Google asks FISA court to lift gag order

Google on Tuesday sharply challenged the federal government's gag order on its Internet surveillance program, citing what it described as a First Amendment right to divulge how many requests it receives from the government for data about its customers in the name of national security.

Senators to Obama: Arming Syrian rebels not enough

A bipartisan trio of key senators is demanding that President Barack Obama take more decisive action to stem the military advance by Syrian President Bashar Assad's forces.

Rural lawmakers push for farm bill votes in House

Farm-state lawmakers are scrambling to win bipartisan votes for a five year, half-trillion dollar farm bill on the House floor this week.

Education Dept. offers more time to reach goals

States can ask for another year before being required to use student test results to decide whether to keep or fire teachers, Education Secretary Arne Duncan told school chiefs on Tuesday.

What it takes to become an Army Ranger

As the military looks to bring women into combat jobs closer to the front lines, including commando units, senior leaders are reviewing the physical and mental requirements that troops must meet in order to qualify for certain positions.

IRS worker: No political bias against tea party

A Democratic congressman has released the full transcript of congressional investigators' interview with an Internal Revenue Service manager and self-described conservative Republican who said the close scrutiny of tea party groups' tax forms originated in his Cincinnati IRS office, not in Washington.

US military deaths in Afghanistan at 2,103

As of Tuesday, June 18, 2013, at least 2,103 members of the U.S. military had died in Afghanistan as a result of the U.S.-led invasion of Afghanistan in late 2001, according to an Associated Press count.

Study finds housing bias against same-sex couples

Same-sex couples are treated less favorably than heterosexual couples when seeking information about rental housing advertised over the Internet, according to a first-of-its-kind national study from the Department of Housing and Urban Development.

McCaskill endorses Ready for Hillary group

Sen. Claire McCaskill endorsed an outside political group encouraging Hillary Rodham Clinton to run for president in 2016, saying it was important for Democrats to build a groundswell of support for the former secretary of state.

Report: Too many teachers, too little quality

The nation's teacher-training programs do not adequately prepare would-be educators for the classroom, even as they produce almost triple the number of graduates needed, according to a survey of more than 1,000 programs released Tuesday.