John McCain: Arizona execution ‘torture’  —  A botched execution in Arizona on Wednesday amounted to “torture,” said the state's senior senator John McCain.  —  The longtime Republican lawmaker, who experienced years of torture while being held in captivity by the North Vietnamese during the Vietnam War …

Joining fundraising spree, first lady asks for ‘biggest, fattest’ checks  —  (CNN) — First lady Michelle Obama jumped into the White House fundraising spree on Thursday, prodding supporters in Chicago to hand over the maximum campaign contribution in an attempt to shore up Democrats' chances in upcoming midterm elections.

Watch Obamacare Architect Jonathan Gruber Admit in 2012 That Subsidies Were Limited to State-Run Exchanges  —  Earlier this week, a three-judge panel in the D.C. Circuit Court ruled that, contrary to the Obama administration's implementation and an Internal Revenue Service rule …

Kerry Proposes Weeklong Halt to Fighting in Gaza Strip  —  CAIRO — Secretary of State John Kerry has proposed a two-stage plan to halt the fighting in the Gaza Strip that would first impose a weeklong truce starting Sunday, an official involved in the negotiations said on Friday.

Behind the Scenes in Putin's Court: The Private Habits of a Latter-Day Dictator  —  The President wakes late and eats shortly after noon.  He begins with the simplest of breakfasts.  There is always cottage cheese.  His cooked portion is always substantial; omelette or occasionally porridge.

Issa asks Holder to turn over docs on mortgage fraud settlements  —  The chairman of the House Oversight Committee asked Attorney General Eric Holder Thursday to turn over documents related to the Justice Department's decisions to settle mortgage fraud accusations against two of the nation's biggest banks.

Army War College to investigate plagiarism claims against Walsh  —  GALLATIN COUNTY  —  BOZEMAN, Mont. -  —  In a written statement to NBC Montana Thursday afternoon, the U.S. Army War College said it will convene an Academic Review Board to look into allegations of plagiarism against democratic U.S. Senator John Walsh.

Michigan GOP Mayor Compares Atheists To Nazis, KKK  —  The American Civil Liberties Union of Michigan and two other groups on Wednesday filed a lawsuit against the mayor of Warren, Mich., who banned an atheist group from setting up a station alongside one run by a prayer group in the city hall atrium.

Left Coast Rising  —  The states, Justice Brandeis famously pointed out, are the laboratories of democracy.  And it's still true.  For example, one reason we knew or should have known that Obamacare was workable was the post-2006 success of Romneycare in Massachusetts.

Regulator assailed for quick ‘spin through the revolving door’  —  News that a departing member of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission is headed for a major industry group with business before the agency is prompting criticism from advocates who call the move a record-fast “spin through the revolving door.”

Obsessing About Gaza, Ignoring Syria (And Most Everything Else)  —  The responses to what I write about the Hamas war fall into several categories.  My least favorite sort of response is the kind that invokes Hitler in some way.  Here is an e-mail that is representative: “I hope Hitler kills you and your family.”

Ben Carson Sold More Books Than Hillary Clinton Last Week  —  For many book buyers last week, choosing whether to buy Ben Carson's new book or Hillary Clinton's new memoir was not a hard choice.  —  According to Nielsen Bookscan numbers provided to The Daily Caller, Carson's ""One Nation" …

CNN/ORC Poll: Majority say no to impeachment and lawsuit  —  Washington (CNN) - There's not a lot of public appetite for a Republican push to sue President Barack Obama, or for calls by some conservatives to impeach him, according to a new national survey.  —  A CNN/ORC International poll …

Tacoma casino cancels Nugent shows, citing racism  —  TACOMA, Wash. — Emerald Queen Casino will cancel two Ted Nugent concerts that were scheduled August 2 and 3 over allegations of racist remarks by the singer.  —  Puyallup Tribe officials said the decision came after learning that Nugent has said racist remarks.

Paul Ryan's Plan: Rebooting Compassionate Conservatism  —  The ex-VP candidate has been touring the country has he formulates an anti-poverty plan Republicans can get behind.  Now he's unveiling some of the details.  —  After traveling around the country for the last year to better understand …