Detroit Files for Bankruptcy  —  By MONICA DAVEY and MARY WILLIAMS WALSH  —  DETROIT — Detroit, the cradle of America's automobile industry and once the nation's fourth-most-populous city, has filed for bankruptcy, an official said Thursday afternoon, the largest American city ever to take such a course.

The Real Face of Terror: Behind the Scenes Photos of the Dzhokhar Tsarnaev Manhunt  —  In response to the controversial Rolling Stone cover, new photos of Tsarnaev's capture emerge.  —  The Rolling Stone cover featuring the suspected Boston Marathon bomber, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev has, of course …

House Republicans Cave On Marriage Fight  —  “[T]he House now seeks leave to withdraw as a party defendant.”  House Republicans stop defending statutes similar to the Defense of Marriage Act that ban recognition of same-sex couples' marriages.  —  Via: J. Scott Applewhite / AP

The Media Doesn't Have a Pure Heart on Race  —  The Latest Politics, News & Election Videos  —  Charles Barkley On Zimmerman Trial: “I Agree With The Verdict”  —  CHARLES BARKLEY: Well, I agreed with the verdict.  I feel sorry that young kid got killed.  But they didn't have enough evidence to charge him.

Justice Department places ‘hold’ on Trayvon Martin trial evidence, including George Zimmerman's gun - which Florida law says must be returned to him  —  The U.S. Department of Justice, overseen by Attorney General Eric Holder, has ordered the Sanford, Florida police department to keep possession …

Russian opposition leader freed on bail after protests  —  (Reuters) - Russia unexpectedly freed opposition leader Alexei Navalny on bail on Friday, bending to the will of thousands of protesters who denounced his five-year jail sentence as a crude attempt by President Vladimir Putin to silence him.

On the health-care mandate, Obama reaches beyond the law  —  Ronald D. Rotunda is a professor of jurisprudence at Chapman University and co-author of a six-volume treatise on constitutional law.  He was assistant majority counsel to the Senate Watergate Committee from April 1973 to July 1974.

Hitting China's Wall  —  All economic data are best viewed as a peculiarly boring genre of science fiction, but Chinese data are even more fictional than most.  Add a secretive government, a controlled press, and the sheer size of the country, and it's harder to figure out what's really happening …

Obama vows to ‘blow through’ GOP criticism of ObamaCare  —  President Obama said Thursday his administration will “blow through” GOP criticism to implement his signature healthcare law.  —  “I recognize there's still a lot of folks in this town who are rooting for this law to fail …

Brian Schweitzer's challenge: Montana Democrats  —  Or he could make political life difficult for his fellow Democrats, particularly for Baucus during the health care debate when the governor endorsed a more liberal insurance option as the senator was being demonized by the left for deal-cutting.

Senate confirms Thomas Perez as labor secretary  —  Thomas Perez on Capitol Hill in April 2013.  (Molly Riley/AP)  —  The Senate voted Thursday to confirm Thomas E. Perez as labor secretary, making him the latest of President Obama's nominees to earn confirmation after senators reached a deal to avert changing the chamber's rules.

Sens. John Morse, Angela Giron recall elections set for Sept. 10  —  A Denver judge on Thursday ruled petitions submitted to oust a pair of Democratic senators from office are valid, a pivotal ruling that sets in motion Colorado's first-ever recall election of state lawmakers.

A Bombshell in the IRS Scandal  —  A higher office is implicated.  —  The IRS scandal was connected this week not just to the Washington office—that had been established—but to the office of the chief counsel.  —  That is a bombshell—such a big one that it managed to emerge in spite of an unfocused …

Planned Parenthood To Close Three Texas Clinics  —  Planned Parenthood on Wednesday informed staff at three of its facilities in Texas that they would be closing, according to people familiar with the decision.  —  The three clinics are located in Bryan, Huntsville and Lufkin, Texas.

Texas Legislators File Radical ‘Fetal Heartbeat’ Bill To Ban Abortion After Just Six Weeks  —  On Thursday, three Texas Republicans filed a measure that would criminalize abortion services after a fetal heartbeat can be detected — which typically occurs around six weeks of pregnancy, before many women even know they're pregnant.

Former editor of Rand Paul's Neo-Confederate staffer talks about the Southern Avenger  —  Jack Hunter asked me to delete columns  —  Long before last's week Washington Free Beacon story kicked up a two-day media storm, Jack Hunter knew that the Republican establishment was working …