“Oh, yes; it is the glorious Fourth of July. It is a great day. It is a good day. God bless it. God bless you all. He then lapsed into unconsciousness; he awakened later, and mumbled, Thomas Jefferson…” –Last words of John Adams

Feature of the Day: Watch A Mind-Blowing Visualization Of ‘The Rite of Spring’

Morning Headlines

Domestic 

Associated Press

1. Feds Investigate MD. Train Derailment, Explosion
2. Rep. Bachmann Says She Won’t Run for Re-Election
3. US Gun Debate Overlooks Daily Violence 

New York Times

1. Health Care is Spread Thin on Alaskan Frontier
2. Divided Court, in 2 Rulings,  Makes It Easier to Challenge Criminal Convictions
3. Dean in E-Mail Searches Steps Down at Harvard

Politico

1. Michele Bachmann retiring under fire
2. Nancy-Ann DeParle fundraising for Obamacare
3. GOP learns to love individual mandate—for immigrants

Reuters

1. U.S. accuses currency exchange of laundering $6 billion
2. Accused Fort Hood gunman plans to represent self at trial
3. Sister of Boston bomb suspects pleads not guilty in drug case

Wall Street Journal

1. Christie and Obama Bond Again, Raising 2016 Questions
2. Home Sales Power Optimism
3. Obama to Name Furman to Run Economic Council

Washington Post

1. Liberal hawks were vocal on involvement in Iraq but have been quiet on Syria
2. Nearly 40 percent of mothers are now the breadwinners, report says
3. As budget cuts hit S.C., a congressman is surprised at constituents’ reactions

Washington Times

1. House investigator subpoenas all communications on Benghazi ‘talking points’ (5/28)
2. Russia supplying weaponry to Syria’s Assad; EU lifts ban aiding rebels

International

Associated Press

1. Mosque, Orphanage Burned in New Myanmar Violence
2. NKorea Sanctions Squeeze Cash for Aid Groups
3. UN Court Convicts 6 Bosnian Croats of Atrocities

New York Times

1. Anti-West Hard-Liner Gains in Iranian Race
2. Chinese President to Seek New Relationship with U.S. in Talks
3. U.N. Rights Council Drafts Statement on Fighting in Syria 

Reuters

1. U.S. drone kills Pakistan Taliban number two: security officials
2. Russia faults U.S. over ‘odious’ Syria rights resolution
3. Lawyers accuse British forces of illegally detaining Afghans

Wall Street Journal

1. Russia, EU Raise Ante Before Syria Peace Talks
2. Africa’s Malarial Battle: Fake Drug Pipeline Undercuts Progress
3. OECD Sees Weaker Recovery

Washington Post

1. Britain, France urged to show restraint before arming Syrian rebels
2. Pakistani officials: U.S. drone kills 4 militants near Afghan border, first strike since election
3. In Mexico City, planners turn vacant space under freeways into places to work, dine, play

Top Conservative Stories of the Day:

Breitbart

1. Rep. Michelle Bachman Will Not Run For Re-Election
2. SCOTUS Denies Review in Planned Parenthood Funding Case

The Daily Caller  

1. Albanian Socialist leader showing off fundraiser photo with Obama
2. NC sheriff marshals opposition to Gang of 8
3. Krauthammer on Holder involvement in FNC-Rosen probe: ‘I’m not sure how he escapes this’

CNSNews.com

1. Biden Tells Trinidad and Tobago: ’11 Million Undocumented’ in U.S. ‘Required to Constantly Live in Fear’ (5/28)
2. DHS Can’t Locate 266 Illegal Overstays that ‘Pose National Security’ Risks (5/28) 

Hot Air

            1. Video: Michele Bachmann retires

National Review

1. Western Cultural Suicide
2. Rand Paul’s Iowa Coup

Washington Free Beacon

1. Hezbollah on the Move: Iranian-backed terror org leads the fight for Assad
2. Delayed Benefits, Delayed Education: GI benefits for veterans delayed, adding to problems at Veterans Affairs Department

The Weekly Standard

        1. Obama to Attend Two Democratic Fundraisers Today in Chicago

Top Liberal Stories of the Day:

The Daily Beast

1. Michele Bachmann, Daddy, Jesus, America
2. A Bad Relationship: How the Press Came To Love Obama More Than Itself
3. Obama Escapes Scandals in New Jersey, What’s in It for Christie? 

Huffington Post

1. Michele Bachmann Retiring from Congress in 2014
2. Republicans Charge Obama with Court-Packing For Trying To Fill Empty Seats
3. PolitiFact Rates Higher Percentage Of Republican Claims As False, StudyFinds

Talking Points Memo

1. Bachmann Says She Won’t Seek Re-Election
2. You’ve Gotta Read This

ThinkProgress

      1. How More Funding and Transparency Could Have Saved The Lives of Ten Firefighters in West, Texas