life and physical health of the mother is at risk.

IF THE GOP IS THIS STUPID, IT DESERVES TO DIE  —  Democrats terrify Hispanics into thinking they'll be lynched if they vote for Republicans, and then turn around and taunt Republicans for not winning a majority of the Hispanic vote.  —  This line of attack has real resonance with our stupidest Republicans.

A Survey of LGBT Americans  —  Attitudes, Experiences and Values in Changing Times  —  OVERVIEW  —  An overwhelming share of America's lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender adults (92%) say society has become more accepting of them in the past decade and an equal number expect it to grow even more accepting in the decade ahead.

Obamacare?  We were just leaving ...  Dozens of lawmakers and aides are so afraid that their health insurance premiums will skyrocket next year thanks to Obamacare that they are thinking about retiring early or just quitting.  —  The fear: Government-subsidized premiums will disappear …

Rare formal review ordered for federal judge  —  Chief Justice John Roberts of the U.S. Supreme Court formally ordered on Wednesday that a rare public judicial misconduct complaint against 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals Judge Edith Jones be reviewed by officials in a different circuit — one based in the nation's capital.

Obama's Snooping Excludes Mosques, Missed Boston Bombers  —  Homeland Insecurity: The White House assures that tracking our every phone call and keystroke is to stop terrorists, and yet it won't snoop in mosques, where the terrorists are.  —  That's right, the government's sweeping surveillance …

Sen. Paul: Taxpayer dollars funding ‘war against Christianity in the Middle East’  —  Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) pitched a conservative audience on a noninterventionist foreign policy on Thursday, advocating against arming Syrian rebels and warning that American tax dollars are funding “a war against Christianity.”