This, Courtesy of MSNBC, Is Trayvon Martin's Dead Body.  Get Angry.  —  A reader of mine sent me this photo last night.  As the murder trial of George Zimmerman wheezes to its conclusion, the TV networks dutifully pipe in live pool video from the courtroom, as if it is force-fed …

Janet Napolitano, Homeland Security chief, to head UC  —  U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano is being named the next president of the 10-campus UC system.  (Alex Wong / Getty Images / July 18, 2012)  —  Janet Napolitano, the U.S. secretary of Homeland Security and former governor of Arizona …

Statement by Edward Snowden to human rights groups at Moscow's Sheremetyevo airport  —  Edward Joseph Snowden delivered a statement to human rights organizations and individuals at Sheremetyevo airport at 5pm Moscow time today, Friday 12th July.  The meeting lasted 45 minutes.

Pass the Bill!  —  It's beginning to look as though we're not going to get an immigration reform law this year.  House Republicans are moving in a direction that will probably be unacceptable to the Senate majority and the White House.  Conservative commentators like my friends Bill Kristol …

You're Allowed To Carry A Gun Into The Texas Senate Gallery, But Not A Tampon  —  An example of an item that's not permitted in the Texas Gallery.  (Credit: Shutterstock)  —  On Friday afternoon, the Texas Senate will vote on a package of abortion restrictions that Republican lawmakers …

Why I Think the GOP Will Have Control in 2017  —  My assertion that there's a 70% chance that the GOP controls White House, Senate, and House in 2017 has attracted a lot of pushback.  And it's certainly possible that I'm wrong!  Here's my thinking, for what it's worth:

Iowa Supreme Court: It's OK To Fire A Woman For Being Too Attractive  —  Joseph Diebold is an intern with ThinkProgress.  —  Standing by a December decision, the Iowa Supreme Court ruled Friday that a male dentist who fired a female assistant because she was too attractive and threatened his marriage did not commit sex discrimination.

Bob McDonnell's stunning fall from grace  —  In 2010, the political world pegged Bob McDonnell as a president in the making.  Last year, they put him on every VP list.  As recently as May, they called the popular Virginia governor a political model for his would-be successors in Richmond, Democrat and Republican alike.

Concerning “Libertarian Populism”  —  Like any political tradition associated with the defense of privilege, American conservatism has been the object of many efforts to give it a popularizing makeover.  There was the “Modern Republicanism” of the Eisenhower era, which was a useful device …

Holder to Tighten Rules for Obtaining Reporters' Data  —  WASHINGTON — Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr., who has been criticized for the Justice Department's aggressive tactics in secretly obtaining phone logs and e-mails of reporters as part of leak investigations, is expected to issue …

Pakistan Taliban ‘sets up a base in Syria’  —  The Pakistani Taliban sees itself as being ideologically opposed to President Assad's rule  —  The Pakistani Taliban have visited Syria to set up a base and to assess “the needs of the jihad”, a Taliban official has told the BBC.

Coming to Do Good, Staying to Do Well  —  For 20 years, since the weekend of Bill Clinton's first inauguration, I have rented against all financial prudence an apartment in Washington, D.C. even though I really live in Manhattan.  So, at least in a real-estate sense, I can rightfully claim …

Another IRS Scandal Waiting to Happen  —  Federal Elections Commissioner Donald McGahn wants to rein in the bureaucracy of this sensitive agency.  The political left is furious.  —  The Obama administration claims it wants to ensure that the rank political abuse perpetrated by the Internal Revenue Service is never repeated.