Donald Sterling's Personal Foul, Ctd … Many readers are asking along these lines: … To respond to each question in turn: yes, of course, if an owner of a business makes baldly racist remarks urging public dissociation from an entire racial group, private sector sanctions - from the NBA or fans or sponsors - are “permissible.”

STAR WARS: EPISODE VII CAST ANNOUNCED  —  The Star Wars team is thrilled to announce the cast of Star Wars: Episode VII.  —  Actors John Boyega, Daisy Ridley, Adam Driver, Oscar Isaac, Andy Serkis, Domhnall Gleeson, and Max von Sydow will join the original stars of the saga, Harrison Ford …

Benghazi Emails Show White House Effort to Protect Obama  —  Previously unreleased internal Obama administration emails show that a coordinated effort was made in the days following the Benghazi terror attacks to portray the incident as “rooted in [an] Internet video, and not [in] a broader failure or policy.”

Congressman: Bundy Militia Has Set Up Road ‘Checkpoints’ In Nevada  —  A Democratic congressman from Nevada said in a letter this week that his constituents have reported the armed militia supporting rancher Cliven Bundy have set up checkpoints to verify the residency of anybody passing through.

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 …

Initial impressions from the oral argument in the Supreme Court cell phone search cases  —  This morning, I attended the Supreme Court arguments in the cell phone search cases, United States v. Wurie and Riley v. California.  Here are some initial impressions of the argument, with more blogging to come:

Democratic Congressman Makes Shocking Racial Comments About Republicans, Clarence Thomas, Mitch McConnell  —  He calls Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas an “Uncle Tom” and Mitch McConnell a “racist.”  —  youtube.com  —  A Mississippi Democratic Congressman says Clarence Thomas is an …

Federal Judge Strikes Down Wisconsin Law Requiring Photo ID at Polls  —  A federal judge on Tuesday struck down Wisconsin's law requiring voters to produce state-approved photo identification cards at polling places, advancing a new legal basis — the Voting Rights Act — for similar challenges playing out around the nation.

John F. Kerry's Israeli gaffe a diplomatic nightmare  —  Photo by:  —  MAKING A MESS: Secretary of State John F. Kerry's latest verbal faux pas, telling international officials that Israel risks becoming ‘an apartheid state’ was blasted by former U.N. Ambassador John Bolton as being ‘outrageous and defamatory.’

Boehner admits immigration comments went too far  —  Washington (CNN) - After mocking his fellow GOP members last week for complaining immigration reform was “too hard,” House Speaker John Boehner reminded House Republicans at a closed-door meeting “you tease the ones you love” but admitted he shouldn't have made fun of them publicly.

Louisiana About To Make It Illegal For Homeless People To Beg For Money  —  A homeless man in Louisiana huddles to stay warm during a cold spell.  —  CREDIT: AP Photo/Gerald Herbert  —  If you are poor, live in Louisiana, and have the audacity ask someone else for help, be prepared to spend up to six months in jail.

Eric Cantor to Vance McAllister: ‘Resign’  —  House Majority Leader Eric Cantor told troubled GOP Rep. Vance McAllister (La.) that he should resign from office immediately.  —  McAllister, who only took office in November but has since become known as the “kissing congressman,” …

Meet The Woman Who Did Everything In Her Power To Hide Her Pregnancy From Google  —  They see you when you're sleeping, they know when you're awake...  CREDIT: Flickr/Robert Scoble  —  Janet Vertesi, assistant professor of sociology at Princeton University, had an idea: would it be possible to hide her pregnancy from big data?

Kerry: U.S. Taped Moscow's Calls to Its Ukraine Spies  —  The secretary of state claimed in a private meeting that the U.S. intelligence community has recordings of pro-Russian forces being managed by government handlers in Moscow.  —  The United States has proof that the Russian government …