Dan Rather backs Brian Williams  —  Brian Williams is “an honest, decent man, an excellent reporter and anchor—and a brave one,” veteran newsman Dan Rather told POLITICO on Thursday.  —  Rather's note of support comes after the revelation that Williams falsely claimed to have been aboard …

Overturning Obamacare Would Change the Nature of the Supreme Court  —  In the first Affordable Care Act case three years ago, the Supreme Court had to decide whether Congress had the power, under the Commerce Clause or some other source of authority, to require individuals to buy health insurance.

In Facebook Posts, Congressman Aaron Schock's Press Secretary Compared African Americans To Zoo Animals  —  In a series of Facebook posts obtained by ThinkProgress, the senior adviser for policy and communications to Rep. Aaron Schock (R-IL) posted racial comments and endorsed gentrification of his neighborhood.

Say It!  Say It!  —  Peter Beinart addresses an issue that's been rattling around in the back of my mind for a good while: the incessant conservative demands that Obama say the word “Islam” in describing the source of terrorist threats.  It makes no real sense.

Chris Christie Administration Is Target Of New Federal Criminal Probe  —  Federal law enforcement officials have launched a criminal investigation of New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and members of his administration, pursuing allegations the governor and his staff broke the law …

Why Rand Paul's Past Is Going to Catch Up With Him  —  We're now in a particularly creative period for the political press, when the 2016 presidential campaign is definitely getting going, but journalists aren't yet required to spend long stretches of their lives following candidates …

The Best International Relations Schools in the World  —  U.S. scholars rank the top 25 IR programs for undergraduates, master's, and Ph.D.s.  —  The road to Washington is paved with elite educations.  Indeed, for young people hoping to secure jobs in Foggy Bottom, on Pennsylvania Avenue …

Israeli officials fail to quell Democratic revolt  —  Israeli Ambassador Ron Dermer and Knesset Speaker Yuli Edelstein rushed to meetings on Capitol Hill on Wednesday trying to calm a furor created by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's planned speech to Congress next month and quell …

Shooting reported at University of South Carolina's new school of public health  —  COLUMBIA, SC — Shots have been fired at the University of South Carolina's new school of public health, according to a tweet by Carolina Alert.  —  People are asked to seek a safe shelter and obey all officials, the tweet said.

House and Senate Republicans clash on immigration  —  There's a basic disagreement on what is possible and what is not.  —  Getty  —  House and Senate Republicans have spent years training their ire on Sen. Harry Reid and President Barack Obama.  —  But now they're clashing with each other.

Howard Schultz Has a Radical Plan for Starbucks—And America  —  The outspoken Starbucks CEO tells TIME about his plans to transform his business  —  Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz has big plans for the future of his coffee empire.  In a new cover story, the 61-year-old executive gives TIME's Rana Foroohar …

9 secrets from the inside  —  I am a member of Congress.  I'm not going to tell you from where, or from which party.  But I serve, and I am honored to serve.  I serve with good people (and some less good ones), and we try to do our best.  —  It's a frustrating, even disillusioning job.

Mitt handler: David Axelrod is lying  —  Romney's former personal aide hotly disputes account of 2012 concession call in Obama adviser's memoir.  —  Garrett Jackson, Mitt Romney's body man throughout the 2012 campaign, tells POLITICO that he believes David Axelrod “concocted” …