Video: Woman in Labor ‘Not Allowed’ to Cross Street to Hospital Over Obama's Impending Motorcade  —  Witnesses say a pregnant woman in labor was prevented by authorities from crossing a Los Angeles street to a hospital Wednesday because the road had been closed for President Barack Obama's impending motorcade.

John Walsh, Democrat, Confronts Questions of Plagiarism  —  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 …

Ted Cruz hits back at State Department  —  Sen. Ted Cruz is slamming the State Department after a spokeswoman called his claim that the Federal Aviation Administration made a politically motivated decision to halt U.S. airlines' flights to Israel “ridiculous and offensive.”

ARIZONA INMATE DIES 2 HOURS AFTER EXECUTION BEGAN  —  FLORENCE, Ariz. (AP) — A condemned Arizona inmate gasped and snorted for more than an hour and a half during his execution Wednesday before he died in an episode sure to add to the scrutiny surrounding the death penalty in the U.S.

The Solution to Border Disorder  —  The best antidote to illegal immigration is a functioning system of legal immigration.

Journalist working for CNN abducted in Ukraine  —  Donetsk, Ukraine (CNN) — A Ukrainian journalist working as a freelancer for CNN remains in detention two days after he was abducted by pro-Russian separatists.  —  Armed men from the self-declared Donetsk People's Republic seized Anton Skiba outside …

Why the DC Circuit's interpretation of the ACA in Halbig v. Burwell is far from “absurd”  —  In its recent controversial decision in Halbig v. Burwell, the US Court of appeals for the DC Circuit ruled that people purchasing health insurance under the Affordable Care Act are only eligible …

GOP Has Midterm Engagement Advantage  —  But ‘Enthusiasm Gap’ Narrower than in 2010  —  The Republican Party holds a clear advantage in voter engagement in this fall's midterm elections, according to a new national survey by the Pew Research Center.  Yet GOP voters are not as enthused …

Why Am I Moving Left?  —  I used to be right down the middle.  But America's changed, and so have I.  —  In my late 50s, at a time of life when most people are supposed to be drifting into a cautious conservatism, I am surprised to find myself moving steadily leftward.  —  This is unexpected.

Josh Topolsky of The Verge Is Joining Bloomberg  —  Josh Topolsky, the co-founder of the technology website The Verge, will join Bloomberg as the editor of a series of new online ventures it is introducing as part of a revamped journalism strategy.  —  Mr. Topolsky will start Aug. 4 …

CNN Poll: Twice As Many Americans Were Hurt By Obamacare Than Helped  —  1.6K  —  SHARES  —  Not an unusual data point at all, based on the polling trend — but a timely reality check for the delusional “people love Obamacare!” propagandists.  CNN's latest national survey includes a number …

Missing Air Algerie plane from Burkina Faso has crashed: Algerian official  —  (Reuters) - An Air Algerie flight crashed on Thursday en route from Ouagadougou in Burkina Faso to Algiers with 110 passengers on board, an Algerian aviation official said.  —  There were few clear indications …

IRS Lawlessness: 20 Hard Drives, Six Unanswered Questions  —  Scandal: An internationally accredited information-technology asset-management firm says the IRS has some explaining to do as our patience is taxed with tales of even more convenient computer crashes.

David Gregory: Dead Head Talking?  —  NBC News' chief White House correspondent, Chuck Todd, and Morning Joe's Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski are jockeying to replace the moderator of Meet the Press.  —  Whenever he got around to reading the unpleasant item in the Page Six column on Wednesday …

Near Miss: The Solar Superstorm of July 2012  —  If an asteroid big enough to knock modern civilization back to the 18th century appeared out of deep space and buzzed the Earth-Moon system, the near-miss would be instant worldwide headline news.  —  Two years ago, Earth experienced a close shave …