School district apologizes over yearbook quote incident  —  Sponsored Links  —  CLAYTON COUNTY, Ga. —  UPDATE: Paris Gray and her family met with the school's principal and the area superintendent on Tuesday.  They apologized for the miscommunication and said they would not deny her giving a speech at graduation.

Federal Judge Strikes Down Pennsylvania Same-Sex Marriage Ban  —  “We now join the twelve federal district courts across the country [that] ... have concluded that all couples deserve equal dignity in the realm of civil marriage.”  —  Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett delivers an address …

2014 primary election results: Mitch McConnell wins in Kentucky, Perdue vs. Kingston in Georgia runoff  —  Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell easily defeated his tea party-inspired Republican primary challenger in Kentucky on Tuesday, one of the biggest primary days of 2014 …

The Sequel To Rand Paul's Epic Filibuster Is Happening Tomorrow  —  On Wednesday, Sen. Rand Paul, a Republican from Kentucky, will filibuster President Barack Obama's nomination of David Barron to fill a seat on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit.  Paul first threatened to filibuster Barron last week.

CNN President: We Won't Be ‘Shamed’ Into Covering Benghazi  —  CNN Worldwide President Jeff Zucker on Monday said that the network probably won't be covering the House select committee to investigate Benghazi.  —  “We're not going to be shamed into it by others who have political beliefs …

Quiz: How Dumb Does Obama Think We Are?  —  The Veterans Affairs policy fiasco is magnified by an insulting-public relations strategy.  —  News quiz: President Obama and his communications team hope that Americans are: 1) Dumb; 2) Distracted; 3) Numb to government inefficiency; 4) All of above.

Biggest Loser: Thawing Greenland Competes With Collapsing Antarctic For Fastest Ice Loss  —  Several new studies underscore scientists' concerns we're headed toward a coastline at least this flooded (20 meters or 69 feet) over many hundreds of years:  —  The worst-case scenario for sea level rise …

D'Souza pleads guilty to U.S. campaign finance law violation  —  (Reuters) - The conservative author and filmmaker Dinesh D'Souza pleaded guilty on Tuesday to a campaign finance law violation, averting a trial that had been expected to begin the same day in Manhattan federal court.

Comey: FBI ‘Grappling’ With Hiring Policy Concerning Marijuana  —  Monday was a big day for the nation's cyber police.  The Justice Department charged five Chinese military officials with hacking, and brought charges against the creators of powerful hacking software.

Exclusive: Al Qaeda's American Fighters Are Coming Home—And U.S. Intelligence Can't Find Them  —  The number of American extremists who have flocked to Syria is higher than previously understood, American intelligence sources say.  And some of the fighters are coming home.

NPR To End ‘Tell Me More,’ Eliminate 28 Positions  —  NPR announced Wednesday that it would cease broadcast of the weekday program Tell Me More on Aug. 1 and eliminate 28 positions as part of a larger effort to end the company's persistent budget deficits.  —  “These times require …

No prison time for Indiana man convicted of drugging, raping wife  —  Nation Now  —  The nation's news, events, people and culture

The Big Debate  —  It's now clear that the end of the Soviet Union heralded an era of democratic complacency.  Without a rival system to test them, democratic governments have decayed across the globe.  In the U.S., Washington is polarized, stagnant and dysfunctional; a pathetic 26 percent …

‘House of Cards’ looking for NSA director, senators, reporters  —  Casting call makes return feel official, after stormy off-season  —  After a politically stormy off-season, the return of “House of Cards” to Maryland becomes a reality with casting call notices like this one going out.

League of South president wants ‘Secede’ billboard restored on I-85 in Montgomery  —  A billboard ad with the word ‘Secede’ was put up on Interstate 85 in Montgomery on Friday but was removed after complaints.  The League of the South, which paid for the ad, wants it restored.  (Mike Cason/mcason@al.com)

Privacy advocates angry as NSA reforms ‘watered down’  —  Privacy advocates that have pushed for legislation to reform U.S. government surveillance are backing away from a House bill that they say has been “watered-down” as it heads to the floor.  —  Though the original bill intended …