Immigration ruling shows clarity need

The Supreme Court on Monday struck down most of Arizona's tough immigration law as an unlawful infringement on federal power, but upheld what backers called the "heart" of the law, which lets police stop and question the immigration status of those they suspect are in the country illegally.

Would-be stars walk tightrope in VP circus

The buzz around Mitt Romney's vice-presidential choice has become deafening — a political soap opera that involves "American Idol"-like auditions on the stump and conflicting reports on who is in the running.

Ethics code chapter and verse for pastors

The Ten Commandments and the Golden Rule apparently weren't clear enough. The National Association of Evangelicals, seeking to give more guidance to church and congregational leaders on how to conduct themselves, has issued what is believed to be the first "code of ethics" for pastors.

Cantlay took next step by turning pro

Patrick Cantlay is back at Congressional Country Club this week for the AT&T National after winning low amateur honors here at last year's U.S. Open.

Companies cry foul over new guidance on social media policies

Companies trying to monitor — and control — what their employees are saying about them on Facebook, Twitter and other social media are finding their policies under attack from the Obama administration.

D.C. Mayor Gray's open government shut behind closed doors

The director of a newly created city agency with control over the District's 30-million-square-foot real estate portfolio met privately last week with politically connected lawyers, lobbyists and developers despite D.C. Mayor Vincent C. Gray's open-government policies and an ethics pledge he imposed on city officials to ensure transparency.

HURT: Obama's court victory sets up bigger defeat later

Perhaps it is fitting that the justices began the week by throwing President Obama a bone. Because later this week the Supreme Court will deliver the final death blow to his "progressive" agenda and at long last set some far-out perimeter for the federal government's galloping encroachment on Americans' dearest rights.

Obama donor got $3.5M FDIC discount in failed-bank settlement

A billionaire Chicago family that donated and raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for President Obama got a $3.5 million discount last year for paying off early a $460 million settlement deal it agreed to in the 2001 failure of a Chicago-area bank it owned.

Obama slams Romney for 'outsourcing' work at Bain

President Obama continued to assail Mitt Romney for his record at Bain Capital during a campaign trip to New Hampshire on Monday — at one point mocking his GOP rival for trying to differentiate between outsourcing and offshoring.

Rivals betting Rep. Conyers vulnerable in Aug. primary

Challengers to U.S. Rep. John Conyers Jr. say the well-known Detroit Democrat is running on historical reputation and not recent record. And with redistricting adding more conservative suburban voters to Michigan's 13th District, they think the incumbent may be vulnerable in the state's Aug. 7 Democratic primary.

Two boys, counselor wounded in Southeast D.C.

Three innocent bystanders — two young boys and a camp counselor — were shot Monday afternoon while headed to a free meal program in a Southeast neighborhood, police said.

Researchers point to risks if New York OKs fracking

With New York reportedly set to allow fracking in portions of the state near the Pennsylvania border, researchers at one of the Empire State's top universities are warning of catastrophic consequences associated with increased gas drilling.

Turkey says Syria attacked all of NATO in downing jet

Turkey said Monday it would push NATO to consider Syria's downing of a Turkish jet as an attack on the whole military alliance.

House GOP seen blocking farm measure

The five-year farm bill, which cleared the Senate last week, could be headed for rough waters in the House with Republicans complaining that the upper chamber's bill favors Midwesterners' crops over Southerners' produce and saying a final compromise will need to have deeper cuts to the food-stamp and crop-insurance programs.

Inside the Beltway: Footing the bill for Obama in N.H.

Behold, some White House intrigue in New Hampshire: Security for President Obama's campaign stop in Durham on Monday was set to cost the heavily Democratic little town a big fat $20,000. But alas. The president's campaign refused to pick up the tab.

Supreme Court nixes Montana curb on campaign spending

The Supreme Court on Monday overturned Montana's century-old campaign-finance restrictions, in a decision that reaffirmed the high court's earlier ruling that corporations and unions are entitled to free-speech rights in political campaigns.

Commentary

BURKE: Supreme Court health care ruling's impact on women

The deadline for the Supreme Court's decision on Obamacare has nearly arrived. As the nation contemplates the impact of this historic case, the court's ruling upholding Pennsylvania's informed-consent and parental-consent requirements in the abortion case Planned Parenthood v. Casey reaches its 20th anniversary.

PIPES: After an Israeli strike on Iran

How will the Iranians respond to an Israeli strike against their nuclear infrastructure? This matters greatly, affecting not just Jerusalem's decision but also how hard other states work to impede such a strike.

RAHN: Constitutional fix to overspending

Tea Party members are going to be very unhappy. Many of the new members of the House and Senate that the Tea Party helped elect are already becoming part of the political class, as evidenced by their votes for continued farm subsidies, refusals to put reasonable limits on the growth of the food- stamp program, support for unaccountable international organizations, and on and on.

DECKER: Obama's German tutorial

President Obama likes to give lectures. At the Group of 20 summit in Mexico last week, he instructed German Chancellor Angela Merkel on why Berlin must underwrite more bailouts for bankrupt European nations.

EDITORIAL: Arizona fights 'intrusion of obnoxious aliens'

The Supreme Court ruled that the state of Arizona checking the citizenship status of people detained or arrested for other offenses is not racial profiling. The court, however, refused to address the core issue: What can states do to protect their borders when the federal government refuses to enforce the law?