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.

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,” …

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 …

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).

Report: CEO paychecks top $10 million mark  —  Paychecks for top executives are reaching new highs, as the median pay for a CEO exceeded $10 million for the first time in 2013.  —  A new report from The Associated Press found that the head of an average large public company brought home $10.5 million …

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.

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.

A Cable Merger Too Far  —  There are good reasons the Justice Department and the Federal Communications Commission should block Comcast's $45 billion acquisition of Time Warner Cable.  The merger will concentrate too much market power in the hands of one company, creating a telecommunications colossus …

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 …

APNewsBreak: U.S. to keep 9,800 troops in Afghanistan  —  WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama will seek to keep 9,800 U.S. troops in Afghanistan after the war formally ends later this year and then will withdraw most of those forces by 2016, senior administration officials said Tuesday.

New Costs From Health Law Snarl Union Contract Talks  —  Workers and Employers Tussle Over Who Should Pay for New Costs Tied to Affordable Care Act  —  Disputes between unions and employers over paying for new costs associated with the Affordable Care Act are roiling labor talks nationwide.