Gay Marriage Arguments Divide Supreme Court Justices  —  WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court justices on Tuesday clashed during arguments on whether there is a constitutional right to same-sex marriage.  The session is the last public step before a decision that will resolve one of the great open questions in modern constitutional law.

Nonviolence as Compliance  —  Rioting broke out on Monday in Baltimore—an angry response to the death of Freddie Gray, a death my native city seems powerless to explain.  Gray did not die mysteriously in some back alley but in the custody of the city's publicly appointed guardians of order.

Iran fires at, boards Marshall Islands cargo ship; U.S. sending defense … Iranian troops boarded a cargo vessel early Tuesday morning after firing shots at the ship, prompting the U.S. to send assets to the ship's defense.  —  The Pentagon said at least five Iranian patrol vessels approached …

VIDEO: Mom beats child for throwing rocks at Baltimore Police  —  This Baltimore mom saw her son throwing rocks at police on television.  —  That didn't sit well with her.  —  The video shows the mother repeatedly striking her boy, chasing him as he tries to walk away.

White House awakes to ‘national crisis’  —  Baltimore riots show the limits of President Obama's hands-off approach.  —  For President Barack Obama and Congress, one thing was clear amid the smoke in Baltimore: A task force didn't solve the problem.  —  There weren't a lot of firm recommendations …

RI executes 8 drug convicts  —  Defying intense pressure from the international community, the government executed eight death row prisoners early on Wednesday on Nusakambangan prison island near Cilacap in Central Java.  —  “We've carried out the executions,” said an Attorney General's Office …

Rand Paul: Baltimore Violence Is About ‘Lack Of Fathers’ And Morals (AUDIO)  —  Presidential candidate Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) weighed in on the turmoil in Baltimore on Tuesday, standing with police and blaming the violence on a lack of morals in America.  —  “I came through the train on Baltimore …

Jeb Bush Has The Cash, But Not The GOP Support  —  Jeb Bush is expected to declare a fundraising total in the “high tens of millions of dollars,” The New York Times reported on Monday.  Any talk of record fundraising totals ought to account for inflation — as well as the fact that it's easier …

NFL Will End Its Tax-Exempt Status, Goodell Tells Owners  —  The National Football League's central office will become a taxable entity, ending its tax-exempt status in a move with minimal financial effect and significant symbolic value.  —  Commissioner Roger Goodell informed team owners …

‘Clinton Cash’ author blasts critics  —  The author of a controversial book has sought to cast doubt on Hillary Clinton's impartiality at the State Department, on Tuesday pushed back against criticism that Clinton Cash doesn't include a “smoking gun” that directly proves the book's allegations.

What the Public Knows — In Pictures, Words, Maps and Graphs  —  Pew Research Center News IQ Quiz  —  The latest Pew Research Center News IQ survey finds that, nearly half a century after the death of Martin Luther King Jr., an overwhelming majority of Americans (91%) are able to identify the civil rights leader from his picture.

Fargo lawmaker sent explicit photo, claims disclosure was payback for vote on gay rights bill  —  FARGO—A North Dakota lawmaker who sent an explicit photo of himself to another man says the exchange being made public is retaliation for a recent vote against expanding gay rights.