President Obama Misses a Chance on Foreign Affairs  —  President Obama and his aides heralded his commencement speech at the United States Military Academy at West Point on Wednesday as a big moment, when he would lay out his foreign policy vision for the remainder of his term and refute his critics.

Students at Utah school upset to discover yearbook photos were altered before publication  —  WASATCH COUNTY, Utah — Female students at a Utah high school want to know why their yearbook photos were altered to show less skin without them knowing about it.  —  The students who were surprised …

The Transgender Tipping Point  —  Nearly a year after the Supreme Court legalized same-sex marriage, another social movement is poised to challenge deeply held cultural beliefs  —  In the beaux-arts lobby of the Nourse Theater in San Francisco, men in deep V-necks and necklaces walk by women …

U.S. economy shrinks, but it's not a big deal  —  Brace yourself.  The U.S. economy looks like it went on a roller-coaster ride at the start of the year.  —  Revised numbers released Thursday show the economy shrank in the first quarter, marking the first downturn since early 2011.

Despite Enrollment Success, Healthcare Law Still Unpopular  —  Affordable Care Act is most popular among blacks, least among whites  —  WASHINGTON, D.C. — Although the Obama administration is boasting higher-than-expected enrollment for the Affordable Care Act, Americans' attitudes toward …

Paul Ryan on being mistaken for Anthony Weiner: 'I don't know how this keeps happening'  —  MOUNT PLEASANT, MI — During his address to a group of Republicans gathered for an event at Bucks Run Golf Club Wednesday, May 28, in Isabella County, U.S. Rep. Paul Ryan's main message was that of praise …

John Boehner: “I'm Not Qualified To Debate Science Over Climate Change”  —  John Boehner says he's not a scientist.  —  View Video ›  —  House Speaker John Boehner said Thursday that he's “not qualified to debate the science over climate change” while slamming the Obama Administration proposed plans …

Edward J. Snowden email inquiry to the NSA Office of General Counsel  —  May 29, 2014  —  NSA has now explained that they have found one email inquiry by Edward Snowden to the Office of General Counsel asking for an explanation of some material that was in a training course he had just completed.

When Bushies blew a CIA cover, it was ‘treason’; now, it's a mistake  —  BELTWAY CONFIDENTIAL CIA NATIONAL SECURITY GEORGE W. BUSH SPYING  —  Valerie Plame doesn't deny that blowing the cover of the CIA station chief in Afghanistan is a serious matter.  It's just that, discussing the issue …

Thomas Piketty Responds to Criticism of His Data  —  Six days after The Financial Times launched an attack on the data behind Thomas Piketty's much-debated tome on inequality, “Capital in the Twenty-First Century,” Mr. Piketty has offered his first detailed response to the newspaper's criticism.

The Economy: Don't Look Now, But . . .  News has just crossed the wire this morning that the economy contracted at an annual rate of 1 percent during the first quarter of this year.  Many people will probably point to the brutal winter weather as a factor, though the Dept. of Commerce fingers …

A Liberal Moderate's Critique of Snowden and Greenwald  —  In a review of Glenn Greenwald's No Place to Hide: Edward Snowden, the NSA, and the U.S. Surveillance State, George Packer, whose best work is superb, makes a number of dubious claims.  They are typical of liberal moderates who acknowledge …

In New Orleans, major school district closes traditional public schools for good  —  NEW ORLEANS — The second-graders paraded to the Dumpster in the rear parking lot, where they chucked boxes of old worksheets, notebooks and other detritus into the trash, emptying their school for good.

LCR National & LCR Texas Join To Denounce Exclusionary Policy of TX GOP  —  Washington, D.C. & Fort Worth, TX — Today Log Cabin Republicans announced that in the wake of denial of formal participation by gay Republicans at this year's Texas State Republican Convention, they would be joining …

Sen. Hatch: Same-sex marriage inevitable, religious rights eroding  —  SALT LAKE CITY — Sen. Orrin Hatch said Wednesday that same-sex marriage seems inevitable as courts across the country rule against states that ban the practice.  —  At the same time, the seven-term Republican senator …

6-year-old fatally shoots grandfather  —  HOMESTEAD, Fla. (WSVN) — Authorities are investigating after a 6-year-old boy shot his grandfather during a family barbecue, Sunday.  —  Police arrested Juan Manuel Martinez, Jr. after his 6-year-old nephew discharged Martinez' unattended rifle …

‘Oh My Jesus!’:  Gun Violence Interview Gets Up-Close Example  —  An NPR report about guns in Chicago included an all-too-real example of violence, after a burst of gunfire erupted down the street from where NPR's David Schaper was conducting an interview Wednesday.

VA secretary: I'm committed to restoring integrity  —  IG findings are reprehensible, and we are not waiting to set things straight.  —  The findings of the interim report of VA's Office of Inspector General on the Phoenix VA Health Care System are reprehensible to me and to this department …

Ignoring the path to recovery  —  It is said that the problem with the younger generation — any younger generation — is that it has not read the minutes of the last meeting.  Barack Obama, forever young, has convenient memory loss: It serves his ideology.

9/11 Museum Takes Action on Criticisms  —  After Complaints, Gift-Shop Items to Get Closer Scrutiny From Victims' Relatives  —  NEW YORK—The National September 11 Memorial Museum has won accolades for its exhibitions depicting the terrorist attacks and their aftermath …

Michelle Obama on Attempts to Roll Back Healthy Reforms  —  WHEN we began our Let's Move! initiative four years ago, we set one simple but ambitious goal: to end the epidemic of childhood obesity in a generation so that kids born today will grow up healthy.  —  To achieve this goal, we have adhered to one clear standard: what works.

Getting to work on diversity at Google  —  We've always been reluctant to publish numbers about the diversity of our workforce at Google.  We now realize we were wrong, and that it's time to be candid about the issues.  Put simply, Google is not where we want to be when it comes to diversity …