Hobby Lobby: A new tool for crushing workplace unionization?  —  A little-known religious exemption to United States labor law may have just become extremely important, thanks to the Supreme Court's ruling in Hobby Lobby.  —  By declaring that “closely held” corporations may hold religious beliefs …

Boys Drawn to Gaza Beach, and Into Center of Mideast Strife  —  GAZA CITY — The four Bakr boys were young cousins, the children of Gaza fishermen who had ordered them to stay indoors — and especially away from the beach.  But cooped up for nine days during Israeli bombardments …

How Americans Feel About Religious Groups  —  Jews, Catholics & Evangelicals Rated Warmly, Atheists and Muslims More Coldly  —  Jews, Catholics and evangelical Christians are viewed warmly by the American public.  When asked to rate each group on a “feeling thermometer” ranging from 0 to 100 …

Immigration Leads to O'Malley and Obama Spat  —  Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley was one of President Barack Obama's top fundraisers in 2012, raising more than $1 million for his re-election campaign and supporting him regularly on political talk shows.  Now, O'Malley is finding out what it's like to be on Obama's bad side.

Pelosi, in Reversal, Says She Opposes Speeding Child Deportations  —  WASHINGTON — Representative Nancy Pelosi of California, the House Democratic leader, reversed course on Wednesday and said she would not back changes to a 2008 law that gave certain undocumented immigrant children broader legal rights to enter the United States.

Federal judge rules California death penalty is unconstitutional  —  A federal judge in Orange County ruled Wednesday that California's death penalty violates the U.S. Constitution's ban on cruel and unusual punishment.  —  U.S. District Judge Cormac J. Carney, ruled on a petition …

The Coming Democratic Schism  —  There is a striking generational split in the Democratic electorate.  —  This deepening division is apparent in a June Pew Research Center survey of more than 10,000 people, “Beyond Red vs. Blue.”  The Pew survey points up the emergence of a cohort …

FEDS TO OPEN $50 MILLION RESORT FOR ILLEGAL CHILDREN - Complete With Tennis Courts, Sauna & Pools (Updated)  —  Welcome to America!  —  The Obama administration has awarded a $50 million contract to a charitable group to buy a Texas resort hotel and transform it in to a 600 bed facility for juvenile illegal aliens.

The Continuing Agonies of the Super-Rich  —  As we well know by now, being rich in America is tough.  Imagine driving your Porsche out the Goldman Sachs garage, intent on a relaxing weekend at your Hamptons retreat, only to find some wretched Occupy sympathizer giving you a dirty look through …

Decriminalization arrives, and D.C. police prepare for sea change in marijuana laws  —  On Wednesday, a D.C. cop who catches someone carrying a small amount of marijuana is required to launch his suspect on an onerous journey through the criminal justice system — one likely to involve handcuffs, fingerprinting and forensic analysis.

The 7 Ugliest Government Buildings In Washington, D.C.  —  There are many gorgeous buildings in D.C.  —  Unfortunately for us, in the '60s and '70s, the federal government only hired architects with early onset glaucoma.  —  7. Welcome to the U.S. Post Office building!

FEC Filing: Pro-Cochran PAC Funded Black Outreach  —  Former Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour's political machine paid to turn out the black vote for Republican Sen. Thad Cochran's re-election bid, according to campaign finance reports.  His vanquished rival insisted that was improper …

Justice IRS probe also includes Lois Lerner emails  —  The Justice Department is investigating the circumstances surrounding the lost Lois Lerner emails, the department said Wednesday night.  —  Deputy Attorney General James Cole, in testimony slated for the House Oversight Committee Thursday morning …

TALKING OPENLY ABOUT OBAMA AND RACE  —  In September, 2009, just eight months into Barack Obama's first term, when it was still possible for unsentimental observers to perceive the Tea Party's riotous fulminations as a passing blip, Jimmy Carter remarked that opposition to the President's agenda was driven, largely, by one thing: race.