Texas House approves sweeping abortion restrictions  —  (Reuters) - The Texas House of Representatives approved sweeping abortion restrictions on Tuesday, including a ban after 20 weeks of pregnancy and tougher standards for clinics that perform the procedure.

Immigration reform heads for slow death  —  Republicans walked away from their 2012 debacle hell-bent on fixing their problems with Hispanics.  Now, they appear hell-bent on making them worse.  —  In private conversations, top Republicans on Capitol Hill now predict comprehensive immigration reform …

Justin Bieber Pisses Into Restaurant Mop Bucket — ‘F*** Bill Clinton!’  [VIDEO]  —  PISSES INTO RESTAURANT MOP BUCKET  —  ‘F*** Bill Clinton!’  —  EXCLUSIVE  —  Justin Bieber is an oblivious, self-important little twit who goes out of his way to make the working man's life miserable …

Wal-Mart says it will pull out of D.C. plans should city mandate ‘living wage’  —  The world's largest retailer delivered an ultimatum to District lawmakers Tuesday, telling them less than 24 hours before a decisive vote that at least three planned Wal-Marts will not open in the city if a super-minimum-wage proposal becomes law.

Just in Case George Zimmerman Walks Free...  Like so many people across the country, I have followed the murder trial of George Zimmerman very closely.  As we enter what is probably the last week of the trial, I am sure that everyone is anxious about the outcome.

Exclusive: US bankrolled anti-Morsi activists  —  Berkeley, United States - President Barack Obama recently stated the United States was not taking sides as Egypt's crisis came to a head with the military overthrow of the democratically elected president.  —  But a review of dozens …

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 bid  —  Sarah Palin opened the door Tuesday to running for Senate next year in Alaska.  —  “I've considered it because people have requested me considering it, but I'm still waiting to see what the lineup will be and hoping that ... there will be some new blood …

Illinois enacts nation's final concealed-gun law  —  SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) — Illinois became the last state in the nation to allow public possession of concealed guns as lawmakers rushed Tuesday to finalize a proposal ahead of a federal court's deadline.  —  Both chambers of the Legislature voted …

Linchpin for Obama's plan to predict future leakers unproven, isn't likely to work, experts say  —  WASHINGTON — In an initiative aimed at rooting out future leakers and other security violators, President Barack Obama has ordered federal employees to report suspicious actions of their colleagues based …

Mike Lee Slams Obama For Trying To Fill Judicial Vacancies  —  Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) attacked President Obama on Wednesday for seeking to fill three judicial vacancies on the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals, arguing that those seats need not be filled before the court can function without them.

A brand-new U.S. military headquarters in Afghanistan.  And nobody to use it.  —  The U.S. military has erected a 64,000-square-foot headquarters building on the dusty moonscape of southwestern Afghanistan that comes with all the tools to wage a modern war.  A vast operations center with tiered seating.

Whistleblowers  —  Two data points and a question.  —  Point one: Daniel Ellsberg yesterday in the Washington Post, in a piece on the Snowden case, referred to what might, surprisingly, be called the more easygoing legal climate of 1971, when he gave the Pentagon papers to the New York Times …

The Decline of North Carolina  —  Every Monday since April, thousands of North Carolina residents have gathered at the State Capitol to protest the grotesque damage that a new Republican majority has been doing to a tradition of caring for the least fortunate.

Explaining Eliot  —  He's bonkers — and always was  —  True story: Five years ago, a few months after Eliot Spitzer resigned in disgrace, I was having breakfast with a friend who'd just suffered a serious and painful loss when a civic project in which he deeply believed and in which he had sunk a great deal of capital went bust.

Kerry chokes back tears in first comments on wife's health scare  —  Secretary of State John Kerry choked up on Wednesday while thanking well-wishers for their support after his wife fell ill earlier this week.  —  Kerry said his wife, Teresa Heinz Kerry, is “doing better” and “improving” …