Americans Losing Confidence in All Branches of U.S. Gov't  —  Confidence hits six-year low for presidency; record lows for Supreme Court, Congress  —  WASHINGTON, D.C. — Americans' confidence in all three branches of the U.S. government has fallen, reaching record lows for the Supreme Court …

Before Shooting in Iraq, a Warning on Blackwater  —  WASHINGTON — Just weeks before Blackwater guards fatally shot 17 civilians at Baghdad's Nisour Square in 2007, the State Department began investigating the security contractor's operations in Iraq.  But the inquiry was abandoned …

Charlatans, Cranks and Kansas  —  Two years ago Kansas embarked on a remarkable fiscal experiment: It sharply slashed income taxes without any clear idea of what would replace the lost revenue.  Sam Brownback, the governor, proposed the legislation — in percentage terms …

Why We Can't Talk About Gun Control  —  When one writer suggested that guns can be regulated without anyone's rights being infringed, he lost his job.  Dick Metcalf told his story this morning to a skeptical crowd.  —  ASPEN, Colo. — “I pose this question, Mr. Metcalf, as a hunter of birds.

IRS staredown not going away  —  A top GOP investigator and former IRS official Lois Lerner's lawyer squared off on Sunday, underscoring that the battle over the agency's improper scrutiny of Tea Party groups isn't going anywhere this election year.  —  House Oversight Chairman Darrell Issa …

How Hillary Won Over the Skeptical Left  —  The surprising source of Clinton's invincibility  —  Jay Brown is a blunt-talking doctor from Ames, Iowa, the kind of guy who believes the biggest threats to the republic are the Koch brothers, Rupert Murdoch, and the corporatization of politics.

D'Souza's America  —  The Fourth of July weekend is coming up, and this year you can do something other than fireworks and a barbeque to celebrate our nation's freedom.  —  Dinesh D'Souza, the controversial social commentator who shook up Hollywood with the $33 million earned by the theatrical release …

ISIS declares establishment of caliphate, demands allegiance from all Muslims  —  IRBIL, IRAQ — The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria announced Sunday the establishment of the Muslim caliphate and declared that its leader was Abu Bakr al Baghdadi, the current head of ISIS.

The long road to John Boehner's lawsuit against Obama  —  CONGRESS BARACK OBAMA OBAMACARE SENATE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES REPUBLICAN PARTY JOHN BOEHNER NANCY PELOSI PENNAVE STENY HOYER TREY GOWDY PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEES PRESIDENTIAL APPOINTEES CONSTITUTION  —  House Speaker John Boehner …

A kinder, gentler turn to the gender wars?  Column  —  Men and women need to discuss gender issues.  One can't hear what the other doesn't say.  —  Are we coming to a truce in the gender wars?  Or just opening a second front?  Or, perhaps, actually starting to talk to each other?

Bush Campaign Advisor: Sending Troops Into Iraq Was A Huge Mistake The First Time  —  Matthew Dowd, the former chief strategist for the Bush-Cheney '04 presidential campaign, said that it was a mistake America got involved in fighting in Iraq the first time.

OK so.  A lot of people have asked me about my and Jamie and Jeff's recent study published in PNAS, and I wanted to give a brief public explanation.  The reason we did this research is because we care about the emotional impact of Facebook and the people that use our product.

Bob McDonald, former P&G chief, to be Obama's nominee to lead Veterans Affairs  —  President Obama on Monday will nominate Bob McDonald, a West Point graduate who served as the chief executive of Procter & Gamble, to take over as head of the troubled Department of Veterans Affairs, according to White House officials.