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.

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 …

Rodney Davis team member issues racist rant attacking Erika Harold  —  To understand why the Illinois Republican Party keeps losing elections - look no further than the racist rant (copied below) from a GOP party official.  —  The email was sent to Republican News Watch's Editor …

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.

Obama ‘called Osborne Jeffrey’  —  US President Barack Obama repeatedly addressed Chancellor George Osborne as Jeffrey during the recent G8 summit, according to the Sun newspaper.  —  Mr Obama is a fan of soul singer and musician Jeffrey Osborne, who enjoyed success in the 1980s with hits such as On The Wings of Love and Love Power.

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 …

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.

Virginia Lt. Gov. Candidate Says Social Programs Hurt ‘Black Family’ More Than Slavery (Video)  —  The Virginia GOP's nominee for lieutenant governor, E.W. Jackson, gave a speech Wednesday in which he claimed government social programs have done more harm to the “black family” than slavery.

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.

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.

The Chart to Watch?  —  Dylan Matthews at Wonkblog has a common chart illustrating the Fed's recent forecast errors:  —  The story is that the Fed has tended to overestimate the strength of the economy, and has consequently had to maintain easy policy longer than policymakers had anticipated.

Dems start Obama to Clinton transition  —  Democrats in Washington are starting to shift from the Obamas to the Clintons.  —  Hillary Clinton has already racked up a couple of endorsements for the 2016 presidential race — and she hasn't even announced she's running yet.

Congressman Says Gays Should Hide Their Orientation At Work  —  Joseph Diebold is an intern with ThinkProgress.  —  Credit: Gage Skidmore  —  WASHINGTON, DC — Following a speech at an anti-IRS Tea Party rally in front of the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday, Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-TX) …

House votes to let states run drug tests on food stamp applicants  —  The House late Wednesday voted to give states the authority to conduct drug testing on people applying for food stamps under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).  —  By voice vote, members approved the idea …

Tea party scalds Marco Rubio  —  The tea party returned to Capitol Hill on Wednesday, but this time the don't-tread-on-me crowd trod upon one of its own.  —  Much of the scene was familiar: the yellow flags, the banners protesting tyranny and socialism, the demands to impeach President Obama and to repeal Obamacare.

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.

Scrapping equipment key to Afghan drawdown  —  KANDAHAR AIRFIELD, Afghanistan — Facing a tight withdrawal deadline and tough terrain, the U.S. military has destroyed more than 170 million pounds worth of vehicles and other military equipment as it rushes to wind down its role in the Afghanistan war by the end of 2014.