Since Watergate, every two-term president has had a second-term scandal. First-term mistakes and hyperpartisanship make probes – like those into Benghazi and the IRS – almost inevitable.
Warm sea-surface temperatures and the long-reaching effect of conditions in the tropical Pacific are among the factors that could mean above-normal activity during the 2013 Atlantic hurricane season.Pete Spotts
In a speech Thursday, President Obama acknowledged some of the complexities involved in the drone war. A new presidential directive released this week says that the Pentagon, rather than the CIA, should ‘have the lead for the use of force.’Anna Mulrine
The Boy Scouts of America voted to lift a ban on gay scouts, but critics say a decision to maintain a ban on gay scout leaders sends a mixed message and leaves the issue unsettled.Daniel B. Wood
Bipartisan group of House lawmakers depart the capital for recess without clinching a deal on immigration reform, missing their self-imposed deadline. But members insist they aren't giving up.David Grant
Colorado Gov. Hickenlooper called off the execution of a death row inmate, firing up the death penalty debate and potentially complicating the prosecution of alleged Aurora shooter James Holmes.Ryan Lenora Brown
Abercrombie & Fitch CEO Mike Jeffries set off a cultural backlash when said that his company is primarily interested in 'good-looking people.' But the company is jealously guarding its brand, even as the market for plus-size teens grows.Mark Guarino
Trayvon Martin texts, photos – all unflattering – were posted online Thursday by George Zimmerman's defense team. They may yet be ruled inadmissible in court. But they are already making the rounds in the court of public opinion, ahead of Zimmerman's murder trial.Stacy Teicher Khadaroo
Evolution could now favor cockroaches with an aversion to glucose, the sugary flavoring that disguises the taste of the poison in roach bait.Eoin O'Carroll
Lego has unveiled a full-scale Star Wars X-wing fighter in New York's Times Square. The fictional Star Wars craft took 32 builders 17,000 hours and 5.3 million Lego bricks to complete.Schuyler Velasco
