John Kerry backpedals on Israel ‘apartheid state’ comment  —  Secretary of State John Kerry, under fire for warning that Israel risks becoming “an apartheid state” in the absence of a peace deal, released a statement Monday evening pushing back hard.  —  “I will not allow my commitment …

Welcome to the Finger-Wagging Olympics  —  It's time to look at ourselves — and our collective moral outrage — in the mirror, says former NBA player Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.  —  Moral outrage is exhausting.  And dangerous.  The whole country has gotten a severe case of carpal tunnel syndrome …

Post-ABC News poll shows Democrats at risk in November as Obama's approval rating falls  —  Democrats face serious obstacles as they look to the November elections, with President Obama's approval rating at a new low and a majority of voters saying they prefer a Congress in Republican hands …

Candidates won't commit to McConnell  —  A slew of Republican candidates running for the upper chamber won't say whether they would back Sen. Mitch McConnell (Ky.) if he bids for another term as GOP leader.  —  While Tea Party candidates often run against GOP leaders in Washington during primary contests …

Why Democrats Should Avoid the ‘R’ Word  —  From time to time, we all read something where suddenly words jump out from the page, grabbing our attention.  This happened to me the other day while reading a memo from Democratic pollster Stan Greenberg and strategist James Carville …

Dems' hopes rise to keep Senate  —  The gossipy, amusing political narrative in the fight for majority control of the Senate is now all about the feuding between Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) and the Koch brothers.  —  Last week Reince Priebus, chairman of the Republican National Committee …

Sorry Democrats, Obamacare is still electoral kryptonite  —  Has the debate about Obamacare finally turned a political corner for Democrats?  Two recent events have caused much excitement on the left that perhaps it finally has.  —  First, Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-Wash.) …

White House Steps Up Effort to Confirm Federal Judges  —  WASHINGTON — With the possibility that Republicans could take the Senate in November, the White House and Senate Democrats are working swiftly to confirm judges to the federal courts in an effort to allow President Obama to leave a lasting liberal imprint on the judiciary.

Saving the System  —  All around, the fabric of peace and order is fraying.  The leaders of Russia and Ukraine escalate their apocalyptic rhetoric.  The Sunni-Shiite split worsens as Syria and Iraq slide into chaos.  China pushes its weight around in the Pacific.

It's not all Russia's fault  —  Eastern Ukraine is a mess.  But Kremlin meddling is hardly the whole story.  —  The crisis in eastern Ukraine is far from over.  —  On Monday, the moderate mayor of Kharkiv, the country's second-largest city, was shot while riding his bicycle.

How North Carolina's Voter ID Law Could Actually Help Democrats This Year  —  The race is on to register voters.  —  The Rev. William Barber, head of the North Carolina NAACP.  —  AP Photo/The News & Observer, Chris Seward  —  WASHINGTON — When North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory signed …