Lawmakers tire of playing ‘20 questions’ in surveillance briefings  —  (Reuters) - Some members of the Congress say that getting straight answers from intelligence agencies about top-secret surveillance is like playing the game “20 Questions,” where answers come only if a questioner knows exactly what to ask.

AUDIENCE MEMBER CONFRONTS BILL MAHER AFTER COMIC SLAMMED SARAH PALIN'S SPECIAL NEEDS CHILD  —  Conservative Ron Futrell knew to expect plenty of left-of-center jibes when he settled into his seat to see Bill Maher at The Pearl Theater in Las Vegas June 8.  —  Futrell didn't think he'd hear …

Bill Clinton splits with Obama on Syria  —  Bill Clinton told Sen. John McCain he agrees that President Barack Obama should act more forcefully to support anti-Assad rebels in Syria, saying the American public elects presidents and members of Congress “to see down the road” and “to win.”

Three Signs Republicans Haven't Learned Any Lessons From 2012  —  After last year's drubbing, Republicans vowed to change their ways.  But as 2013 wears on, they're sticking to the script that got them in trouble.  —  To much acclaim, the Republican National Committee released its road map …

Scowling face of the state  —  As soon as the Constitution permitted him to run for Congress, Al Salvi did.  In 1986, just 26 and fresh from the University of Illinois law school, he sank $1,000 of his own money, which was most of his money, into his campaign to unseat an incumbent Democratic congressman.

Danielle Powell, Grace University Student Kicked Out For Being Lesbian, Must Repay Thousands  —  Danielle Powell was close to getting her bachelor's degree when she was kicked out of her university for being gay in 2012, and now says the only way the school will transfer her credits to another school is if she agrees to pay $6,300.

GOP's Jackson discusses past drug use, bankruptcy  —  No. 2 on GOP ticket also acknowledges that he filed for bankruptcy in the past  —  E.W. Jackson, the Republican nominee for lieutenant governor acknowledged Wednesday that he used marijuana and experimented with other controlled substances in his youth.

Former WHAM radio personality fired for controversial blog post  —  He said it was written with a tone of humor, but many people saw it as offensive, racist and sexist.  And now, it's left him without a job.  —  Radio personality Craig Schaller worked at WHAM 1180 for 16 years …

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 …

Jeff Duncan questions IRS rifle usage  —  Rep. Jeff Duncan wants to know why IRS law enforcement agents are training with AR-15 rifles.  —  As chairman of the House Homeland Security oversight subcommittee, Duncan (R-S.C.) toured a federal law enforcement facility in late May and noticed agents training …

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 …

Flashback: Sen. Biden says Americans shouldn't trust a president who spies on them  —  File this one under “aren't you glad we didn't elect an idiot like Sarah Palin to be one heartbeat away from the president?”  Actually, according to the current buffoon who is a heartbeat away from the president …

New CIA #2 Pick Used to Read Anne Rice Aloud at Her Bookstore's Erotica Night  —  In her 20s, Avril Haines held erotica readings at the Baltimore bookstore and restaurant she co-owned at the time.  Ben Jacobs and Avi Zenilman report.  —  The former host of “Erotica Night” …

Report: Asians fastest growing group  —  Asians were the fastest growing race or ethnic group in 2012, according to a new U.S. Census Bureau report on Thursday.  —  Their population rose 2.9 percent, or 530,000, from 2011 to 2012 to 18.9 million, 60 percent of which was from international immigration.

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.

Media, administration deal with conflicts  —  It's all but a journalistic commandment: Thou shalt not have a vested interest in the story you're covering.  Otherwise, a personal entanglement could color a reporter's neutrality or cloud public perceptions of fairness.

Weiner's Record in House: Intensity, Publicity and Limited Results  —  When President Obama needed every Democrat in Congress to back his health care plan in 2009, Representative Anthony D. Weiner threatened behind the scenes to torpedo the package in favor of a more sweeping measure.

Merkley waves Verizon phone, demands NSA chief share grounds for seizing data  —  In a dramatic exchange Wednesday on Capitol Hill, Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) demanded National Security Agency chief Keith Alexander explain why the agency was legally authorized to obtain his personal cell phone data.

Arizona Senator's Son Used Homophobic, Anti-Semitic Language On Twitter  —  “He has apologized and I apologize as well,” says Senator Jeff Flake.  —  WASHINGTON — Sen. Jeff Flake's high school-aged son Tanner used Twitter to threaten the “faggot” who stole his bike that he “will find you …