Janet and I want to affirm our support for the Duggar family.  Josh's actions when he was an underage teen are as he described them himself, ‘inexcusable,’ but that doesn't mean ‘unforgivable.’ He and his family dealt with it and were honest and open about it with the victims and the authorities.

Hillary Clinton, Acutely Aware of Pitfalls, Avoids Press on Campaign Trail  —  CEDAR FALLS, Iowa — Hillary Rodham Clinton was in a forgiving mood.  She had been discussing the small-business economy at a round-table gathering at a bike shop here on Tuesday when the Fox News correspondent Ed Henry interrupted.

You want hypotheticals?  Here's one.  —  Ramadi falls.  The Iraqi army flees.  The great 60-nation anti-Islamic State coalition so grandly proclaimed by the Obama administration is nowhere to be seen.  Instead, it's the defense minister of Iran who flies into Baghdad …

On Social Ideology, the Left Catches Up to the Right  —  Story Highlights  —  PRINCETON, N.J. — Thirty-one percent of Americans describe their views on social issues as generally liberal, matching the percentage who identify as social conservatives for the first time in Gallup records dating back to 1999.

Exclusive: States quietly consider ObamaCare exchange mergers  —  A number of states are quietly considering merging their healthcare exchanges under ObamaCare amid big questions about their cost and viability.  —  Many of the 13 state-run ObamaCare exchanges are worried …

Health Insurers Seek Hefty Rate Boosts  —  Proposals set the stage for debate over federal health law's impact  —  Major insurers in some states are proposing hefty rate boosts for plans sold under the federal health law, setting the stage for an intense debate this summer over the law's impact.

BU hire set up sex profile for rival  —  Was ‘jealous’ coed when busted in 2008  —  By:  —  Troubling tweets disparaging white male college students may be just the tip of the iceberg for incoming Boston University professor Saida Grundy, who has a history of Internet misdeeds, the Herald has learned.

Christie, Jeb Defend NSA Against Rand Protest  —  Two likely Republican presidential candidates defended the PATRIOT Act and its terrorist surveillance provisions at a gathering of Republicans Friday morning.  Both New Jersey governor Chris Christie and former Florida governor Jeb Bush …

Trade and Trust  —  One of the Obama administration's underrated virtues is its intellectual honesty.  Yes, Republicans see deception and sinister ulterior motives everywhere, but they're just projecting.  The truth is that, in the policy areas I follow, this White House has been remarkably clear …

State department worker accused of ‘sextortion’ arrested in Atlanta  —  STORY HIGHLIGHTS  —  Magistrate grants bond to State Department staffer accused of using his computer to stalk and humiliate women  —  Federal agents arrested a State Department employee flying out of Atlanta this week …