Editor's note: Michael Gerson replaces George Will  —  Dear Post-Dispatch readers,  —  Starting today, Washington Post columnist Michael Gerson replaces George Will on Thursdays and Sundays.  —  Mr. Gerson, who grew up in St. Louis and still has family here, is a former speechwriter and top aide to President George W. Bush.

Sources: Lois Lerner's emails likely gone forever  —  Ex-IRS official Lois Lerner's crashed hard drive has been recycled, making it likely the lost emails of the lightening rod in the tea party targeting controversy will never be found, according to multiple sources.

Immigration Reform Can't Wait  —  There is rarely a good time to do hard things, and America won't advance if legislators act like seat-warmers.

How Hillary Clinton Is Trying to Have It Both Ways on the IRS Scandal  —  With an eye on the presidency in 2017, another Clinton is parsing words and pandering.  —  Did Hillary Clinton sell out President Obama on the IRS scandal?  I assumed so when BuzzFeed Politics posted this tweet:

GOP chooses leaders today  —  House Republicans will decide on Thursday whether to respond to the stunning defeat of Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.) by adding a representative from a deep red state to their leadership team.  —  Majority Whip Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) …

As sex-abuse allegations multiply, Billy Graham's grandson is on a mission to persuade Protestant churches to come clean.  —  I. The Calling  —  In November 2012, Bob Jones University, the longtime flagship institution of fundamentalism, announced it had hired GRACE (short for Godly Response …

Megyn Kelly to Dick Cheney: Wrong, sir  —  FOX News' Megyn Kelly had some tough questions for former Vice President Dick Cheney on Wednesday night, after he and his daughter, Liz, offered a scathing review of the Obama administration's foreign policy.  —  “In your op-ed [in the Wall Street Journal] …

Brian Schweitzer says his ‘gaydar’ goes off when he sees Eric Cantor  —  (CNN) - Former Montana Gov. Brian Schweitzer chose an interesting path and offered puzzling critiques since he tossed his name in the hat for a potential presidential run in 2016.  —  But comments he made about Rep. Eric Cantor …

Obama to leaders: Iraq plan won't require congressional vote  —  President Obama is not close to seeking congressional authorization for airstrikes in Iraq.  —  After a White House meeting between Obama and the top four leaders in Congress, all sides involved signaled they want to leave options open …

Chaos in Iraq prompts soul-searching among military veterans  —  The sudden collapse of Iraqi forces in the face of lightly armed insurgents has catalyzed an emotional debate within the U.S. military about a war that, just a few years ago, seemed on the brink of going down in history as a success.

American Apparel ousts CEO; source says Dov Charney ‘will fight like hell’  —  Dov Charney, the controversial CEO of American Apparel, was ousted Wednesday by the company's board of directors, who said the action “grew out of an ongoing investigation into alleged misconduct.”

Seven in 10 Americans Back Euthanasia  —  Support strong for past two decades  —  WASHINGTON, D.C. — Most Americans continue to support euthanasia when asked whether they believe physicians should be able to legally “end [a] patient's life by some painless means.”

Cotton leads Pryor in internal poll  —  [READ POLLING MEMO.]  —  Cotton leads Pryor by 47 percent to 40 percent in the live-caller poll, conducted by OnMessageInc for Cotton's campaign.  —  Campaigns' internal polls should always be viewed with a bit of skepticism, as they're released …

For immediate release  —  Information received since the Federal Open Market Committee met in April indicates that growth in economic activity has rebounded in recent months.  Labor market indicators generally showed further improvement.  The unemployment rate, though lower, remains elevated.

Public Faith in Congress Falls Again, Hits Historic Low  —  Of major U.S. institutions, Americans most confident in the military  —  WASHINGTON, D.C. — Americans' confidence in Congress has sunk to a new low.  Seven percent of Americans say they have “a great deal” or “quite a lot” …

Young-adult group hits Landrieu in new ad: 'We can't afford that!'  —  Generation Opportunity, a nonprofit advocacy group with ties to billionaire donors Charles and David Koch that's geared toward young adults, is attacking Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-La.) on economic issues in its second ad this cycle.

The IRS scandal shows the IRS needs a bigger budget  —  Over a year after a scandal involving IRS investigations into the tax status of conservative political non-profits, Congressional conservatives are still outraged.  On Tuesday June 17, Dave Camp (R-Michigan) — who chairs the House Ways …