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 …

EXCLUSIVE: Rubio Says It Should Be Legal To Fire Someone For Being Gay  —  Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) (Credit: Mark Wilson/Getty)  —  WASHINGTON, DC — Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL), who is touted as a top GOP presidential prospect in 2016, thinks it should be legal to fire someone for their sexual orientation.

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.

Document: Major resources needed for Obama Africa trip  —  Video: President Obama will travel to sub-Saharan Africa and the price tag for the trip clocks in between $60 million to $100 million.  The Washington Post's Carol Leonnig got access to classified documents outlining the trip.

Obama Tells Keystone Foes He Will Unveil Climate Measures  —  With his administration under pressure from environmentalists to reject the Keystone XL pipeline project, President Barack Obama plans to unveil a package of separate actions next month focused on curbing U.S. greenhouse gas emissions.

Secret Court Ruling Put Tech Companies in Data Bind  —  SAN FRANCISCO — In a secret court in Washington, Yahoo's top lawyers made their case.  The government had sought help in spying on certain foreign users, without a warrant, and Yahoo had refused, saying the broad requests were unconstitutional.

Conservative judge Edith Jones up for rare review  —  Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts on Wednesday took the rare step of ordering a review of a powerful federal judge accused of making denigrating statements against minorities and people with mental disabilities.

U.S. Agencies Said to Swap Data With Thousands of Firms  —  Thousands of technology, finance and manufacturing companies are working closely with U.S. national security agencies, providing sensitive information and in return receiving benefits that include access to classified intelligence, four people familiar with the process said.

Justices, 9-0, Bar Patenting Human Genes  —  WASHINGTON — Human genes may not be patented, the Supreme Court ruled unanimously on Thursday.  The decision is likely to reduce the cost of genetic testing for some health risks, and it may discourage investment in some forms of genetic research.

The Papers of the Founding Fathers Are Now Online  —  What was the original intent behind the Constitution and other documents that helped shape the nation?  What did the Founders of our country have to say?  Those questions persist in the political debates and discussions to this day …

House votes to limit Obama's authority to detain US citizens  —  The House voted Thursday evening to put limits on President Obama's power to indefinitely detain U.S. citizens who are terrorist suspects, but rejected a proposal to eliminate the authority altogether.

Sympathy for the Luddites  —  In 1786, the cloth workers of Leeds, a wool-industry center in northern England, issued a protest against the growing use of “scribbling” machines, which were taking over a task formerly performed by skilled labor.  “How are those men, thus thrown out of employ …