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.

Libertarians' scary, new guru: Why Dave Brat is no populist hero  —  Some on the left may see a kindred spirit — but here's why the man who beat Eric Cantor is anything but  —  Both the left and the right have found reasons to celebrate the upset of Majority Leader Eric Cantor in Tuesday's Virginia primary.

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 …

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.

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.

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

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.

When Will Republican Leaders Fight Back?  —  Eric Cantor tried to appease Republican radicals.  They turned on him anyway.  —  John Boehner has tried to resist them.  They just overwhelmed him.  —  Mitt Romney tried to join them—and in doing so fastened onto his party the platform that lost the presidential election of 2012.

Iran has deployed Revolutionary Guard forces to fight al Qaeda-inspired militants in Iraq, Iranian security sources said  —  Iran has deployed Revolutionary Guard forces to fight al Qaeda-inspired militants that have overrun a string of Iraqi cities and has helped Iraqi troops win back control …

House GOP whip race heats up  —  California Rep. Kevin McCarthy has all but locked up the race for House majority leader while the focus shifts to who will succeed him as majority whip.  —  Three lawmakers are now vying for the No. 3 slot in House Republican leadership: Reps. Marlin Stutzman of Indiana …

CEO Pay Continues to Rise as Typical Workers Are Paid Less  —  The 1980s, 1990s, and 2000s were prosperous times for top U.S. executives, especially relative to other wage earners and even relative to other very high wage earners (those earning more than 99.9 percent of all wage earners).

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

Impoverished Mother Dies In Jail Cell Over Unpaid Fines For Her Kids Missing School  —  A housing unit at the Berks County Jail where Eileen DeNino died.  —  CREDIT: Berks County, PA  —  A mother of seven died in a Pennsylvania jail over the weekend while serving a two-day sentence.