Afghan President Hamid Karzai said on Wednesday his government would not join U.S. peace talks with the Taliban until they were led by Afghans and would suspend negotiations with the United States on a troop pact. Read More
Immigration: Boehner dances around as decision time nears

With bipartisan immigration reform nearing a final vote in the Senate , attention is turning to the GOP-led House to see if they'll follow suit with legislation of their own. Boehner is doing his best not to give away his plan until he absolutely has to. Read More
Murkowski the third Republican senator to come out for gay marriage
Alaskan Sen. Lisa Murkowski joined Republican Sens. Rob Portman of Ohio and Mark Kirk of Illinois in endorsing marriage equality. Read More
Voices
Patrick J. Murphy7:15 PM on 06/17/2013
Why Senator Gillibrand is right about military sexual assault
Less than 10% of sexual assaults in the military are reported. It's time to make our military justice system independent from the chain of command in felony cases. … Read More
Faiza Patel3:58 PM on 06/17/2013
Whistleblower for the world?
Relying on the Espionage Act to prosecute Edward Snowden could backfire. The 1996 extradition treaty between the United States and Hong Kong contains an exception for political offenses, which he will almost certainly invoke. … Read More
Editor's Picks
WATCH: Remembering the ‘fearless’ Michael Hastings
Ali Vitali, The Rachel Maddow Show
Does Obama really ‘welcome debate’ on his national security policies?
Adam Serwer
Obesity recognized as disease by American Medical Association
“Recognizing obesity as a disease will help change the way the medical community tackles this complex issue that affects approximately one in three Americans,” AMA board member Dr. Patrice Harris said in a statement. Read More
CBO report: Immigration bill cuts deficit by $197 billion over 10 years
A newly released CBO report bolsters the arguments in favor of the Senate's immigration reform bill. Read More
House debates $20.5 billion cuts to food stamps
Nearly two million people could lose food stamp eligibility, and as many as 210,000 children could lose free school meals. President Obama has threatened a veto of the legislation. Read More
House passes go-nowhere bill to limit abortions after 20 weeks
The House voted Tuesday, 228-196, to pass a bill that would ban abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy. Read More
Same-sex couples face significant housing bias, study finds
A report released Tuesday found that same-sex couples experience less favorable treatment than heterosexual couples in the online rental housing market. Read More
Poll: Opinions on government spying programs are changing
There is now almost an even split on Americans’ approval of the programs as part of the fight against terrorism, 48% approve and 47% disapprove. Read More
‘Days of Rambo are over’ as women to enter combat roles
The Pentagon outlined its schedule for women to enter combat roles in the military, breaking through a decades-old gender barrier on the front lines. Read More
Will releasing the IRS transcripts kill the conspiracy theories?
Rep. Cummings, ranking member on the House Oversight Committee, bucked Committee Chairman Issa and released the full transcript of an interview with an IRS employee. It shows no White House involvement. But the 'scandal' sideshow goes on. Read More
Drug testing for food stamps, and 10 other GOP amendments to the farm bill
A proposed $20.5 billion cut to the food stamp program is estimated to end benefits for about 2 million people, but some of the amendments proposed by Republicans in Congress could make it harder for many more Americans to get access to the assistance they need. Read More
Republican congressman questions Obama’s ‘validity’
Another Republican is jumping on the birther bandwagon by saying Congress should "revisit" the issue of "the president's validity." Read More
Republicans claim science on their side in abortion wars
“What we’re saying is science is on our side on this; public opinion is on our side on this,” said Republican Rep. Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee in an interview Tuesday on MSNBC. Read More
Did Scalia add ‘virus’ to Arizona voting opinion?
A Supreme Court decision Monday that struck down an Arizona law requiring people to provide proof of citizenship when registering to vote was hailed by voting-rights advocates as a big win. But could the ruling in fact have a dark underside for access to the ballot box? Read More
FBI: Snooping programs helped thwart more than 50 terror plots
The post-leak offer of additional information from one of the government’s most secretive organizations seems to signal a White House effort to shore up the public’s confidence and trust. Read More
GOP Congressman takes abortion debate to new low
Republican Congressman Michael Burgess of Texas, a former OB/GYN, said that male fetuses can feel pleasure in the womb when they masturbate and can therefore also feel pain. Read More
Sally Ride’s historic space mission turns 30 years old
Ride, who died last year at age 61, was also the first-known LGBT astronaut. Read More
US and Taliban to begin peace talks
Representatives of the United States and the Taliban are expected to meet over the next few days in Doha, Qatar, to discuss an end to the 12 year old war in Afghanistan directly with that country's government. Read More
Chris Christie: Presidential aspirations can wait ‘till 2015’
Gov. Chris Christie says he 'probably' won't decide on whether to run for president until 2015. Read More
McCaskill jumps on Hillary Clinton 2016 bandwagon
Hillary Clinton is still playing coy about her presidential ambitions, but she nabbed her first congressional endorsement Tuesday morning, with Missouri Sen. Claire McCaskill announcing she is on board with a Clinton White House bid. Read More
Biden warns opponents of gun legislation ‘will pay a political price’
Looking to revive the stalled gun control movement, Vice President Biden hosted an event at the White House on Tuesday with gun safety groups in attendance. Read More







