Lying commies  —  The more people are exposed to socialism, the worse they behave  —  “UNDER capitalism”, ran the old Soviet-era joke, “man exploits man.  Under communism it is just the opposite.”  In fact new research suggests that the Soviet system inspired not just sarcasm but cheating too …

IRS: Lerner's hard drive was wiped clean in 2011  —  The IRS said under oath Friday that former agency official Lois Lerner's hard drive was destroyed and recycled, echoing earlier testimony from its commissioner.  —  In its most extensive comments yet on Lerner's hard drive …

Daily Caller Editor Drops Some Truth On Bill Maher's Audience...Audience APPLAUDS  —  Is there hope for liberal television after all?  Probably not, but for a brief shining moment one conservative rocked the epicenter of the lefty airwaves with such righteous force that HBO viewers …

Netroots Nation is going to Arizona, Daily Kos is not  —  Yeah.... we're not going to his backyard.  —  Netroots Nation announced two days ago that Phoenix, Arizona would host its 2015 conference.  I wish the conference the best, but it will unfortunately take place without Daily Kos' attendance or assistance.

Understanding What Hamas Wants  —  Five observations about the Gaza conflict, including praise for an ex-president's insight into the particular nature of Hamas' evil  —  1. We can thank former President Bill Clinton for perfect clarity in his comments about the chaos and horror of Gaza.

Income Inequality Is Not Rising Globally.  It's Falling.  —  Income inequality has surged as a political and economic issue, but the numbers don't show that inequality is rising from a global perspective.  Yes, the problem has become more acute within most individual nations …

Could southern black voters save the Senate for Democrats?  —  Yes, that could happen.  Nate Cohn has a terrific piece today arguing that, for the first time since Reconstruction, southern black voters could be pivotal to the outcome of a national election.  That would be the battle for the Senate this fall:

Philadelphia mosque leaders try to cut off man's hand -police  —  (Reuters) - Two men described as leaders of a Philadelphia mosque were accused of trying to cut off the hand of a suspected thief, whose wrist was sliced so deeply it required hospital treatment, police said on Friday.

Exclusive Footage of MH17 Aftermath: Russian Roulette (Dispatch 60)  —  a Malaysia Airlines passenger jet carrying 298 people was shot down over eastern Ukraine — allegedly by pro-Russia separatists.  Residents in the area described bodies falling from the sky and landing in their own backyards.

Cover-up: Ukraine rebels destroying all links to MH17 air atrocity  —  UN demands full inquiry but armed Russian separatists block access to crash site amid confusion over black boxes  —  Russian separatist groups in eastern Ukraine are hastily covering up all links to the Buk missile battery suspected …

Islamic State overwhelms Iraqi forces at Tikrit in major defeat  —  IRBIL, IRAQ — Islamic State gunmen overran a former U.S. military base early Friday and killed or captured hundreds of Iraqi government troops who'd been trying to retake Saddam Hussein's hometown of Tikrit …

Some candidates' super PACs are a family affair  —  Is a super PAC independent when it's funded and run by your Mom and Dad?  —  WASHINGTON — An outside political committee has spent thousands of dollars on signs and billboards to boost Florida Democrat Gabriel Rothblatt's long-shot bid for Congress.

For the G.O.P., Fine Line Seen on Migration  —  WASHINGTON — In 1996, when a surge in illegal immigration collided with the overheated politics of a presidential election, Republicans demanded a strict crackdown.  —  They passed a measure in the House that would have allowed states …