EXCLUSIVE: Edward Snowden Tells Brian Williams the U.S. Stranded Him in Russia  —  In the sit-down, Snowden also fought back against critics who dismissed him as a low-level hacker — saying he was “trained as a spy” and offered technical expertise to high levels of government.

Maya Angelou, Lyrical Witness of the Jim Crow South, Dies at 86  —  Maya Angelou, the memoirist and poet whose landmark book of 1969, “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings” — which describes in lyrical, unsparing prose her childhood in the Jim Crow South — was among the first autobiographies …

Full transcript of President Obama's commencement address at West Point  —  President Obama delivered the following remarks at the United States Military Academy at West Point, N.Y., commencement ceremony on May 28, 2014.  Transcript courtesy of Federal News Service.  —  PRESIDENT OBAMA: Thank you.

Say again, Senator, ACA unkynected?  —  Sen. Mitch McConnell has some explaining to do.  —  What in the world did he mean last week when he told reporters that repeal of the Affordable Care Act — “root and branch,” as he has demanded many times — is “unconnected” to the future of Kynect, Kentucky's health insurance exchange?

Richard Burr: No apology to veterans' groups  —  Sen. Richard Burr said on Wednesday that he isn't backing down from his recent attack on veterans' groups and even stepped up his assault, charging the organizations are more upset by his comments than they are by the scandal at the Department of Veterans' Affairs.

Is it Ted Cruz's Texas now?  —  Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) wasn't up for reelection this year, but his presence was felt up and down the GOP primary ballot in the Lone Star State.  —  The only candidate Cruz endorsed won her primary fight on Tuesday, while incumbent candidates he ignored went down to defeat.

President Obama continues his retreat from Afghanistan  —  YOU CAN'T fault President Obama for inconsistency.  After winning election in 2008, he reduced the U.S. military presence in Iraq to zero.  After helping to topple Libyan dictator Moammar Gaddafi in 2011, he made sure no U.S. forces would remain.

The Real Origins of the Religious Right  —  They'll tell you it was abortion.  Sorry, the historical record's clear: It was segregation.  —  One of the most durable myths in recent history is that the religious right, the coalition of conservative evangelicals and fundamentalists …

Climate Change Doomed the Ancients  —  THIS month, a report issued by a prominent military advisory board concluded that climate change posed a serious threat to America's national security.  —  The authors, 16 retired high-ranking officers, warned that droughts, rising seas and extreme weather events …

Conservative Lead on Social and Economic Ideology Shrinking  —  On social issues, 34% identify as conservative and 30% as liberal  —  PRINCETON, NJ — More Americans continue to identify themselves as conservatives than as liberals on economic and social matters.

Americans overwhelmingly side with Hillary Clinton over Karl Rove in brain flap  —  Republican strategist Karl Rove may need a different strategy to slow Hillary Clinton's 2016 candidacy.  —  Two-thirds of Americans in a new Washington Post-ABC News poll disapprove of the Republican strategist …

Pro-gay marriage professor under fire from gay marriage speech police  —  It's clear by now that if you publicly oppose gay marriage or give money to those who oppose it, the gay speech police will try to ruin you (and may succeed).  But it turns out that even supporting gay marriage …

Bosworth attacks misogyny, media in chaotic news conference  —  Standing in front of a profane backdrop created by her own campaign, an emotional Annette Bosworth condemned criticism of her, blasted the media, addressed her alleged scandals and even issued a book recommendation in a free-wheeling news conference Tuesday.

Exclusive: Texas VA Run Like a ‘Crime Syndicate,’ Whistleblower Says  —  For years, employees at a Texas VA complained that their bosses were cooking the books.  For years, the VA insisted there was no widespread wrongdoing.  —  Editor's Note: This story has been updated with new information.

The Blaze Mocks Sexual Assault With A Series Of ‘RAPE!’  Skits (VIDEO)  —  With the recent emphasis on the prevalence of sexual assaults on college campuses by the White House and Congress, conservatives have pounced on the definition of sexual assault and the statistics cited when discussing the issue.