Featured Articles from the Washington Post

U.S. Special Operations forces rescued an American hostage and her Danish colleague in Somalia early Wednesday in the kind of daring raid that the Obama administration has said will be the hallmark of future U.S. military missions. Officials said the raid, by members of the Navy SEAL Team 6 unit that killed Osama bin Laden in May, demonstrated President Obama's focus on the narrow, targeted use of force after a decade of large-scale military deployments. The mission is "yet another message to the world that the United States of America will stand strongly against any threats to our people," Obama said in a statement Wednesday morning.

In these early days of the National Women's Soccer League, the third go at a female pro circuit , status is measured in small triumphs and little setbacks. Portland delivered a knockout crowd, but Chicago struggled. National TV has been arranged, but live online viewing has been choppy. The standard of play is fine, but goals have come at a premium. Maryland SoccerPlex is a jewel, but most venues are stuck with artificial turf or football marks. "In some cases, it's been better than expected.

Two realities shape the debate over immigration reform: No bill is likely to pass without the expressed support of Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), but even Rubio's endorsement may not be enough to assure passage. For Rubio, the political stakes of both sides of the equation are huge. Immigration reform is one of President Obama's most important second-term priorities, but for now the president has been relegated to a secondary role in the debate. Because his views are anathema to conservatives, the less he says about the bill, the better may be its chances of passing.

Netflix is adding a new plan to its mix — one that could make streaming video watchers pretty happy. The plan, which the company announced Monday with its earnings report, offers subscribers the option to have up to four streams of content playing at the same time from the same account. Right now, users may stream only two videos at once. The extra streams would likely be welcomed by roommates who share an account for the house or families who have trouble negotiating whose laptop, smartphone or television should get priority on their shared account.

Julian Thomson is juiced. He moves fast and talks faster. That's what kale — along with spinach, carrots and apples — can do for you. This morning, the same as just about every other day, the Washington videotape editor churned those foods in a five-speed Breville Elite Juicer, dumped them into a glass and chugged it all down in no more than three gulps. "I feel great, man. Really great. My head, my skin, my energy. It's all because of the juice," he says in rapid sound bites.

Do you have refinance envy? Come on, you can admit it. You've been at an event or to church or having lunch with co-workers and someone brags about the interest rate she just got when refinancing her mortgage. You stay silent, grieving that you can't take advantage of the low interest rates for mortgages. You grumble when you read news stories like this one from The Associated Press on April 18: "Average U.S. rates on fixed mortgages fell closer this week to their historic lows, making homeownership more affordable and refinancing more attractive.

It isn't shaping up to be a good summer for air travelers who are trying to stick to a budget. And let's be honest: Who isn't watching his bottom line? A few weeks before the traditional start of the busy travel season, United Airlines quietly raised its change fees on most discount fares from $150 to $200, rendering many of its tickets all but unchangeable. American Airlines, Delta Air Lines and US Airways quickly followed. Not to be outdone, Frontier Airlines announced that for tickets booked anywhere except on its Web site, it would raise its luggage charges and impose a fee of up to $100 for certain carry-on bags, the third U.S. carrier to do this.

In the contentious debate over immigration policy, three groups have dominated public and political attention: the roughly 11 million undocumented immigrants seeking to become legal, the skilled foreign workers bound for high-tech jobs and relatives waiting to be reunited with their families. Then there are those who won the green card lottery. This tiny visa program, aimed at diversifying the pool of immigrants to the United States, selects 55,000 applicants at random each year.

Many small-business owners worry that a new tax on insurance providers in the health-care law will mean higher premiums for them, undermining the law's capacity to lower their health-care costs. Starting next year, the federal government will charge a new fee on health insurance firms based on the plans they sell to individuals and companies, known as the fully insured market. Meanwhile, the provision exempts health-insurance plans that are set up and operated by businesses themselves (the self-insured market)

When you're choosing a range for your dream kitchen, bigger -- and more expensive -- isn't always better. If you've watched a renovation show on HGTV or flipped through design magazines, you've seen endless reiterations of the same look: Dark granite countertops, clean lines of cabinetry and the ubiquitous six-burner "professional-style" gas range. The heavy grates, chunky front-mounted knobs and stark stainless-steel range exteriors evoke the no-nonsense, high-volume bustle of a restaurant kitchen.

I don't know about you, but after I buy a car, whether it's used or new, I still have a sinking feeling that I could have negotiated a better deal. Maybe I didn't get the best price despite pulling pages of information from the many authoritative Web sites for car buyers — Consumer Reports, Edmunds.com, Kelley Blue Book, AutoTrader, etc. These are all good, but recently I stumbled upon a site called CarGurus that helped put me more at ease about the deal I got on a used car my husband and I bought.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — A federal judge approved a $40 million class-action settlement Monday between Skechers USA Inc. and consumers who bought toning shoes after ads made unfounded claims that the footwear would help people lose weight and strengthen muscles. U.S. District Judge Thomas B. Russell in Louisville approved the deal, which covers more than 520,000 claims. About 1,000 people eligible for coverage by the settlement opted not to take part. Those with approved claims will be able to get a maximum repayment for their purchase — up to $80 per pair of Shape-Ups; $84 per pair of Resistance Runner shoes; up to $54 per pair of Podded Sole Shoes; and $40 per pair of Tone-Ups.

"He has, acting personally and through his subordinates and agents, endeavored to . . . cause, in violation of the constitutional rights of citizens, income tax audits or other income tax investigations to be initiated or conducted in a discriminatory manner. " — Article II, Section 1, Articles of Impeachment against Richard M. Nixon, adopted by the House Judiciary Committee, July 29, 1974 The burglary occurred in 1972, the climax came in 1974, but 40 years ago this week — May 17, 1973 — the Senate Watergate hearings began exploring the nature of Richard Nixon's administration.

A former spokesman for al-Qaeda and son-in-law of its founder, Osama bin Laden, was captured overseas and secretly brought to New York this month to face a criminal trial for allegedly conspiring to kill Americans, U.S. officials said Thursday. Sulaiman Abu Ghaith was initially detained in Turkey last month but was taken into U.S. custody in Jordan while he was being deported to Kuwait, U.S. officials said. He is expected to appear in federal court Friday in the Southern District of New York.