Countering Putin, Rep. Israel pens column for Russian press  —  Vladimir Putin got his op-ed on Syria in the New York Times.  Now Rep. Steve Israel (D-N.Y.) thinks it's only fair for a Russian daily newspaper to run his response.  —  The DCCC chair on Thursday submitted a rebuttal article to Kommersant …

U.S. weapons reaching Syrian rebels  —  The CIA has begun delivering weapons to rebels in Syria, ending months of delay in lethal aid that had been promised by the Obama administration, according to U.S. officials and Syrian figures.  The shipments began streaming into the country over the past two weeks …

House votes 235-191 to stop ObamaCare's insurance subsidies  —  The House has passed legislation aimed at preventing people from receiving health insurance subsidies under ObamaCare until a better system is put in place to verify who is eligible for those subsidies.

The Rise of the New New Left  —  Bill de Blasio's win in New York's Democratic primary isn't a local story.  It's part of a vast shift that could upend three decades of American political thinking.  By Peter Beinart  —  Maybe Bill de Blasio got lucky.  Maybe he only won because he cut a sweet ad featuring his biracial son.

Shale criminal charges stun drilling industry  —  Pennsylvania Attorney General Kathleen Kane's decision to prosecute a major Marcellus Shale natural-gas driller for a 2010 wastewater spill has sent shock waves through the industry.  —  But environmentalists Wednesday hailed the prosecution …

Exiting the Solar System and Fulfilling a Dream  —  Since the launch of the Voyager spacecraft in 1977, Voyager 1 has traveled over 11.7 billion miles from the launchpad pictured here.  That is equivalent to traveling to the moon and back almost 25,000 times.

McAuliffe says he won't give back Thompson donation  —  Terry McAuliffe's gubernatorial campaign said Thursday that he would not return a 2009 campaign donation from a businessman at the center of a corruption investigation.  —  Jeffrey E. Thompson, a District businessman …

Why do wonks lie about having a Ph.D.?  —  Until yesterday, Elizabeth O'Bagy was a senior analyst at the Institute for the Study of War and an increasingly prominent expert on the Syrian rebel groups.  Then the institute announced the following: … O'Bagy's exact academic status was unclear in the reportage.

Fox's Shepard Smith to Lead Breaking News Division With New Show, Managing Editor Role  —  Mediaite has learned this afternoon that Fox News anchor Shepard Smith will expand his role at the network, overseeing a newly-established breaking news division, taking on the role as its managing editor …

Montana Lt. Gov. “Accidentally” Liked Picture Of Breasts On Facebook — Then Quickly Scrubbed His Account  —  “Breasts.Proof men can multitask2” reads the image's caption that was liked by a top-tier Democratic recruit for U.S. Senate.  “This was spam,” a Montana Democrat says.

Mayor Gray vetoes ‘living wage’ bill aimed at Wal-Mart, setting up decisive council vote  —  District Mayor Vincent C. Gray vetoed legislation Thursday that would force the city's largest retailers to pay a super-minimum wage to their workers, ending two months of uncertainty …

Marijuana sellers unfairly penalized, say odd couple Norquist, Blumenauer  —  Legal marijuana dispensaries unfairly face a higher tax burden than other businesses, two strange political bedfellows said Thursday.  —  Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-Ore.) and anti-tax activist Grover Norquist …

Ted Cruz: “We Need 100 More Like Jesse Helms”  —  Texas Sen. Ted Cruz started off his Wednesday speech on foreign policy at the conservative Heritage Foundation with a confession: His first political contribution was a $10 contribution to the late Sen. Jesse Helms (R-N.C.), when he was 10.