Poking at a familiar hornet’s nest on Tuesday, House Republicans passed legislation to ban abortions nationwide after 20 weeks of pregnancy. The final vote was 228-196; six Democrats and six Republicans crossed …

Google Asks FISA Court To Let Them Say How Often The Government Requests User Data

Google filed a motion with the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court Tuesday asking it to relax the gag orders that prevent the internet company from disclosing information about the number of requests for user data it receives from the U.S. government. The legal filing argues the company has a “right under the First Amendment” to disclose the number of requests for user data Google receives from law enforcement under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act and the total number of users involved in these requests.

Senate Republicans: We Won’t Be The First To Go Nuclear

Top Senate Republicans strongly suggested Tuesday they won’t invoke the “nuclear option” down the road if Democrats refrain from doing so while they’re in the majority.

In the morning Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) threatened to go nuclear on everything when Republicans retake the Senate if Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) eliminates the filibuster for nominations.

In the afternoon, McConnell’s spokesman said the senator doesn’t expect to go nuclear first.

“He doesn’t think anyone should do it,” the Republican leader’s spokesman Don Stewart told TPM. “If Reid keeps his word, I don’t see anybody doing it.”

McConnell To Reid: If You Go Nuclear On Nominations, I’ll Go Nuclear On Everything When I’m Majority Leader

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) on Tuesday starkly warned Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) not to eliminate the filibuster on presidential nominations, threatening to end the 60-vote threshold for everything, including bills, if he becomes the majority leader.

“There not a doubt in my mind that if the majority breaks the rules of the Senate to change the rules of the Senate with regard to nominations, the next majority will do it for everything,” McConnell said on the floor.

House GOP To Vote On 20-Week Abortion Ban After Quietly Adding Exemptions For Rape And Incest

House Republicans have scheduled a vote Tuesday on legislation that would outlaw abortion after 20 weeks of pregnancy, but not before quietly carving out exemptions for cases of rape and incest (which had been defeated in committee) and sidelining the bill’s sponsor.

The legislation is likely to pass the GOP-led House and die in the Democratic-led Senate. It’s largely a messaging device to energize social conservatives whom Republicans rely on in elections. But Democrats are equally eager to cite the vote as another example of a Republican “war on women” and chip away at the party’s standing with female voters.

NYC’s Mayoral Race Draws Top-Flight Political Operatives

Update: June 18, 2013, 1:47 PM

In an off-year for presidential and congressional campaigns, the 2013 New York City mayoral election is one of the hottest destinations for political operatives. Many of the top-tier candidates in this election have drawn staffers with experience on national races.

Biden Brings Executive Action On Guns Back Into Focus

Vice President Joe Biden plans to trumpet the administration’s progress on efforts to reduce gun violence during a speech today in Washington, despite the legislative defeat handed to the White House in April by the gun lobby.

Senate Intel Committee Blocks Former Staffer From Talking To Press About Oversight Process

The Senate Select Committee on Intelligence has taken the unusual step of actively blocking a former committee aide from talking to TPM about congressional oversight of the intelligence community. At issue isn’t classified sources and methods of intelligence gathering but general information about how the committee functions — and how it should function. The committee’s refusal to allow former general counsel Vicki Divoll to disclose unclassified information to a reporter was the first and only time it has sought to block her from making public comments, based on her experience as one of its most senior aides, since she left Capitol Hill in 2003.

The committee’s decision comes amid fallout from leaks of classified National Security Agency documents by ex-NSA contractor Edward Snowden. In light of the Snowden revelations about the country’s secret surveillance programs, TPM was reporting a story based on interviews with members of Congress and current and former aides about the successes and pitfalls of intelligence oversight on Capitol Hill. The goal was to answer some basic questions for readers: How does a classified process differ from public oversight? What challenges do the combination of government secrecy, classified briefings, and strict committee protocols present to legislators trying to control the nation’s sprawling intelligence apparatus?

FACEOFF: Obama And Snowden ‘Debate’ NSA Surveillance Programs

Edward Snowden, the self-proclaimed source of recently leaked top secret National Security Agency documents, took reader questions in an online Q&A with The Guardian on Monday, revealing why he fled to Hong Kong and elaborating on his reasons for information about the government’s classified surveillance programs.

In a separate interview, the man whom Snowden faulted for failing to live up to his campaign promises, including closing Guantanamo Bay, sat down with Charlie Rose to defend what he calls a “transparent” tactic necessary in order to maintain America’s security. That interview with President Barack Obama airs Monday at 11 p.m. on PBS.

TPM excerpted portions of Snowden’s Q&A in contrast with the President’s interview, courtesy of a transcript published by Buzzfeed, below.

Ted Cruz Plans Immigration Amendment To Reverse Supreme Court Ruling On Voter Registration

In an effort to counteract a Supreme Court decision Monday, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) said he intends to file an amendment to immigration reform legislation that allows states to require proof of citizenship to register to vote.

He billed his amendment as a response to the 7-2 decision in Arizona v. Inter Tribal Council, which struck down an Arizona law that required people to prove their citizenship in order to register to vote. The Court held that the state law was in violation of federal law.

“This hole in federal statutory law allows non-citizens to register and thereby encourages voter fraud,” Cruz wrote on his Facebook page. “I will file a commonsense amendment to the immigration bill that permits states to require I.D. before registering voters.”