Statement from Edward Snowden in Moscow  —  One week ago I left Hong Kong after it became clear that my freedom and safety were under threat for revealing the truth.  My continued liberty has been owed to the efforts of friends new and old, family, and others who I have never met and probably never will.

Poll: Support for gay marriage hits high after ruling  —  WASHINGTON — A record majority of Americans approve of same-sex marriage in the wake of two landmark Supreme Court decisions, a USA TODAY poll finds.  But the high court's rulings that struck down provisions of the Voting Rights Act …

‘Future lawsuit’: CNN broadcasts George Zimmerman's Social Security number  —  CNN viewers were shocked to see George Zimmerman's personal information, including his Social Security number, broadcast live on TV. … A screenshot of the information shown on CNN, with the confidential information redacted by Twitchy:

Democrats land top recruit to challenge McConnell in Kentucky  —  Kentucky Secretary of State Alison Lundergan Grimes announced Monday she will challenge Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), giving Democrats their favored candidate and turning the race one of the 2014 cycle's marquee contests.

Obama: ‘Planet Will Boil Over’ If Young Africans Are Allowed Cars, Air-Conditioning, Big Houses  —  (CNSNews.com) - President Barack Obama said at a town hall event in Johannesburg, South Africa, on Saturday that unless we find new way of producing energy “the planet will boil over” …

6.8 Day Is Here!  —  Washington hasn't passed a new law to avert it, so today's the day that all of higher education has, it seems, been dreading: The day that interest rates on subsidized federal student loans double, going from 3.4 percent to 6.8 percent.  —  Hooray?

Russia's Putin signs draconian anti-gay law banning speech, rainbows, holding hands  —  Russian President Vladimir Putin signed into law yesterday one of the most draconian anti-gay laws on the planet.  —  The new law, coming only seven months before Russia is to host the Winter Olympics in Sochi …

Mark Udall brother missing after hike  —  Sen. Mark Udall's brother, James Udall, is missing after going on a solo hike in Wyoming, the senator's office confirmed to POLITICO.  —  The 61-year-old, who goes by Randy, was trekking in the Wind River Range and was supposed to come out of the mountains last Wednesday but never did.

A t-shirt for Texans  —  (CNN) - No movement is complete without memorabilia.  Now, supporters of Planned Parenthood and state Sen. Wendy Davis' fight against new abortion restrictions in Texas have their own.  —  Planned Parenthood on Monday released a t-shirt available online that links …

Obama urges ‘restraint’ in Egypt  —  President Obama, left, addresses a news conference with Tanzanian President Jakaya Kikwete in Dar es Salaam.  (Saul Loeb / AFP / Getty Images / July 1, 2013)  —  DAR ES SALAAM, Tanzania - President Obama said Monday that Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi …

Former Rep. Bill Gray, first black Majority Whip, dead at 71  —  Former Rep. William H. Gray (D-Pa.), the first African-American to chair the House Budget Committee and the first to serve as Majority Whip, passed away Monday in London.  He was 71 years old.

Catholic priest beheaded in Syria monastery attack  —  A Syrian Catholic priest has been beheaded by rebels at a monastery in the northern Syria, the Vatican says.  —  Father Francois Murad, 49, was beheaded on 23 June when militants attacked the convent where he was staying.

What's Left?  —  Have progressives abandoned every cause save gay marriage?  —  A 1954 Oldsmobile 98 Holiday in 1972.  Is progressivism also a relic of the past?  —  Courtesy of John Lloyd/Flickr  —  For those of you on the progressive merry-go-round, at least one brass ring is firmly within reach.