WASHINGTON — Democrats were thrilled when John Walsh of Montana was appointed to the United States Senate in February.  A decorated veteran of the Iraq war and former adjutant general of his state's National Guard, Mr. Walsh offered the Democratic Party something it frequently lacks: a seasoned military man.

Did President Obama Just Launch an Economic Boycott of Israel?  —  SEN. CRUZ RELEASES STATEMENT REGARDING FAA'S FLIGHT SUSPENSIONS TO ISRAEL  —  WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, today questioned the Obama Administration's decision to ban flights to Israel while, at the same time …

Ukraine rebel commander acknowledges fighters had BUK missile  —  (Reuters) - A powerful Ukrainian rebel leader has confirmed that pro-Russian separatists had an anti-aircraft missile of the type Washington says was used to shoot down Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 and it could have originated in Russia.

Cuomo's Office Hobbled Ethics Inquiries by Moreland Commission  —  With Albany rocked by a seemingly endless barrage of scandals and arrests, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo set up a high-powered commission last summer to root out corruption in state politics.  It was barely two months old when its investigators …

The terrible cost of thwarting Hamas  —  Op-ed: The Israeli national mood is now a mixture of anguish at the toll of IDF dead, anger at aspects of the international response, and confidence in the troops and (atypically) the political leadership

The Secret Government Rulebook For Labeling You a Terrorist  —  The Obama administration has quietly approved a substantial expansion of the terrorist watchlist system, authorizing a secret process that requires neither “concrete facts” nor “irrefutable evidence” to designate an American …

Halbig said it was applying the law as written.  Don't believe it.  —  In the Wall Street Journal this morning, Jonathan Adler and Michael Cannon, the two principal architects of the exchange litigation, have an op-ed about Halbig and King.  They write that “[t]he president's defenders often concede …

GAO Launched an Obamacare Sting Operation—and Almost All Fake Insurance Applications Were Approved  —  The report suggests the health care law's eligibility verification system isn't working.  —  An undercover operation found that the majority of fake Obamacare applications submitted …

Darth Vader is polling higher than all potential 2016 presidential candidates  —  On Tuesday FiveThirtyEight released the results of a poll of Americans' opinions on the “Star Wars” universe.  Not surprisingly, Jar Jar Binks is the most reviled character in the series.

Congressman Vows to Investigate Google Searches of ‘America’ Movie (Exclusive)  —  “If there was an intent to confuse the public about this movie because of its ideological content, then we're going to find out about it,” says Rep. Dana Rohrabacher.  —  Republican Congressman Dana Rohrabacher …

Dem Rep. Mocks C-SPAN Caller's Conspiracies: Watch ‘Less Fox News’ (VIDEO)  —  Rep. Jim Himes (D-CT) on Wednesday put a C-SPAN caller in his place after he asked the congressman to defend President Obama from a laundry list of scandals coveted by conservatives.

The argument for eating dog  —  Editor's note: John D. Sutter is a columnist for CNN Opinion and creator of CNN's Change the List project.  Follow him on Twitter, Facebook or Google+.  E-mail him at ctl@cnn.com.  The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of the author.

GOP asks: What if Mitch McConnell loses?  —  It's a taboo subject among Senate Republicans but one that's on many senators' minds: What if Mitch McConnell loses his reelection bid?  —  There appears to be no clear answer to that question, at least not right now.

In Memoriam: John Blundell (1952-2014)  —  The freedom movement has lost one of its most influential institution builders.  Atlas Network has lost a dear friend, its past President and Board Member.  John Blundell died July 22, 2014.  —  John Blundell spent two decades as the General Director …

Watch: Open Carry Activists Hold Event at Dealey Plaza, Site of Kennedy Assassination  —  A group of open carry gun activists who protested Saturday at Dealey Plaza in Dallas filmed a bizarre, more-than-10-minute video of their demonstration and posted it to YouTube.

SARAH PALIN DRIVES STAKE THROUGH HEART OF ‘TRUE BLOOD’ PRODUCERS  —  Former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin rejected overtures from True Blood's producers for a cameo role on the conservative-bashing vampire show.  Her instincts proved to be correct after Sunday's HBO episode in which Republican women …

Attack of the Chicago climate change maggots  —  Lori Burns is one of many people suffering the impact of climate change.  Lori's basement has flooded three times in the past five years because of frequent severe storms that Chicago's aging infrastructure can't handle.  Lori now keeps her basement floor clear of any items.

U.S. Religious Leaders Embrace Cause of Immigrant Children  —  After protesters shouting “Go Home” turned back busloads of immigrant mothers and children in Murrieta, Calif., a furious Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan, the Roman Catholic archbishop of New York, sat down at his notepad and drafted …