Jesse Benton on Mitch McConnell: “I'm sorta holding my nose for 2 years”  —  What does Mitch McConnell campaign manager Jesse Benton really think about working for the Mitch McConnell re-election campaign?  —  EconomicPolicyJournal.com has obtained a recording of a phone conversation between Dennis Fusaro …

To Our Customers  —  We designed our phone, video, and text services (Silent Phone and Silent Text) to be completely end-to-end secure with all cryptography done on the clients and our exposure to your data to be nil.  The reasons are obvious — the less of your information we have, the better it is for you and for us.

Dear Lawrence O'Donnell, Don't Mansplain to Me About Russia  —  Tonight, I went on Lawrence O'Donnell's show, and Lawrence O'Donnell yelled at me.  Or, rather, he O'Reilly'd at me.  That O'Donnell interrupted and harangued and mansplained and was generally an angry grandpa at me is not what I take issue with, however.

Why Seniors Are Turning Against The GOP  —  There's something going on with seniors: It is now strikingly clear that they have turned sharply against the GOP.  This is apparent in seniors' party affiliation and vote intention, in their views on the Republican Party and its leaders …

Roger Ailes on Megyn Kelly Report: ‘All of Our Stars Will be Back’  —  Fox News chairman and CEO Roger Ailes is being interviewed by Neil Cavuto at this hour in California at a 21st Century Fox investors conference.  —  The first question Cavuto asked was about the rumor …

Winfrey, Bradlee, Clinton to Receive Medal of Freedom  —  WASHINGTON—The White House announced that President Barack Obama will award the Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian award, to 16 recipients including television star and businesswoman Oprah Winfrey, legendary Washington …

Shushers: Wrong about movies.  Wrong about the world.  —  [Update: Some a**hole wrote a response to this piece, about “Respecting Cinema in the Digital Age”.]  —  There's been a delightful debate the last few days about how to accommodate the increasing number of people who want the experience …

Why Slate will no longer refer to Washington's NFL team as the Redskins. … - - Tweet - - … Click here to load comments.  — Flight Delays Don't Have to Ruin Your Trip.  Here's How to Game the System.  - Why Do People Love Correcting Other People's Grammar?

EXCLUSIVE: Alec Baldwin Set To Host New MSNBC Primetime Show (UPDATED)  —  Mediaite has learned from a senior source in the cable news industry with knowledge of MSNBC's programming that actor Alec Baldwin is getting his own weekly show in MSNBC's primetime lineup.

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE  —  Pakistan  —  The Department of State warns U.S. citizens to defer all non-essential travel to Pakistan.  This Travel Warning replaces the Travel Warning dated April 9, 2013, to remind U.S. citizens of ongoing security concerns in Pakistan.

Sydney Leathers: The Best, Only, and Last Interview With Her You Should Ever Read  —  Long story short: Sydney Leathers is a 23-year-old who happened to exchange some texts with a guy, except those texts were sexts, and the guy is now running for the mayor of New York City, one Anthony Weiner.

Terrorist blames murderous NY plot at Federal Reserve Building on childhood stammer and unfaithful girlfriend  —  A Bangladeshi man who schemed to detonate a 9,000-pound bomb at the Federal Reserve Building in lower Manhattan last year blamed his murderous plot on a childhood stammer and an unfaithful girlfriend, court documents state.

Quinn Leads Democratic Candidates for Mayor, Poll Finds  —  Christine C. Quinn is leading the crowded field in the Democratic primary race for New York City mayor, lifted by support among Manhattanites and higher-income voters, the latest New York Times/Siena College poll finds.

We Are All Going to Pension Hell  —  One of the most startling moments of the Detroit bankruptcy was when a judge stepped in to stay the bankruptcy at the behest of the city's public sector unions...and then said that she was going to tell the president about this.

Why I changed my mind on weed  —  (CNN) — Over the last year, I have been working on a new documentary called “Weed.”  The title “Weed” may sound cavalier, but the content is not.  —  I traveled around the world to interview medical leaders, experts, growers and patients.

ObamaCare ‘death panel’ faces growing opposition from Dems  —  ObamaCare's cost-cutting board — memorably called a “death panel” by Sarah Palin — is facing growing opposition from Democrats who say it will harm people on Medicare.  —  Former Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean drew attention …

U.S. reports a breakthrough in malaria vaccine  —  (CNN) — U.S. researchers reported a breakthrough Thursday in the search for a vaccine for malaria, the mosquito-borne disease that sickens millions worldwide.  —  More than three dozen volunteers received multiple, intravenous doses …

IRS agent: Tax agency is still targeting Tea Party groups  —  WASHINGTON SECRETS TAXES TEA PARTY IRS  —  In a remarkable admission that is likely to rock the Internal Revenue Service again, testimony released Thursday by House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Dave Camp reveals …

One In 25 Americans Was Arrested In 2011  —  We've heard a lot of talk lately about mass incarceration, the stop-and-frisk policies in New York, reforming the drug laws, and mandatory minimum sentencing.  There's also been discussion about over-criminalization — that we have too many laws …