Seeing Opening, House G.O.P. Pushes Delay on Individual Mandate in Health Law  —  WASHINGTON — House Republican leaders on Tuesday seized on the Obama administration's one-year delay of a mandate for larger employers to offer health insurance or face penalties, demanding the same postponement …

McDonnell's corporation, wife allegedly benefited from $120,000 more from donor  —  RICHMOND — A prominent political donor gave $70,000 to a corporation owned by Virginia Gov. Robert F. McDonnell and his sister last year, and the governor did not disclose the money as a gift or loan, according to people with knowledge of the payments.

Sarah Palin Considering 2014 Senate Run  —  Former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin on Tuesday said that she is considering running for Senate in 2014.  —  Appearing on Sean Hannity's radio program, Palin also reiterated that she would consider supporting a third party if Republicans don't return to their conservative roots.

Sabotage governing  —  It's not unusual to hear dirty hippie liberal blogger types (and the occasional lefty Nobel Prize winner) point out that today's GOP has effectively abdicated the role of functional opposition party, instead opting for a kind of post-policy nihilism in which sabotaging …

Rebel Yell  —  A close aide to Sen. Rand Paul (R., Ky.) who co-wrote the senator's 2011 book spent years working as a pro-secessionist radio pundit and neo-Confederate activist, raising questions about whether Paul will be able to transcend the same fringe-figure associations that dogged his father's political career.

Democrat on Democrat: Sen. Warren rips Sen. Manchin on student loan proposal  —  Liberal firebrand Elizabeth Warren blasted a fellow Democratic senator Tuesday as a dispute over how to stop student loan rates from doubling tore splits in the party.  —  The clash, which is highly unusual …

Police: Evidence criminal act may have led to Canada train crash  —  Train derails, explodes in Canadian town  —  Lac-Megantic, Quebec (CNN) — Canadian authorities have found evidence that a criminal act may have led to a train crash in Lac-Megantic, Quebec, that killed at least 15 people …

UPDATED - RAISE YOUR VOICE, NOT YOUR HANDS  —  The Broward Sheriff's Office, working closely with the Sanford Police Department and other local law enforcement agencies, has coordinated a response plan in anticipation of the verdict.  —  Freedom of expression is a constitutional right.

WATCH AND WEEP: HERE'S A VIDEO OF PEOPLE SIGNING A PETITION TO REPEAL THE BILL OF RIGHTS  —  Author and activist Mark Dice on Monday released what may very well be the most depressing “man on the street” video for 2013 (possibly beating “College Kids Who Don't Know U.S. History").

Dems pitch national park on the moon  —  Two House Democrats have proposed legislation that would establish a national historical park on the surface of the moon to mark where the Apollo missions landed between 1969 and 1972.  —  The bill from Reps. Donna Edwards (D-Md.) and Eddie Bernice Johnson …

GOP Drops Food Stamps From Farm Bill  —  Updated 12:15 p.m. |  House Republican leaders have decided to drop food stamps from the farm bill and are whipping the farm-only portion of the bill for a vote that will likely come this week, according to a GOP leadership aide.

Obama's Favorite Food Is Totally Broccoli, He Tells Kid Who Probably Needs To Eat His Vegetables  —  Photo evidence might suggest he likes something a little more savory, but President Barack Obama told a kid journalist Tuesday that his favorite food is actually broccoli.

Vital Statistics on Congress  —  Data on the U.S. Congress - A Joint Effort from Brookings and the American Enterprise Institute  —  For more than three decades, Vital Statistics on Congress, a joint effort undertaken by Norm Ornstein of the American Enterprise Institute and Tom Mann of Brookings …

Effects of Same-Sex Marriage Ruling Start to Be Felt  —  WASHINGTON — The federal government is moving quickly to extend benefits like health care and life insurance to gay and lesbian married couples in response to the Supreme Court decision that struck down the Defense of Marriage Act.

Republican Women Cringe As Men Lead Abortion Fight  —  Another round of Republican men talking abortion leads the party's women to reach for the antacid.  —  Via: Mike Stone / Reuters  —  WASHINGTON — If the rumors are true, Marco Rubio is about to become the latest guinea pig in an experiment …

Intimacy in an Iron Lung  —  The developing status of sexual surrogates for the disabled, as part of a right to health and well-being: So wrong?  —  “As my father lay dying and his private nurses washed him, made him comfortable and gave him his medication, they also lingered gently over his private parts as they sponged him.

Democrats Plan Challenge to G.O.P.'s Filibuster Use  —  WASHINGTON — In a move that could bring to a head six months of smoldering tensions over a Republican blockade of certain presidential nominees, Senate Democrats are preparing to force confirmation votes on a series of President Obama's …

Pilot on Politics  —  What's happening in the world of politics and lawmaking in Richmond, Hampton Roads and around Virginia?  Our reporters share tips, tidbits and stories here.  What do you know?  Post your comments.  —  If you have story ideas, contact Julian Walker at julian.walker@pilotonline.com or 804-697-1564.

Introducing Congress for iOS  —  As Congress returns for their July session, the Sunlight Foundation is excited to announce our free Congress app for iOS devices that allows anyone to get the latest from Washington.  Download it here.  Now it is easy to learn more about your member of Congress …

Will Texas' History Of Intentional Race Discrimination Come Back To Haunt It?  —  Texas is on the front lines of an important test case about whether a centerpiece of the Voting Rights Act can be salvaged after the Supreme Court struck at the heart of the law.

Newsroom Diversity: A Casualty of Journalism's Financial Crisis  —  New numbers from the American Society of News Editors show that the progress of women and minorities in media has halted.  —  The American Society of News Editors (ASNE) recently released its annual study of newsroom diversity.

The Secular Society  —  I might as well tell you upfront that this column is a book report.  Since 2007, when it was published, academics have been raving to me about Charles Taylor's “A Secular Age.”  Courses, conferences and symposia have been organized around it, but it is almost invisible outside …

After 12-plus years, Texas gets a new governor  —  Gov. Rick Perry kisses his wife, Anita, before announcing that he will not run for re-election.  —  By some historical measures, the office of Texas governor is older than the United States, dating to the 17th or even 16th century.

Wall Street Journal Op-Ed: Homeless Shelter Volunteers Are The Real Cause Of Homelessness  —  According to a hedge fund manager writing in the Wall Street Journal, homelessness isn't caused by deep-seated inequities in society, but rather by people like his teenage son who volunteer at homeless shelters.