NSA files: why the Guardian in London destroyed hard drives of leaked files  —  A threat of legal action by the government that could have stopped reporting on the files leaked by Edward Snowden led to a symbolic act at the Guardian's offices in London  —  Guardian editors on Tuesday revealed …

Exclusive: Courier Led U.S. to al Qaeda Internet Conference  —  U.S. officials followed the Internet trail of an al Qaeda courier to learn the details of an electronic conference between more than 20 of the organization's top officials.  —  Prior to the worldwide security alert …

Why the White House is uneasy with picking Janet Yellen as Fed chair  —  Obama advisers have reservations about having the current Fed vice chairwoman succeed Ben Bernanke.  (Federal Reserve/Flickr)  —  Many of the economic advisers whom President Obama consults with favor Larry Summers to be the next chair of the Federal Reserve.

Bill Kristol reverses course: Sarah Palin 'doesn't have a future' in U.S. politics  —  Republican political strategist and Weekly Standard editor Bill Kristol appeared on “Morning Joe” Tuesday morning to walk back statements he made to ABC Online on Sunday regarding the political fortunes of erstwhile Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin (R).

The Clinton dramas: Here we go again  —  Tabloid headlines.  Personal dramas.  Organizational disarray.  Score-settling between rival factions documented in news accounts like a soap opera.  —  Does this have a familiar ring?  —  No one - or mostly no one - truly believes the swirl …

There won't be any GOP alternative to Obamacare  —  We're hearing more and more rumblings from top Republicans that the GOP's current position on Obamacare is untenable — that the party can't continue to call for the destruction of Obamacare forever without offering any alternative.

Immigration Reformers, Wake the F' Up!  —  I get that it's difficult for immigration reformers to see and accept the writing on the wall — that reform is likely dead in this Congress.  It's incredibly important for the country as well as for millions of undocumented immigrants whose lives will be directly affected.

Senator Cruz may have to wait eight months to stop being Canadian  —  (Reuters) - Senator Ted Cruz, who recently discovered that he is likely a Canadian, must win security clearance from Canada's spy agency, fill in a four-page form and then wait up to eight months to sever his ties to America's northern neighbor.

Three teens accused of murder of baseball player Chris Lane identified  — Lane's death a tragedy with no rhyme or reason  — I love you so much: Girlfriend's moving tribute  — Parents of two accused teens say they didn't do it  — Girlfriend 'doesn't care' what happens to ‘evil’ teens

Rural Coloradans to vote on breaking away as 51st state, angered by liberal policies on guns, energy  —  DENVER — You've got North Carolina and North Dakota, so why not Northern Colorado?  —  Voters in several rural Colorado counties will be asked whether they want to form …

The kind of TV show millions of Americans have been praying for  —  'Till Duck Do Us Part": That was the title of the most-talked-about television show in America last week.  Was it a revamped version of Looney Tunes?  An offering from Animal Planet?  No. It was the season opener …

Former Polk GOP co-chairman says party has moved too far to the right  —  The co-chairman of the Polk County Republican Party has resigned and changed his party registration to independent, saying the GOP has become too conservative and is condoning “hateful” rhetoric.

TESLA MODEL S ACHIEVES BEST SAFETY RATING OF ANY CAR EVER TESTED  —  SETS NEW NHTSA VEHICLE SAFETY SCORE RECORD  —  Palo Alto, CA — Independent testing by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has awarded the Tesla Model S a 5-star safety rating, not just overall, but in every subcategory without exception.

Obama's Egypt Policy Makes Perfect Sense  —  No, seriously.  —  The only thing that's really clear about U.S. Middle East policy these days is its stunning lack of clarity.  Neocons and liberal interventionists alike protest the confusion loudly, and a great many others with less ideological baggage silently scratch their heads.

Saying goodbye to my child, the youngster  —  Eventually, the cosmologists assure us, our sun and all suns will consume their fuel, violently explode and then become cold and dark.  Matter itself will evaporate into the void and the universe will become desolate for the rest of time.

There Are No More Good Guys in Egypt  —  One thing that makes this crisis so vexing: Each of the country's major groups have done something totally horrible in the past few weeks.  —  CAIRO — Almost a thousand people dead, dozens of churches burnt, its capital's most affluent districts subjected …

Obama administration asks Supreme Court to allow warrantless cellphone searches  —  If the police arrest you, do they need a warrant to rifle through your cellphone?  Courts have been split on the question.  Last week the Obama administration asked the Supreme Court to resolve the issue …

Alexander gets GOP primary challenger  —  Tennessee state Rep. Joe Carr (R) announced Tuesday that he will challenge Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) in the Republican primary.  —  On local radio, Carr said he was running because Alexander was “the most liberal” member of the state's GOP delegation.

Three More Key Red States Could Still Sign Onto Obamacare  —  Virginia's Republican-controlled statehouse is getting closer to expanding Medicaid under Obamacare, a top GOP legislator said Monday.  —  State Sen. Emmett Hanger, who is heading the panel that was created by the legislature …

Forced Exposure ~pj  —  The owner of Lavabit tells us that he's stopped using email and if we knew what he knew, we'd stop too.  —  There is no way to do Groklaw without email.  Therein lies the conundrum.  —  What to do?  —  What to do?  I've spent the last couple of weeks trying to figure it out.

GOP Congressman: Would Be “Dream Come True” To Submit Obama Impeachment Bill  —  The Michigan Congressman said he's discussed impeaching the president with lawyers.  —  View Video ›  —  Michigan Republican Rep. Kerry Bentivolio said Monday it would be a “dream come true” to submit a bill to impeach President Obama.