My Life as an Undocumented Immigrant  —  One August morning nearly two decades ago, my mother woke me and put me in a cab.  She handed me a jacket.  “Baka malamig doon” were among the few words she said.  ("It might be cold there.")  When I arrived at the Philippines' Ninoy Aquino International Airport …

New GOP Idea That Can Close the Gender Gap: Bring Policy “Down to a Woman's Level”  —  Ashe Schow is out with an intriguing story from a panel that no other reporter scored a ticket for.  It was a Friday panel put on by the Republican Study Committee, the House's conservative caucus …

Six Californias measure heading for 2016 ballot, backers say  —  Purple: Northern California Gold: Silicon Valley Red: Central California Green: West California Orange: Southern California  —  Silicon Valley venture capitalist Tim Draper will submit signatures Tuesday to put …

Police: Michigan woman pulls out shotgun ‘to make a point,’ accidentally shoots herself in the face  —  FREMONT TOWNSHIP, MI — A 51-year-old woman accidentally shot herself in the face after she slammed the butt end of a shotgun on the floor, causing it to discharge, the Tuscola County Sheriff's Department reports.

LEAKED BORDER CRISIS INTEL SHREDS NARRATIVE FROM MEDIA AND OBAMA ADMIN  —  HOUSTON, Texas—An elite, law-enforcement sensitive El Paso Intelligence Center (EPIC) intel report from July 7, 2014 was leaked to Breitbart Texas and reveals that homicide rates in Central America suggest violence …

Diane Ravitch: Campbell Brown Shouldn't Worry Her Pretty Little Head About Education Policy  —  An edifying turn in the education-reform debate.  —  Paul Farhi profiles Campbell Brown, the former CNN anchor turned education-reform activist, who is working to end strict teacher tenure protections.

THINGS IN POLITICO THAT MAKE ME WANT TO MAINLINE ANTIFREEZE, PART THE INFINITY … Close it down.  —  Its puerilty has finally crossed over into indecency.  Its triviality has finally crossed over into obscenity.  The comical political starfcking that is its primary raison d'erp …

Progressives turn from Obama to embrace Warren  —  SHEPHERDSTOWN, W.Va. — Populist Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) got a rock-star reception during a standing-room-only campaign rally here Monday, as hundreds of liberal activists cheered her broadsides against corporate interests and voiced hopes …

Former Utah Attorneys General John Swallow, Mark Shurtleff arrested  —  Former Utah Attorneys General John Swallow and Mark Shurtleff have been arrested.  —  The two were arrested Tuesday morning and are in custody, according to a law enforcement official.

How long can the GOP last as the cranky oldster party?  —  TWEET SHARE +1 LINKEDIN EMAIL PRINT  —  You can tell it's the dog days of summer because some of Washington's finest minds are spending their time debating the inherently unknowable question of whether today's teenagers will grow up to be Republicans.

The 2014 Long-Term Budget Outlook  —  Between 2009 and 2012, the federal government recorded the largest budget deficits relative to the size of the economy since 1946, causing its debt to soar.  The total amount of federal debt held by the public is now equivalent to about 74 percent …

Why We'll Always Need a Civil Rights Movement  —  The civil rights movement is not some dusty antique—it's alive and well today, and we need it as much as ever.  —  When we hear the phrase “civil rights movement,” our minds automatically click into history mode and visualize those grainy …

Poll: Boehner lawsuit a ‘political stunt’  —  A majority of Americans view House Speaker John Boehner's (R-Ohio) lawsuit over President Obama's delayed implementation of ObamaCare's employer mandate as a “political stunt,” according to a new poll released Monday.

‘Shocked’ Rep Scolds VA Over ‘Deception’ in Latest Revelations  —  Chairman of the U.S. House Veterans Affairs Committee Rep. Jeff Miller is pictured on July 10, 2014 in Washington, D.C. Alex Wong/Getty Images  —  A flabbergasted congressman scolded officials from the Veterans Benefits Administration …

Getting the Government Out of Your Wedding  —  Some years ago, I officiated at a wedding.  It was a Quaker wedding, and since there are no Quaker ministers, the happy couple needed a kind of master of ceremonies to keep the program moving along.  They handled most everything themselves …

Pistols  —  Popular among handgun-owners, pistols are defined by their built-in barrel and short stock.  They are the most commonly recovered firearm type reported by the ATF.  With more than 119,000 pistols found at crime scenes in 2012, this handgun model holds an unfortunately solid first place in criminal weaponry.

Akin says that like Joe McCarthy, he was victim of political assassination  —  • By Chuck Raasch craasch@post-dispatch.com > 202-298-6880  —  WASHINGTON  • In one of his first interviews since his defeat in 2012, former Rep. Todd Akin told the Post-Dispatch on Monday …

Poll: Dems Retain Slight Lead in Battleground States  —  Democrats hold single-digit leads in Colorado and Michigan, as well as in Colorado's gubernatorial race, according to new NBC News/Marist polls.

Kerry: I Get ‘A Little Uptight When I Hear Politicians Say How Exceptional We Are’  —  As John Kerry travels from country to country on various diplomatic missions as secretary of state (almost half a million miles so far), he often addresses the staff and their families at the U.S. embassies in the countries he visits.

Chris Christie Just Released An Overly Dramatic Fake Movie Trailer  —  Coming to a town hall near you.  —  The Christie administration released a fake movie trailer Tuesday ahead of a summer tour of the state to address the “impending fiscal crisis the growing entitlements of pension, health benefits, and debt service.”