Detroit Files for Bankruptcy  —  By MONICA DAVEY and MARY WILLIAMS WALSH  —  DETROIT — Detroit, the cradle of America's automobile industry and once the nation's fourth-most-populous city, has filed for bankruptcy, an official said Thursday afternoon, the largest American city ever to take such a course.

House Republicans Cave On Marriage Fight  —  “[T]he House now seeks leave to withdraw as a party defendant.”  House Republicans stop defending statutes similar to the Defense of Marriage Act that ban recognition of same-sex couples' marriages.  —  Via: J. Scott Applewhite / AP

Testy Meeting Among Senate GOP on ‘Nuclear Option’ Deal  —  A meeting of Senate Republicans on Wednesday grew tense as Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., told his members he could have gotten a better deal on nominations than the one negotiated by rank-and-file Republicans.

Justice Department places ‘hold’ on Trayvon Martin trial evidence, including George Zimmerman's gun - which Florida law says must be returned to him  —  The U.S. Department of Justice, overseen by Attorney General Eric Holder, has ordered the Sanford, Florida police department to keep possession …

Planned Parenthood To Close Three Texas Clinics  —  Planned Parenthood on Wednesday informed staff at three of its facilities in Texas that they would be closing, according to people familiar with the decision.  —  The three clinics are located in Bryan, Huntsville and Lufkin, Texas.

Senate confirms Thomas Perez as labor secretary  —  Thomas Perez on Capitol Hill in April 2013.  (Molly Riley/AP)  —  The Senate voted Thursday to confirm Thomas E. Perez as labor secretary, making him the latest of President Obama's nominees to earn confirmation after senators reached a deal to avert changing the chamber's rules.

Ted Cruz is a legitimate 2016 threat  —  Ted Cruz is heading to Iowa this week for the state GOP's summer picnic.  He's going to New Hampshire to speak before the Republican State Committee on Aug. 23 He visited South Carolina, another early primary state, in May.

Have You Heard the One About President Joe Biden?  —  That's No Joke.  Consider: He is the most quietly effective politician in D.C. (Don't laugh.)  The “Most Influential Vice President in History.”  (Seriously, stop laughing.)  One of our nation's most senior statesmen.  (Look it up!)

Debating, Yet Again, the Worth of Law School  —  In the debate over whether law schools are worth what they cost students, sober analysis often seems to give way to angry rhetoric.  —  The heated response to the recently released paper titled “The Economic Value of a Law Degree,” …

Back in Black - New York Versus Texas  —  Rick Perry tries luring New York businesses to Texas, but Lewis Black is none too impressed with the Lone Star State.  (06:36)

Liz Cheney for Senate  —  Vicious, cynical and talented Liz Cheney is perfect  —  Liz Cheney, the infamous political operative and daughter of Vice President Dick Cheney, announced last night that she is running for Senate.  After careful consideration, I believe this is welcome news …

Former editor of Rand Paul's Neo-Confederate staffer talks about the Southern Avenger  —  Jack Hunter asked me to delete columns  —  Long before last's week Washington Free Beacon story kicked up a two-day media storm, Jack Hunter knew that the Republican establishment was working …

Obama May Cancel Moscow Trip as Tensions Build Over Leaker  —  WASHINGTON — President Obama may cancel a scheduled trip to Moscow to meet with President Vladimir V. Putin in September as the standoff over the fate of Edward J. Snowden, the former National Security Agency contractor seeking asylum there …

Gunman Near White House “Was Only Going to Fire a Couple of Shots”  —  A man who displayed a loaded weapon at a U.S. Secret Service police booth outside the White House told officers, “I was only going to fire a couple of shots if no one confronted me,” according to court documents.

Valet parked cars searched under TSA regulations  —  Rochester, N.Y. — She says she had no warning that someone was going to search her car after she left to catch her flight.  So the woman contacted News10NBC.  —  We found out it happened to her because she valet parked her car.

Prominent Democrats Are Now Comfortable With Racial and Ethnic Profiling  —  How else can one interpret President Obama and Senator Chuck Schumer saying that the NYPD's Ray Kelly would make a good secretary of Homeland Security?  —  On Wednesday, President Obama assured a Univision reporter that Ray Kelly …

Congressman: Benghazi Survivors Forced to Sign Non-Disclosure Agreements  —  Congressman Frank Wolf, a Republican from Virginia, said today on the House floor that survivors of the Benghazi terror attack have been forced to sign non-disclosure agreements:  —  “On Tuesday I raised the question …

Paul Ryan Returns to Iowa  —  Des Moines, Iowa — Paul Ryan, the 2012 Republican vice-presidential nominee, will headline a prominent Republican dinner in Iowa this fall, a visit that is sure to stoke talk of a potential presidential bid.  —  According to Iowa governor Terry Branstad …

The Obamacare provision that terrifies insurers  —  President Obama is set to speak this morning about how the health-care law is cutting premiums for millions of Americans.  His remarks will focus on a small Affordable Care Act provision known to health wonks as the “medical loss ratio.”