In a final videotaped message, a sad reflection of the sexist stories we so often see on screen  —  Police were examining this video posted on YouTube in which a man who identifies himself as Elliot Rodger says he is planning an attack in Isla Vista because he had been snubbed by women.

Joe The Plumber To UCSB Parents: 'Your Dead Kids Don't Trump' My Guns  —  Samuel Wurzelbacher gave his condolences this week to the families of the victims of the mass shooting near the University of California, Santa Barbara.  But no tragedy is going to stop “Joe The Plumber” from defending the Second Amendment.

HILLARY CLINTON: Book is not for 'followers of Washington's long-running soap opera ... I'm proud of what we accomplished ... America remains the “indispensable nation"' — GOP SENATE CONTRACT '14?  —  EXCLUSIVE: The initial printing of Hillary Rodham Clinton's “Hard Choices,” …

There's another scandal in American health care  —  TWEET SHARE LINKEDIN EMAIL PRINT  —  The investigation is ongoing, but as of now, it looks like overwhelmed VA hospitals shunted some veterans onto secret wait lists and delayed their care (read Vox's explainer here).

White House: U.S. will have 9,800 troops in Afghanistan after 2014  —  Shares -  —  President Obama announced Tuesday that the U.S. plans to remove all troops from Afghanistan by 2016, starting with reducing the troop presence in the country to just 9,800 and an end to the U.S. combat mission at the close of 2014.

Gun Activists Flaunting Assault Rifles Get Booted From Chili's and Sonic  —  As a backlash grows, open-carry groups in Texas beat a retreat.  —  It would be an understatement to say that the tactics of gun rights activists have been backfiring of late.  The showdown has taken place foremost in Texas …

Major Jewish Group Slams MSNBC Host Toure for Suggesting Holocaust Survivors Benefitted from ‘the Power of Whiteness’  —  A major Jewish organization dedicated to combating anti-Semitism and pursuing Nazi war criminals is criticizing MSNBC host Toure for suggesting that Jewish Holocaust survivors benefitted from being white.

Chamber of Commerce goes up for Joni Ernst in Iowa primary  —  The U.S. Chamber of Commerce is giving Iowa Senate candidate Joni Ernst a last-minute boost ahead of the state's June 3 GOP primary, touting her farm-family upbringing and military credentials in a TV ad obtained by POLITICO.

The Brussels mystery: Was shooting anti-Semitism or part of spy games?  —  Considering how professional the shooter looked on footage, and the fact two of those killed were former Israeli civil servants, maybe the attack was actually a battle in the covert war.

How the Gun Nuts Try to Excuse Away the Santa Barbara Slaughter—and Why They're All Wrong  —  The firearms fanboys have been more creative than usual, scrambling to defend their precious weapons in the wake of the massacre in Santa Barbara.  It's only made their excuses lamer.

Ukraine forces battle separatists; 40 dead  —  Donetsk, Ukraine (CNN) — Pro-Russia separatists and government forces battled at Donetsk airport in eastern Ukraine, claiming 40 lives, authorities said Tuesday, in what appears to be the deadliest outbreak of violence in the city.

George W. Bush Treated at Rush University Medical Center  —  President George W. Bush traveled to Chicago over the Memorial Day weekend to have knee replacement surgery at the Rush University Medical Center's Midwest Orthapaedics.  —  The former president had outpatient surgery on Saturday …

Were Christians Right About Gay Marriage All Along?  —  The marriage equality fight is all but won.  Will the future of marriage be boring as hell, or a Bible-thumper's idea of Sodom and Gomorrah?  —  Same-sex marriage is becoming a national inevitability.

Christie's Lawyer Problem  —  Chris Christie rose to national prominence in 2010 in part on his reputation for taking on unpopular battles, entrenched interests, and vocal critics at town-hall meetings across his heavily Democratic state.  —  But the governor's decision last Wednesday …

Rand Paul: I want to return to medicine ‘at some point’  —  (CNN) - Sen. Rand Paul, who practiced as an ophthalmologist for 17 years before entering Congress, is back at home performing free eye surgery for patients Tuesday.  —  The Kentucky Republican said it's “an amazing thing …