Senate rejects border security amendment to immigration bill  —  The Senate voted 57-43 on Thursday to table an amendment to the immigration reform bill that would have required increased border security before providing a pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants.

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.

Supreme Court Says Human Genes Aren't Patentable  —  The Supreme Court unanimously ruled Thursday that human genes isolated from the body can't be patented, a victory for doctors and patients who argued that such patents interfere with scientific research and the practice of medicine.

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.”

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.

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 …

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.

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 …

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.

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.

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 …

NEW TIME POLL: Support for the Leaker—and His Prosecution  —  More than half of Americans approve of a former intelligence contractor's decision to leak classified details of sprawling government surveillance programs, according to the results of a new TIME poll.

Pelosi: Late-Term Abortions ‘Sacred Ground’  —  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 exceptions for when the life or physical health of the mother was at stake.

THE SECRET WAR  —  INFILTRATION.  SABOTAGE.  MAYHEM.  FOR YEARS FOUR-STAR GENERAL KEITH ALEXANDER HAS BEEN BUILDING A SECRET ARMY CAPABLE OF LAUNCHING DEVASTATING CYBERATTACKS.  —  Illustrations by Mark Weaver  —  INSIDE FORT MEADE, Maryland, a top-secret city bustles.

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 …

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.

Rep. Ralph Hall wanders into LGBT event, enjoys hospitality before realizing he's in wrong place  —  Maybe it's not so hard to teach an old dog new tricks.  —  At least, that's what some were thinking after Texas Rep. Ralph Hall showed up at an LGBT event for the Victory Fund last week …

Eight GetEqual Activists Arrested During Sit-In At Speaker John Boehner's Office  —  Calling on the House speaker to hold a vote on the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, which would ban LGBT discrimination in employment, eight activists with GetEqual were arrested Thursday.  —  Via: Chris Geidner/Buzzfeed

A Chronic Disease  —  Conservatives and Republicans in Washington — activists, strategists, politicians — are increasingly embracing a theory about Obamacare: It's going to collapse of its own weight, and its failure could yield a sharp right turn in the 2014 and 2016 elections.

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.

NYU booting blind Chinese dissident Chen Guangcheng amid Shanghai expansion: sources  —  NYU isn't letting a pesky thing like human rights stand in the way of its expansion in China.  —  The university has booted a blind Chinese political dissident from its campus under pressure …

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 …