OP-ED: Murkowski Shares Thoughts on Marriage Equality with Alaskans  —  Not too long ago, I had the honor of nominating an Alaskan family as “Angels in Adoption,” a celebration of the selflessness shown by foster care families and those who adopt children.  They arrived in Washington, DC …

Concord police stun, arrest gun rights protester after officer touched on shoulder  —  CONCORD — A man was arrested and two people, including a Concord police officer, were allegedly assaulted during a rally Tuesday in a clash between a gun control group and gun rights supporters.

Berlin Looks a Lot Different to Obama in 2013 Than It Did in 2008  —  Barack Obama returned to Berlin today, almost five years to the day from when he delivered his famous “Victory Column” speech that cemented his reputation as an international rockstar.  Unfortunately, his reception this time was a lot different.

FBI director admits domestic use of drones for surveillance  —  The FBI uses drones for domestic surveillance purposes, the head of the agency told Congress early Wednesday.  —  Robert Mueller, the director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, confirmed to lawmakers that the FBI owns …

TWA Flight 800 investigators break silence in new documentary, claim original conclusion about cause of crash is wrong  —  A group of whistle-blowers, including a number of aviation experts, have come forward in a new documentary to claim that the official explanation for the crash of TWA Flight 800 …

Missing Michael Hastings  —  One of the great reporters of his generation died Tuesday at 33.  The stories he wrote, and the ones he didn't live to write.  —  Via: Blue Rider Press  —  Michael Hastings was really only interested in writing stories someone didn't want him to write — often his subjects; occasionally his editor.

WMAL EXCLUSIVE: Allen West Challenges Marco Rubio On Immigration; Won't Rule Out 2016 Primary Bid  —  WASHINGTON — Former Congressman Allen West says challenging Senator Marco Rubio in the 2016 Republican Florida primary election would be a daunting task.  —  “That's a pretty heavy lift …

On fertility, and the flauntingly fecund Sarah Palin  —  Distilled to a slogan, politics of late goes something like this: “I'm more fertile than you are.”  —  It seems fecundity is emerging as the best argument for public office, policy or even citizenship.

The GOP's clueless caucus  —  They've waxed philosophic about “legitimate rape,” reflected on the economic role of “wetbacks” and denounced the actions of “brazen, self-described illegal aliens.”  They've lamented that “mom got in the workplace” and called out the United States attorney general for casting “aspersions on my asparagus.”

The F.B.I. Deemed Agents Faultless in 150 Shootings  —  WASHINGTON — After contradictory stories emerged about an F.B.I. agent's killing last month of a Chechen man in Orlando, Fla., who was being questioned over ties to the Boston Marathon bombing suspects, the bureau reassured the public that it would clear up the murky episode.

LePage issues new policy: No more talking to 3 newspapers  —  The policy comes after a series of articles about the Department of Environmental Protection.  —  AUGUSTA - Gov. Paul LePage's administration will no longer comment in stories published by the Portland Press Herald …

Hillary Has to Dump Bill Now  —  Hillary Clinton's return to the living was almost flawless.  Almost.  —  She unveiled her Twitter account (young and with-it), and referred knowingly to the pantsuit (mature and self-aware).  She didn't look tan (that would be too “Real Housewives of New Jersey” …

Dissent Festers in States That Obama Forgot  —  WASHINGTON — You might call North Dakota the antithesis of President Obama's political base.  —  Whites make up 90 percent of its population, which is fewer than one million people and mostly in rural areas.  Its proportion of people 65 and over exceeds the national average.

PLAYBOY INTERVIEW: SEAN HANNITY  —  Fox News host Sean Hannity is a believer.  He believes in God, country and the once and future Bush dynasty.  In his opinion, global warming is a crock, kids today are oversexed and President Obama's radical agenda is destroying our nation.

Phil Gingrey, In DOMA Speech, Says Children Should Take Classes On Traditional Gender Roles  —  Rep. Phil Gingrey (R-Ga.) told colleagues on the House floor on Tuesday that young boys and girls should take classes on traditional gender roles in a marriage because there are some things fathers do “maybe a little bit better” than mothers.

Special Report: Syria's Islamists seize control as moderates dither  —  (Reuters) - As the Syrian civil war got under way, a former electrician who calls himself Sheikh Omar built up a brigade of rebel fighters.  In two years of struggle against President Bashar al-Assad, they came to number 2,000 men …

Autopsy On GOP Social Issues Is ‘Grossly Overstated’ Say GOP Lawmakers  —  WASHINGTON (AP) — Republican lawmakers have a message for those who want the party to soften its emphasis on social conservatism in hopes of reaching a wider national audience: Not so fast.

Extending a Hand, Obama Finds a Cold Shoulder Abroad  —  WASHINGTON — Over porterhouse steak and cherry pie at a desert estate in California earlier this month, President Obama delivered a stern lecture to President Xi Jinping about China's disputes with its neighbors.

McConnell Sings Very Different Tune On Nuclear Option Than In 2005  —  After Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) warned Tuesday that going nuclear on filibuster reform for nominations would lead to the end of the 60-vote threshold for all matters, Democrats quickly pointed …

Chris Van Hollen: IRS Rules To Be Challenged In Court  —  WASHINGTON — Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) said Tuesday that he and two campaign finance watchdog groups would sue the IRS, challenging regulations that allow nonprofit groups to be involved in politics if they're “primarily” devoted to a social welfare purpose.

Serena Williams: The Great One  —  No athlete alive dominates a sport like Serena Williams does women's tennis.  But on the whole, she'd rather be eating cinnamon rolls  —  Who is the most dominant figure in sports today?  LeBron James?  Michael Phelps?  Please.  Get that weak sauce out of here.

‘Tell your boss I owe him another friggin’ beer:' Hot mic catches NSA boss praising FBI chiefs for supportive testimony on surveillance programs  —  The director of the National Security Agency was overheard offering a round of beer to the FBI's second-in-command following Tuesday's congressional hearing …

Senator: IRS to pay $70M in employee bonuses  —  WASHINGTON (AP) - The Internal Revenue Service is about to pay $70 million in employee bonuses despite an Obama administration directive to cancel discretionary bonuses because of automatic spending cuts enacted this year, according to a GOP senator.