Edward Snowden leaves airport and enters Russia after authorities grant him temporary asylum  —  MOSCOW — National Security Agency leaker Edward Snowden left transit zone of a Moscow airport and entered Russia after authorities granted him temporary asylum, his lawyer said Thursday.

Why Rand Paul and Chris Christie went to war  —  Well, that was a splendid little war.  —  Over the last week, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul took the GOP's intra-party bickering to a new level, openly savaging each other on issues of national security, privacy and government spending.

GOP's Long-Predicted Comeuppance Has Arrived  —  Republicans have dealt with some embarrassing moments on the House floor over the past year, but none so revealing or damning as today's snafu, when they yanked a bill to fund the Departments of Transportation and Housing and Urban Development.

Democrats Using Voting Rights Issues to Protect Senate Majority  —  To hold Southern Senate seats, Democrats need blacks to show up and vote without Obama on the ballot.  Enter Eric Holder.  —  Without President Obama's name on the ballot, Democrats and civil rights leaders increasingly view voting rights …

Detroit's death by democracy  —  In 1860, an uneasy Charles Darwin confided in a letter to a friend: “I had no intention to write atheistically” but “I cannot persuade myself that a beneficent and omnipotent God would have designedly created the Ichneumonidae with the express intention …

Gay Athletes Could Be Prosecuted at 2014 Winter Olympics, Russian Lawmaker Suggests  —  In Russia it is now illegal to even speak about homosexuality around minors, much less openly display gay pride.  Technically the ban is against “propaganda of nontraditional sexual relations” around minors …

Hillary Clinton's 2008 slaps still sting President Obama  —  “Friendship” was the main course during Hillary Clinton's lunch with President Barack Obama this week, according to an Obama spokesman, but no one could have blamed Clinton for ordering a small side of I-told-you-so.

All This Inequality Talk Does Nothing for the Poor  —  Like any immigrant, I'm optimistic about the U.S. The crash will recede, confidence will come back and stronger growth will resume.  The zeal of ordinary Americans to work hard and prosper will prevail over the weary incompetence of the political class.

R.I.P. DOGHOUSE RILEY.  —  As Lance Mannion said today, “Weird this internet world we've built.  Didn't know Doghouse but feel like we've lost a old colleague with an office just down the hall.”  After I got over the shock of hearing Doghouse Riley, aka Douglas Case of Indiana, was dead …

Rev. Jesse Jackson calls Florida ‘Selma of our time’; Gov. Rick Scott calls for apology  —  TALLAHASSEE — It didn't take long for Florida's Republican leaders to lash out following comments made Tuesday by the Rev. Jesse Jackson during his visit with the Dream Defenders protest group at the Capitol.

MLB prepared to ban A-Rod for life, suspend eight others  —  Commissioner Bud Selig is prepared to levy a lifetime suspension on New York Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez, while suspending about eight others before the weekend, two people with knowledge of the negotiations told USA TODAY Sports.

Phone data collection declassified in effort to assuage Capitol Hill  —  The director of national intelligence on Wednesday declassified several documents about the government's phone data collection program as the Obama administration scrambled to assuage growing outrage on Capitol Hill …

Apple's Next iPad Mini Will Likely Have ‘Retina’ Display From Samsung  —  TAIPEI—Apple Inc.'s suppliers are gearing up for mass production of a new iPad mini in the fourth quarter that will likely feature a high-resolution screen from Samsung, people familiar with the matter say …

Jerry Brown has $10 million banked for reelection campaign  —  Gov. Jerry Brown has more than $10 million in the bank to aid his 2014 reelection bid, and an additional $3 million left over from the effort to pass Proposition 30 last fall.  —  Brown filed his fundraising reports for the first half …

Lawyer: San Diego mayor never got harassment training, city may be liable  —  (CNN) — A lawyer for San Diego Mayor Bob Filner criticized the city for not providing sexual harassment training to the mayor, saying its failure to do so violated the law.  —  In a letter to the city attorney …