CONDOLEEZZA RICE BACKS OUT OF RUTGERS COMMENCEMENT  —  You are here  —  Home » United States government » Condoleezza Rice backs out of Rutgers commencement  —  NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J. (AP) — Former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has backed out of delivering the commencement address …

It's Not Just About Obama  —  THERE has been a festival of commentary of late bemoaning the pusillanimous foreign policy of President Obama.  If only we had a president who rode horses shirtless, wrestled a tiger or took a bite out of a neighboring country, we'd all feel much safer.

Obama at WHCD: ‘My stellar 2013’  —  President Barack Obama took aim at Republicans, the media — and himself — at Saturday's White House Correspondents' Association Dinner - opening and closing his comedy routine with the botched rollout of Healthcare.gov.

Obamacare's doom  —  If the president wants to witness a refutation of his assertion that the survival of the Affordable Care Act is assured, come Thursday he should stroll the 13 blocks from his office to the nation's second-most important court, the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals.

Bloomberg snags Halperin and Heilemann  —  “Game Change” co-authors Mark Halperin and John Heilemann have joined Bloomberg News where they will spearhead a new, stand-alone politics site, sources at the organization told POLITICO on Sunday.  —  Halperin, Time magazine's senior political analyst …

42 and 45 Overpower 44  —  WASHINGTON — THE First Family is all over the news, discussing the management of the economy, income inequality, raising the minimum wage, the vicissitudes of press coverage and the benefits of healthy eating.  —  Everywhere you look, the Clintons rule.

Abdul-Jabbar talks racism  —  Former NBA superstar Kareem Abdul-Jabbar said Sunday “more whites believe in ghosts than they do in racism.”  —  Racism is a systemic problem, he said on ABC's “This Week.”  Abdul-Jabbar penned an op-ed last week for Time Magazine discussing race and the racist history …

SC Sen. Graham avoids big re-election challenge  —  Rep. Mick Mulvaney was thought to be a credible challenger in the June 10 primary, until Graham inspired House leaders to give Mulvaney a seat on the House Financial Services Committee.  Mulvaney opted against challenging the two-term senator.

Gov. Perry talks botched Oklahoma execution; potential 2016 run  —  Washington (CNN) - Texas Gov. Rick Perry said Sunday that while last week's execution in Oklahoma was clearly botched, there's no need for sweeping changes in capital punishment laws across the country.

Outside Cash Floods North Carolina Judicial Race  —  The state is ground zero in the partisan war, and challenges to its conservative agenda will come before the state Supreme Court.  But ‘nasty’ ads are sinking the Democratic incumbent.  —  A marquee Senate race pitting Democrat Kay Hagan …

GOP candidate was once a female impersonator  —  Steve Wiles, a Republican state Senate candidate who supports North Carolina's constitutional amendment against same-sex marriage, once worked as a female impersonator at a gay nightclub in Winston-Salem and was gay at the time …