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.

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

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 …

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.

Republicans eye ‘Obamacare’ as new focus of fiscal debate  —  (Reuters) - Growing numbers of Republicans in Congress are setting their sights on a new target in looming fiscal showdowns this autumn over government funding and the debt limit: “Obamacare.”  —  Several Republicans are pledging …

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.

Back in Black - New York Versus Texas  —  Rick Perry tries luring New York businesses to Texas, but Lewis Black is none too impressed with the Lone Star State.  (06:36)

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 …

Pete King Says He's ‘Certainly’ Looking at Running for President  —  Pete King.  (Photo: Getty)  —  Late last night, Newxmax reported that Long Island GOP Congressman Pete King, not widely considered one of the top contenders for the White House for 2016, was nevertheless looking at running for president, citing anonymous sources.

Debating, Yet Again, the Worth of Law School  —  In the debate over whether law schools are worth what they cost students, sober analysis often seems to give way to angry rhetoric.  —  The heated response to the recently released paper titled “The Economic Value of a Law Degree,” …

Gunman Near White House “Was Only Going to Fire a Couple of Shots”  —  A man who displayed a loaded weapon at a U.S. Secret Service police booth outside the White House told officers, “I was only going to fire a couple of shots if no one confronted me,” according to court documents.

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.

Obama May Cancel Moscow Trip as Tensions Build Over Leaker  —  WASHINGTON — President Obama may cancel a scheduled trip to Moscow to meet with President Vladimir V. Putin in September as the standoff over the fate of Edward J. Snowden, the former National Security Agency contractor seeking asylum there …

Liz Cheney for Senate  —  Vicious, cynical and talented Liz Cheney is perfect  —  Liz Cheney, the infamous political operative and daughter of Vice President Dick Cheney, announced last night that she is running for Senate.  After careful consideration, I believe this is welcome news …

Exclusive: Hacking cover-up scandal as police refuse to name ‘blue-chip’ companies who used corrupt private investigators  —  The Serious Organised Crime Agency has refused to disclose the names of blue-chip companies who commissioned corrupt private investigators who broke the law because revealing …