Bill and Hillary Clinton are ‘livid’ at comparisons to Weiner's sexcapades and Huma's forgiveness  —  Bill and Hillary Clinton are angry with efforts by mayoral hopeful Anthony Weiner and his campaign to compare his Internet sexcapades — and his wife Huma Abedin's incredible forgiveness …

Are Republicans too divided to have a civil war?  —  A nasty fight is brewing among Republicans over a proposal to defund Obamacare.  Another intra-party fight is flaring over national security and the war on terror.  And yet another is well under way over immigration reform.

The Affordable Care Act's Rate-Setting Won't Work  —  Experience tells me the Independent Payment Advisory Board will fail.  —  Continuing efforts by congressional Republicans to “defund” further implementation of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, even if it takes shutting …

In shift of tone, Pope Francis reaches out to gays, says he won't judge gay priests  —  ABOARD THE PAPAL AIRCRAFT — Pope Francis reached out to gays, saying he won't judge priests for their sexual orientation in a remarkably open and wide-ranging news conference Monday as he returned from his first foreign trip.

Stranded by Sprawl  —  Detroit is a symbol of the old economy's decline.  It's not just the derelict center; the metropolitan area as a whole lost population between 2000 and 2010, the worst performance among major cities.  Atlanta, by contrast, epitomizes the rise of the Sun Belt …

Cory Booker Visiting Iowa In August  —  Is Cory Booker already running for President in 2016? … The Newark mayor who is heavily favored in New Jersey's special election to replace Frank Lautenberg in the U.S. Senate has already scheduled a major speaking engagement in Iowa in August.

Peace talks set to begin after Israel agrees to free 104 Palestinian prisoners  —  JERUSALEM — The first substantive peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians in years will begin Monday evening in Washington, the Obama administration announced, after Israeli leaders agreed Sunday to release 104 Palestinian prisoners.

Cruz: Republicans not willing to ‘stand up’ to defund Obamacare  —  The conservative plan to use the resolution that funds the government to cripple the president's health-care law has a problem, according to GOP Sen. Ted Cruz: other Republicans.  —  “The problem right now is we don't have …

In U.S., 52% Back Law to Legalize Gay Marriage in 50 States  —  Americans would legalize gay marriage nationwide, favor equal rights for such unions  —  PRINCETON, NJ — If given the opportunity to vote on a law legalizing gay marriage in all 50 states, the slight majority of Americans …

Cumulus planning to drop Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity  —  In a major shakeup for the radio industry, Cumulus Media, the second-biggest broadcaster in the country, is planning to drop both Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity from its stations at the end of the year, an industry source told POLITICO on Sunday.

Apple's supplier Pegatron Group violates workers' rights  —  Today, China Labor Watch (CLW) published an investigative report detailing the labor violations of three factories of Pegatron Group, a major supplier to Apple.  In 2013, Apple has increased its orders to these factories …

Mitch Daniels Was Right  —  Mitch Daniels, whom some Republicans would like to see president of something more than Purdue University, is under attack because as governor of Indiana he objected to the use of Howard Zinn's A People's History of the United States in public-school curricula.

Jimmy Carter traveling to North Korea  —  Former President Jimmy Carter's reported travels to North Korea aren't in cooperation with the Obama administration and would be a “private trip,” the White House said Monday, following reports that he was headed there to negotiate for the release of a U.S. citizen.

105 kids rescued from prostitution rings; 150 arrested  —  WASHINGTON — The FBI announced Monday the arrests of 150 people and recovery of 105 children involved in child prostitution rings across the country.  —  The 76-city sweep, conducted in the past three days, represents the largest …

Conservatives bashed me for speaking out about the Zimmerman verdict  —  America may be a nation of ‘free speech’, but be prepared to be bullied and harassed for speaking up, especially on race  —  Hours after the George Zimmerman verdict, I found myself at my computer, calling to mind a text I had first read in seminary.

Fast food strikes intensify in seven cities  —  The biggest walkout yet begins this morning — and the strikes could have far-reaching implications for labor  —  This morning marks the start of what will likely be the largest fast food worker mobilization in U.S. history …