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,” …

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).

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.

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 …

Obama Says US Finishing the Job in Afghanistan  —  Seeking to turn the page on more than a decade of war, President Barack Obama announced plans Tuesday for greatly reducing U.S. forces in Afghanistan by the end of the year and then ending the U.S. military commitment there by the end of 2016.

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.

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.

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.

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 …

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 …

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.

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 …