Dems' new 2014 plan: Neutralize Obamacare  —  Democrats know their biggest problem in this year's midterm election is Obamacare.  So top party operatives have settled on a strategy to try blunting the GOP's advantage: Tell voters Republicans would make the problem worse …

Reality show snake-handling preacher dies — of snakebite  —  (CNN) — A Kentucky pastor who starred in a reality show about snake-handling in church has died — of a snakebite.  —  Jamie Coots died Saturday evening after refusing to be treated, Middleborough police said.

Republican leaders must keep Tea Party on the run  —  Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnel (R-Ky.) are now in position to end the Tea Party's death grip on the Republican Party's political future.  —  Last week, Boehner and McConnell faced down the Tea Party's threat …

In first, Minnesota poll finds Obama unpopular  —  Half of the residents of Minnesota now disapprove of President Obama's performance, according to a new poll.  —  Results of The Star Tribune survey represent the first time that his approval rating has turned negative in the state since the president took office in 2009.

In U.S., Border Security, Immigrant Status Equally Important  —  Americans gave border security higher priority in past  —  PRINCETON, NJ — Americans now assign about equal importance to the two major aspects of immigration reform being debated in Washington.

Restricted Access  —  An extensive collection of papers related to Bill and Hillary Clinton's years in the Arkansas governor's mansion remains under tight control at a public library in Little Rock, with access restricted by the Clinton Foundation.  —  President Bill Clinton donated his papers …

The UAW's Waterloo  —  The United Auto Workers Union suffered a devastating defeat on Friday, when its attempt to organize the workers at the Volkswagen plant in Chattanooga failed on a vote of 712-626 (53-47 percent).  The company had agreed not to resist the organizing effort and gave the union access to the plant and its workers.

Barons of Broadband  —  Last week's big business news was the announcement that Comcast, a gigantic provider of cable TV and high-speed Internet service, has reached a deal to acquire Time Warner, which is merely huge.  If regulators approve the deal, Comcast will be an overwhelmingly dominant player …

Abba admit outrageous outfits were worn to avoid tax  —  New book reveals band's style was influenced by Swedish laws that allowed cost of outfits to be deducted against tax  —  The glittering hotpants, sequined jumpsuits and platform heels that Abba wore at the peak of their fame were designed …

‘Why Have You Gone to Russia Three Times in Two Months?’  - Heathrow Customs Agent Interrogates Snowden Lawyer  —  A lawyer who represents National Security Agency whistleblower Edward Snowden and has spoken on his behalf numerous times was detained while going through customs at Heathrow airport in London.

You Wouldn't Believe What I Saw in the Dachau Gift Shop  —  This is a piece about a photograph I took in the gift shop at the Dachau concentration camp a couple of weeks ago.  —  Before I go any further, a confession: This photograph would get me fired by the Associated Press, which has strict rules about manipulating imagery.

Slaughter in the Cities, Ineffectual Mumbling in the White House  —  This is what a policy looks like when it dies and goes to hell.  The FT reports that violence is ramping up in Syria, with Assad agents using devastating “barrel bombs” against rebel areas.  More:

Same-sex marriage moving swiftly back toward Supreme Court  —  Lower-court rulings have struck down state bans, meaning the issue could face a definitive test before justices as early as next year.  —  Demonstrators support same-sex marriage outside a federal courthouse in Virginia.

Rove: Dems fear Christie  —  Democrats are raising a fuss about the closure of the George Washington Bridge because they are afraid of Gov. Chris Christie's (R) chances in 2016, according to former President George W. Bush adviser Karl Rove.  —  “The reason the Democrats are doing …

Look Who Nick Kristof's Saving Now  —  For the last few months, I've had a draft post sitting in my dashboard listing all the words and phrases I'd like to see banished from the English language.  At the top—jockeying for the #1 slot with “yummy,” “closure” and “it's all good”—is “public intellectual.”