The Supreme Court Just Made It Harder For Women To Exercise Their Right To Choose  —  The Supreme Court unanimously struck down Massachusetts' abortion buffer zone law on Thursday, ruling in favor of anti-choice protesters who argued that being required to stay 35 feet away from clinic entrances …

Obama Calls Boehner Lawsuit Threat a ‘Stunt’ … Despite Republican House Speaker John Boehner's threat this week to sue President Obama over his use of executive orders, the president refused to apologize for his actions during an exclusive interview with ABC News and took the Republican Party …

Beyond Red vs. Blue: The Political Typology  —  Even in an increasingly Red vs. Blue nation, the public's political attitudes and values come in many shades and hues.  —  Partisan polarization - the vast and growing gap between Republicans and Democrats - is a defining feature of politics today.

The Maddening Illogic of the IRS ‘Coverup’ Conspiracy Theory  —  We know that there aren't many scientists in the Republican congressional delegation, because if there were, they couldn't use the “I'm not a scientist” excuse to duck questions about climate change.

Matt Lauer Asks GM CEO If She Can Do Her Job And Be A Good Mom (VIDEO)  —  Today Show host Matt Lauer on Thursday asked General Motors CEO Mary Barra if she felt she could run a company and be a good mother during an interview about the company's controversial recalls.

Rise of a right-wing quack: Faux-historian David Barton's shocking new influence  —  Back when Glenn Beck was one of the most admired men in America and Fox News' No. 1 celebrity, he introduced to the nation at large a “historian,” well known among the Christian right, by the name of David Barton …

Nancy Pelosi to travel to border, meet detained minors  —  House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi will travel to the southern border of the U.S. on Saturday to be briefed by Customs and Border Protection on the flood of unaccompanied minors entering the country.

Fox Panelist: World Cup Is A Way For Obama To ‘Distract People’ (VIDEO)  —  It was only a matter of time before a Fox News panelist suggested the FIFA World Cup presented a convenient distraction from the problems facing President Barack Obama.  —  “I'm suspect,” Dr. Keith Ablow said Thursday on …

Lawyer clarifies Walker not target  —  A Wisconsin special prosecutor clarified Thursday that GOP Gov. Scott Walker was not the target of his investigation into what he described in earlier court papers as a “criminal scheme.”  —  Francis Schmitz, who is being accused of prosecutorial misconduct …

Obama: World Cup Impacting Some Foreign Policy Moves  —  On his way to Minnesota today, President Obama took a break from his day job to watch one of the most anticipated World Cup matches so far — the U.S. vs. Germany — and he told ABC's George Stephanopoulos that the international sporting event …

Israel names suspects in kidnapping of three teens  —  Hamas operatives Amer Abu Aysha and Marwan Kawasme have been absent from their homes in Hebron since youths went missing  —  Israeli authorities on Thursday named two West Bank Palestinians as prime suspects in the kidnapping …

GOP candidate sounds warning on same-sex marriage  —  • Jourdan Vian jourdan.vian@lee.net  —  A candidate in the Republican primary for the Third U.S. Congressional district said Tuesday that a recent federal ruling striking down Wisconsin's same-sex marriage ban could lead to incestuous marriages.

How the Clintons went from ‘dead broke’ to rich: Bill earned $104.9 million for speeches  —  Over seven frenetic days, Bill Clinton addressed corporate executives in Switzerland and Denmark, an investors' group in Sweden and a cluster of business and political leaders in Austria.

Howard H. Baker Jr., ‘Great Conciliator’ of Senate, Dies at 88  —  Howard H. Baker Jr., a soft-spoken Tennessee lawyer who served three terms in the Senate and became known as “the great conciliator” in his eight years as the chamber's Republican leader, died on Thursday at his home in Tennessee.

Sessions opposes update to Voting Rights Act  —  WASHINGTON - Congress does not need to update the Voting Rights Act by restoring special federal oversight of elections in a handful of states, Sen. Jeff Sessions said today.  —  The Alabama Republican, who voted for the 2006 renewal of the Voting Rights Act …