What we've learned from Hillary Clinton's book tour  —  From endless coverage of “dead broke” to flagging sales of her new book, Hillary Clinton has had a rough couple of weeks.  —  But Clinton has nevertheless accomplished much of what she set out to do with the rollout of “Hard Choices,” her memoir of her time as secretary of state.

Birth Control Order Deepens Divide Among Justices  —  WASHINGTON — In a decision that drew an unusually fierce dissent from the three female justices, the Supreme Court sided Thursday with religiously affiliated nonprofit groups in a clash between religious freedom and women's rights.

How Obama's immigration push could hand the House to Democrats  —  Even if Republicans seize the Senate  —  A return to this?  —  Everyone assumes that Republicans will easily hold the House in November.  The dominant storyline among the chattering classes centers instead on the possibility …

President Obama on Tim Howard: Defense job filled  —  President Barack Obama on Friday gave a shout-out to the Team USA World Cup soccer team in his weekly address.  —  “I want to begin today by saying a special word to the U.S. men's soccer team, who represented America so well the past few weeks,” Obama said.

A Survey Says: Younger Americans Are Less Patriotic.  At Least, in Some Ways.  —  Younger Americans Are Less Patriotic.  At Least, in Some Ways.  —  Mario Tama/Getty Images  —  They are less devoted to symbols of the nation, like the flag.  But they are supportive of ideals like democracy and equality.

Boehner lawsuit likely to miss mark with focus on Obama's domestic actions  —  Last week, Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) announced plans for Congress to sue President Obama over unspecified failures to “faithfully execute the laws of our country.”  Boehner suggested that the president is acting like …

Is America in danger of fracturing into two countries, one secular, one religious?  —  It's Independence Day weekend, which means that it is time for barbecues, illegal fireworks, and gratuitous displays of nationalism.  This year, I'm planning to get matching bald eagle tattoos on my biceps.

Have the Feds Dumped the Phrase ‘Unaccompanied Alien Children’?  —  Word is spreading that federal officials may have banned the phrase “Unaccompanied Alien Children” from the federal lexicon because the term “alien” inappropriately identifies the illegal-immigrant children flooding across the border.

Senate candidate Bill Cassidy discloses that his teenage daughter is pregnant  —  Rep. Bill Cassidy reveals that his 17-year-old daughter is pregnant, in statement issued by his Senate campaign.  (Photo by Julia Kumari Drapkin, Nola.com |  The Times-Picayune)

Syria conflict: UK planned to train and equip 100,000 rebels  —  Investigations correspondent, BBC Newsnight  —  “The plan was called Extract, Equip, Train... a shock and awe attack that would allow the Syrians themselves to defeat Assad”, reports Nick Hopkins

How to not die from fireworks, courtesy of the Clinton administration  —  In 1996, the government blew things up on the National Mall to protect your kids.  And you, really.  Anyone who might be using fireworks or be near someone using fireworks or who might go outside at all ever when someone …