The Myth of ‘Faulty Intelligence’  —  The Iraq War, both how it began and how it proceeded, is now an active topic in the 2016 presidential campaign, which I think is a highly salutary development.  But it does mean that we need to be on guard for the kind of distortions, misleading statements …

Sentence Reached for Dzhokar Tsarnaev in Boston Marathon Bombing  —  BOSTON — The jury has reached a decision on a life-or-death sentence for Dzhokhar Tsarnaev in the bombing at the 2013 Boston Marathon, the worst terrorist attack on American soil since Sept. 11, 2001.

Hillary Wants the Power to Ban Books and Movies that Criticize Her  —  Hillary Clinton says that as president, she would have a litmus test for Supreme Court nominees: they must promise to vote to overturn the Citizens United case.  —  It is easy to understand why Hillary isn't fond of Citizens United.

GOP chairman: No ObamaCare extension if court cripples law  —  House Budget Committee Chairman Tom Price (R-Ga.) said Thursday that he does not support an idea backed by Senate Republican leadership to temporarily extend ObamaCare subsidies if the Supreme Court cripples the law.

Islamic State seizes key parts of capital of Iraq's largest province  —  Iraqi government forces are fighting back against an Islamic State advance that began overnight.  Witnesses say the militant group raised its black flag over a government compound in the city center on Friday.  (Reuters)

Judith Miller And James O'Keefe Discuss Ethics In Journalism (VIDEO)  —  Ex-New York Times reporter Judith Miller and rightwing guerilla filmmaker James O'Keefe filmed an hour-long discussion trying to answer the question that has persisted through their careers: “Why do they hate us?”

A ‘Jewish Litmus Test’ Was Unacceptable  —  A Ph.D. candidate at the University of California, Berkeley, David McCleary, wrote to me this week with a complaint about being subjected to what he called “a Jewish litmus test” during a Times interview.  —  The interview (conducted by a Times stringer …

Rick Perry to announce presidential run June 4 in Dallas  —  Former Texas Gov. Rick Perry pitches a New Hampshire crowd opn his experience on April 17.  (AP Photo/Jim Cole)  —  Former Gov. Rick Perry has chosen Dallas to officially declare his second run for the Republican presidential nomination in three weeks.

Bill Simmons will not appear again on ESPN platforms, including Grantland  —  ESPN president John Skipper addresses Bill Simmons' departure … There will be no farewell columns, podcasts or television appearances for Bill Simmons on ESPN.  —  SI has learned that ESPN and Simmons have worked …

Why Some Male Members of Congress Won't Be Alone with Female Staffers  —  Numerous women who work on the Hill say they've been excluded from solo meetings and evening events, a practice that could be illegal.  —  It's no secret that Congress is dominated by men, but as women work to make inroads …

House defies Obama veto threat, approves $612B defense bill  —  Defying a veto threat from President Obama, the House on Friday passed a $612 billion defense bill in a 269-151 vote.  —  All but eight Republicans voted in favor, along with 41 Democrats who went against Obama's veto threat …

Orlando Pub Owner Allegedly Holds Black Couple At Gunpoint: ‘Call Jesse Jackson’  —  A pub owner in Orlando, Fla. was arrested after allegedly holding a black couple at gunpoint and telling them to call Jesse Jackson, the Orlando Sentinel newspaper reported Wednesday.

Kid who got in to every Ivy League school is going to the University of Alabama — and it's a brilliant decision  —  High-school senior Ronald Nelson had an incredibly hard decision to make this year about college — mainly because he got into all eight Ivy League universities.

A Liberal Speech Cop Targets Alan Greenspan  —  The former Fed chairman drops out of a monetary conference after he's assailed by Paul Krugman.  —  To the list of questions the left has sought to place off limits to open debate—global warming, same-sex marriage, campaign finance, abortion—add a startling new topic: monetary reform.

How Your Hometown Affects Your Chances of Marriage  —  Growing up in some places — especially liberal ones — makes people less likely to marry, new data shows.  —  Places that make being married at age 26...  Less likely  —  More likely  —  The place where you grow up doesn't affect …

B. B. King, Defining Bluesman for Generations, Dies at 89  —  B. B. King, whose world-weary voice and wailing guitar lifted him from the cotton fields of Mississippi to a global stage and the apex of American blues, died Thursday in Las Vegas, The Associated Press reported.  He was 89.