US-China relations chill over Snowden  —  Press secretary Jay Carney blasted China in unusually blunt terms as the administration hunted for Snowden, the leaker of National Security Agency documents who is now believed to be hiding out in Russia.  —  Carney dismissed Hong Kong's legal justification …

Obama to Outline Ambitious Plan to Cut Greenhouse Gases  —  WASHINGTON — President Obama will propose a sweeping plan to address climate change on Tuesday, setting ambitious goals and timetables for a series of executive actions to reduce greenhouse gas pollution and prepare the nation for the ravages of a warming planet.

Immigration Overhaul Clears Pivotal Vote in Senate  —  The Senate voted today to accept an amendment calling for stricter border security as part of comprehensive immigration reform.  —  The amendment that was at stake was the “deal” sponsored by Sens. Bob Corker, R-Tenn., and John Hoeven …

Justice Alito's Inexcusable Rudeness  —  A justice of the Supreme Court should not act like a high schooler on the bench; when the target is a fellow justice, the offense is even greater.  —  I suspect that the cause of cameras in the Supreme Court suffered a blow on Monday.

IRS chief: Inappropriate screening was broad  —  WASHINGTON (AP) — The Internal Revenue Service's screening of groups seeking tax-exempt status was broader and lasted longer than has been previously disclosed, the new head of the agency said Monday.  —  An internal IRS document obtained …

Obama in the doldrums  —  Not yet six months into his second term, Barack Obama's presidency is in a dead zone.  —  A combination of familiar Washington intransigence and a more recent run of bad news and political setbacks have left him with less influence over his circumstances …

Rick Santorum Becomes CEO of Faith-Based Film Studio  —  The former GOP presidential hopeful has raised millions of dollars to make faith-based, uplifting movies in the mode of “Soul Surfer,” except that they won't “water down the truth.”  —  Rick Santorum is getting into the film business …

Richard Matheson, 1926-2013  —  Tor.com is saddened and staggered to learn of the passing of Richard Matheson, the esteemed author of I am Legend, The Shrinking Man, What Dreams May Come, Hell House, the script for the Steven Spielberg film Duel, and many Twilight Zone scripts, among many more works.

Bolton Plans a Tour of Early-Primary States  —  Watch out, Rand Paul.  —  As Paul, a Kentucky senator, plans for a 2016 presidential run, he is talking up his views on foreign policy, which, broadly speaking, include less intervention in foreign conflicts and a smaller military budget.

Supreme Court doesn't resolve wrongs of affirmative action  —  “In order to get beyond racism, we must first take account of race.”  — Justice Harry Blackmun, 1978  —  “The way to stop discrimination on the basis of race is to stop discriminating on the basis of race.”  — Chief Justice John Roberts, 2007

Afghan forces put down attack on presidential palace: police  —  (Reuters) - Afghan forces put down an early morning attack by Taliban insurgents on the presidential palace and nearby buildings in central Kabul on Tuesday, with police saying all the assailants had been killed after a 90-minute gunfight.

Mitch McConnell Is Either Very Bad at Math or Horribly Disingenuous  —  The Senate minority leader took me to task on Friday.  Unfortunately, he had his facts wrong on virtually every count.  —  Last Friday morning, I attended a ballyhooed speech given by Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell at AEI …

Paula's Worst Ingredients  —  Paula Deen is where sass meets crass, where the homespun and folksy curdle into something with a sour aftertaste.  —  Her manner may be as sugary as her cooking, her smile as big as the hams she hawked for Smithfield.  But she doesn't pause when she should.

When Journalists Attack  —  With its rush to compare Obama to Nixon and to overhype any and all scandals, the media is ruining America's ability to engage in nuanced debate, says Jon Favreau.  —  If you saw the news at any point in the last month, chances are that you heard Barack Obama compared …