Breakthrough in Senate immigration talks; announcement set for Thursday  —  Senators seeking a solution to a deadlock over border security have reached a tentative agreement they believe could win the votes of a significant number of Republican lawmakers for the Gang of Eight comprehensive immigration reform bill.

James Gandolfini Is Dead at 51; a Complex Mob Boss in ‘Sopranos’  —  James Gandolfini, the Emmy Award-winning actor who shot to fame on the HBO drama “The Sopranos” as Tony Soprano, a tough-talking, hard-living crime boss with a stolid exterior but a rich interior life, died on Wednesday.  He was 51.

Exodus International to Shut Down  —  Thirty-seven-year-old ministry for those with same-sex attraction marks its last national conference  —  Irvine, Calif. (June 19, 2013) — Exodus International, the oldest and largest Christian ministry dealing with faith and homosexuality announced tonight …

Power  —  You should decide now what kind of Supreme Court you want.  Don't wait until after the Justices hand down the Term's major decisions.  That will be too late.  Make a real choice now about how much power you think the Court should have - before your judgment is skewed by either elation or outrage at the results.

Barack Obama bombs in Berlin: a weak, underwhelming address from a floundering president  —  When John F. Kennedy delivered his “Ich Bin Ein Berliner” speech in front of the Brandenburg Gate on June 26, 1963, 450,000 people flocked to hear him.  Fifty years later a far more subdued invitation …

E. W. Jackson marks Juneteenth at Newport News event  —  E.W. Jackson, republican candidate for lieutenant governor, speaks during Wednesday's Juneteenth Celebration at King Lincoln Park in Newport News.  —  NEWPORT NEWS - E.W. Jackson, the Republican candidate for lieutenant governor …

Obama offends Catholics in the UK, says religious schools are divisive  —  The Catholic media is up in arms over comments President Obama made during a speech while in Northern Ireland for the G8 summit.  Obama made what is described as “an alarming call for an end to Catholic education,” …

Manchin hits back at NRA in new TV ad  —  Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) on Thursday hit back at the National Rifle Association, accusing its leaders of shifting their stance on background checks for political gain, and unveiling a new television ad defending his bipartisan gun-control measure.

The Do-Nothing Congress Has Done a Lot  —  Perhaps, like approximately 80 percent of Americans, you disapprove of Congress.  Beholding the nation's capital, you are apt to see a sleazy, gridlocked mess, a Boschian hellscape of partisan acrimony and special-interest greed.

Using ObamaCare To Create A Permanent Democratic Majority  —  If you have to keep it a secret, you probably shouldn't be doing it.  —  But the California legislature and the new Covered California health insurance exchange are conspiring to keep secret how they will dole out more than half …

Democratic groups launching ad against McConnell  —  Senate Majority PAC and Patriot Majority USA are launching a sustained campaign against Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), starting with a television ad launched Thursday that hammers him for his decades-long tenure in Congress.

Illinois GOP official pens allegedly racist attack on black GOP candidate  —  • By Kevin McDermott kmcdermott@post-dispatch.com 314-340-8268  —  A county Republican Party chairman in central Illinois called a black female congressional candidate the “love child” of the Democratic party …

Your Feedback Matters - Update on Xbox One  —  Last week at E3, the excitement, creativity and future of our industry was on display for a global audience.  —  For us, the future comes in the form of Xbox One, a system designed to be the best place to play games this year and for many years to come.

Obama Readying Emissions Limits on Power Plants  —  WASHINGTON — President Obama is preparing regulations limiting carbon dioxide emissions from existing power plants, senior officials said Wednesday.  The move would be the most consequential climate policy step he could take and one likely …

Paranoia Strikes Deep: The Press and Rand Paul  —  The absurd lengths journalists have gone to portray the Kentucky senator as if he's hiding something dangerous  —  Critiques of democracy are as old as the excesses of the Athenian variety.  Here's a classic: The unmediated masses …

Report: Watchdog to testify federal security clearance vetting lacks proper oversight  —  According to CNN, Patrick McFarland, the inspector general for the Office of Personnel Management, will tell lawmakers that the Office of Personnel Management does not have enough funding to make sure …

Apology issued for naming of Boston bomber as a victim of gun violence at Concord rally  —  CONCORD - The organizers of the Mayors Against Illegal Guns campaign on Wednesday apologized for including Boston Marathon bombing suspect Tamerlan Tsarnaev among a list of shooting victims' names …

Chuck Hagel Jokes That Indian Man Asking Him A Question Is A Member Of The Taliban  —  He was a college professor.  Hagel was speaking at the University of Nebraska where he went to school.  He had previously answered a question on Afghanistan and negotiating with the Taliban before the exchange.