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.

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 …

Arthur Gelb, Critic and Editor Who Shaped The Times, Dies at 90  —  Arthur Gelb, who by sheer force of personality dominated the newsroom at The New York Times for decades, lifting its metropolitan and arts coverage to new heights and helping to shape the paper in its modern era, died on Tuesday at his home in Manhattan.

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.

Jeff Zucker talks CNN's post-plane plans  —  Last night, CNN Worldwide President Jeff Zucker gave a hint of where the network will go next now thats its two-plus-month coverage of missing Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 is subsiding.  —  “I don't think there's any question about our commitment …

Wife, attorney say blogger was pawn  —  It's still unclear how a political blogger gained access to the bedridden wife of U.S. Sen. Thad Cochran in her nursing home, but the man's wife and his attorney said he didn't sneak into the facility, and that he appears to be a pawn in a big political game.

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 …

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.

Reid Hints at ‘Nuclear’ Summer Over Debate Time  —  On the morning of his Republican counterpart's primary back home in Kentucky, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., said he would not change the chamber's rules in his absence.  —  But Minority Leader Mitch McConnell might well be advised …

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.

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.

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.

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

As Candidate For Congress, Ted Yoho Suggested Limiting The Right To Vote To Property Owners  —  Recently unearthed footage of Rep. Ted Yoho speaking at Berean Baptist Church in Ocala, Florida, during his candidacy for Congress in the 2012 election cycle shows the Republican politician suggesting …

Palin: 'Hillary's Brain Is Off-Limits' To Dems, But My Son Wasn't  —  Sarah Palin mocked Democrats on Monday for crying foul over the suggestion that Hillary Clinton may have suffered a “traumatic brain injury” while there was no outcry over the conspiracy theories she faced about her biological relationship to her son.

Hillary Clinton to sit down with Diane Sawyer for first interview on her new book  —  (CNN) - Promotion of Hillary Rodham Clinton's book “Hard Choices” will begin in earnest on Monday when ABC's Diane Sawyer interviews her in a one-hour prime time special.  —  The prime time hour was announced …

Convicted former U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr.: Presidential pardons for all ex-offenders  —  Former Illinois Congressman Jesse Jackson Jr., who is serving the end of his federal prison term in a Montgomery federal prison.  —  ctoner@al.com By Casey Toner |  ctoner@al.com

Businesses Turn Out Workers' Votes to Stomp Tea Party  —  Photographer: Joe Jaszewski/The Idaho Statesman/AP Photo  —  Ben Tarbutton has never worked so hard in a primary election to urge his company's employees to vote early or educate them on a candidate's record.

How El Niño Might Alter the Political Climate  —  A rise in sea surface temperatures could presage a season of weather extremes, as it did in 2002 when tuna crabs washed ashore north of their usual habitat.  That may make more people believe in global warming.  —  A SURVEY SAYS |