Iraq disintegrating as insurgents advance; Kurds seize Kirkuk  —  IRBIL, Iraq — Iraq was on the brink of disintegration Thursday as al-Qaeda-inspired fighters swept through northern Iraq toward Baghdad and Kurdish soldiers seized the city of Kirkuk without a fight.

Anarchy in the GOP: The End of Authority in the Republican Party  —  The big message from Eric Cantor's stunning primary loss isn't about immigration or the Tea Party.  It's about the unprecedented crisis of authority in today's GOP.  —  Think about it.  Cantor's boss, John Boehner is …

10 Times NPR's Terry Gross Tries To Get Hillary Clinton To Explain When She First Supported Marriage Equality  —  “I'm pretty sure you didn't answer my question about whether you evolved or it was the American public that changed.”  —  Olivier Douliery/Abaca Press / MCT

All Our Patent Are Belong To You  —  Yesterday, there was a wall of Tesla patents in the lobby of our Palo Alto headquarters.  That is no longer the case.  They have been removed, in the spirit of the open source movement, for the advancement of electric vehicle technology.

Political Polarization in the American Public  —  How Increasing Ideological Uniformity and Partisan Antipathy Affect Politics, Compromise and Everyday Life  —  Republicans and Democrats are more divided along ideological lines - and partisan antipathy is deeper and more extensive - than at any point in the last two decades.

In S.F., Rick Perry compares homosexuality to alcoholism  —  Texas Gov. Rick Perry, speaking in San Francisco on Wednesday night, said the U.S. would better serve its diverse population by letting the states handle many economic and social policies, a point he perhaps inadvertently drove home …

Life, After  —  An accident in February cost the TV reporter Miles O'Brien his left arm.  He soon discovered that every movement, no matter how small, requires rethinking.  —  Denial is powerful.  It can be a crucial coping tool when experiencing loss or trauma, but it also can unmoor you from reality.

Pete Sessions exits leadership race  —  Texas Rep. Pete Sessions has dropped out of the race for House majority leader, leaving Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) as the lone declared candidate.  —  “After thoughtful consideration and discussion with my colleagues, I have made the decision …

The Troubling Case of Chris Hedges  —  Pulitzer winner.  Lefty hero.  Plagiarist.  —  In early 2010, the editors at Harper's Magazine began reviewing a lengthy manuscript submitted by Chris Hedges, a former New York Times reporter.  In the piece, Hedges had turned his eye to Camden …

CNN/ORC Poll: Bush 43 now on par with Obama  —  Washington (CNN) - My, how the times have changed.  —  In January 2009, as President George W. Bush was days away from leaving the White House, the unpopular President's favorable rating stood at 35% in a CNN/ORC International survey.

Travis County prosecutor fired over remarks about juror  —  AUSTIN — A top Travis County felony prosecutor was fired Wednesday after comments he made about a juror during a recent court proceeding for a convicted killer about to go to trial on a related charge.  —  Travis County prosecutor fired over remarks about juror KVUE

Screen, stage legend Ruby Dee dead at 91  —  People we lost in 2014  —  (CNN) — Ruby Dee, the award-winning actress whose seven-decade career included triumphs on stage and screen, has died.  She was 91.  —  Dee died peacefully at her New Rochelle, New York, home on Wednesday, according to her representative, Michael Livingston.