Bowe Bergdahl's Vanishing Before Capture Angered His Unit  —  WASHINGTON — Sometime after midnight on June 30, 2009, Pfc. Bowe Bergdahl left behind a note in his tent saying he had become disillusioned with the Army, did not support the American mission in Afghanistan and was leaving to start a new life.

White House Overrode Internal Objections To Taliban Prisoner Release  —  Pentagon, Intelligence officials used Top Secret intelligence to prevent previous release of Taliban Five, officials tell TIME.  —  To pull off the prisoner swap of five Taliban leaders for Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl …

Republicans have a mandate for their Benghazi probe  —  Democrats in recent weeks weighed whether to abstain from involvement in House Republicans' new Benghazi investigative committee, labeling it an unnecessary probe into questions that have already been answered.  —  The American people disagree.

Bodies of 800 babies, long-dead, found in septic tank at former Irish home for unwed mothers  —  In a town in western Ireland, where castle ruins pepper green landscapes, there's a six-foot stone wall that once surrounded a place called the Home.  Between 1925 and 1961, thousands of …

Brevard judge tells attorney, 'I'll beat your ass,' allegedly throws punches  —  BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. —  Court deputies had to break up a physical fight between a Brevard County judge and a public defender after an argument during a hearing on Monday.  —  Judge John Murphy is accused …

Charges detail Waukesha pre-teens' attempt to kill classmate  —  By Ellen Gabler of the Journal Sentinel  —  The 12-year-old girls had been plotting the murder for months, police say.  —  Morgan E. Geyser was allowed to have two friends over each year for her birthday.  This year, she'd celebrate on May 30.

A lifetime ban on lobbying for lawmakers?  —  Sens. Michael Bennet (D-Colo.) and Jon Tester (D-Mont.) on Tuesday introduced legislation to prevent members of Congress from becoming lobbyists after they retire.  —  Current law allows senators to become lobbyists two years after leaving office …

The perils of progressivism run deeper than Obama.  —  “For a president who came to office hoping to restore public faith in government as a force for good in society, the mess at the Department of Veterans Affairs threatens to undercut his reputation for effectiveness,” writes New York Times reporter Peter Baker in a “news analysis.”