O-Care premiums to skyrocket  —  Health industry officials say ObamaCare-related premiums will double in some parts of the country, countering claims recently made by the administration.  —  The expected rate hikes will be announced in the coming months amid an intense election year, when control of the Senate is up for grabs.

Nate Silver's New Science Writer Ignores The Data On Climate Science  —  Nate Silver's highly anticipated data-driven news site FiveThirtyEight launched on Monday, with a controversial figure covering science issues.  Silver has brought on Roger Pielke, Jr., a professor of environmental studies …

National Geographic Plans to Show Crimea as Part of Russia on Maps  —  Top mapmakers split on recognizing Crimea as part of Russia.  —  A map showing Crimea as part of the Russian Federation was briefly showcased Tuesday on Wikipedia's English-language entry for Russia.  (CC-GNU-FDL-1.2)

Moscow signals concern for Russians in Estonia  —  (Reuters) - Russia signaled concern on Wednesday at Estonia's treatment of its large ethnic Russian minority, comparing language policy in the Baltic state with what it said was a call in Ukraine to prevent the use of Russian.

Pay it forward: Plan would allow Michigan students to attend college for ‘free’  —  The latest, greatest idea for making a college education affordable sounds simple enough — students can attend school for free.  —  But there's a catch.  —  In return for free tuition …

Hillary Insiders Say They Won't Work for Her If She Hires This Man  —  “I would do anything for Hillary.  Except work with Mark Penn.”  —  UPPA/ZUMA  —  In recent weeks, I've talked to several Washington politicos close to Bill and Hillary Clinton, and when I've asked …

Another Tale of Two Cities  —  LOS ANGELES — The tremors may have had morning TV anchors diving under the desk, but it takes more than a 4.4 quiver to rattle Eric Garcetti.  —  “I don't lose my head,” said the Democratic mayor of Los Angeles, who was in bed with his wife, Amy Wakeland, when the earthquake struck at dawn Monday.

Malaysia Turns to F.B.I. for Help in Plane Inquiry  —  SEPANG, Malaysia — The Malaysian authorities say some data was deleted from the flight simulator that one of the pilots of the missing Malaysia Airlines jet had built in his home, and they have turned to the Federal Bureau of Investigation …

Paul to Rebuke Obama on Spying, Citing '60s Abuses  —  BERKELEY, Calif. — Senator Rand Paul, Republican of Kentucky, says President Obama should be particularly wary of domestic spying, given the government's history of eavesdropping on civil rights leaders such as the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Big News from Federal Court: Republican States May Soon Demand Proof of Citizenship for Voting in Federal Elections  —  Today a federal court decided Kobach v. United States Election Assistance Commission.The upshot of this opinion, if it stands on appeal, is that states with Republican legislatures …

How Americans get their news  —  Americans are accessing the news throughout the day and across devices  —  For many Americans, keeping up with the news is an activity that occurs throughout the day and across different formats, devices, and technologies.  When asked when they prefer to watch …

‘Morning Joe’ Host Says He Won't Run in 2016, but He Leaves Door Ajar  —  WASHINGTON — Joe Scarborough is running a campaign.  It may be a campaign to change the Republican Party, to sell a book or perhaps to enhance his reputation.  —  But not, he insists, a campaign for president.

Georgia Senate Passes Bill To Allow Guns In Churches  —  The Georgia Senate passed a bill on Tuesday that will let church leaders allow guns in their churches, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.  —  The Senate pared back the House version of the legislation …

NYC inmate Jerome Murdough ‘baked to death’ in Rikers Island cell  —  In this March 12, 2014 photo, Alma Murdough and her daughter Cheryl Warner hold a photo of Murdough's son, at her home in the Queens borough of New York.  Jerome Murdough, a mentally ill, homeless former Marine arrested …

Democratic Senator: Debt Is Going To Make U.S. “Not A First-Tier Nation Anymore”  —  Democratic Missouri Sen. Claire McCaskill was speaking in Kansas City as part of her “McCaskill on Main Street” tour on Wednesday.  —  View Video ›  —  Missouri Democratic Sen. Claire McCaskill railed …

What Pakistan Knew About Bin Laden  —  Shortly after the Sept. 11 attacks, I went to live and report for The New York Times in Afghanistan.  I would spend most of the next 12 years there, following the overthrow of the Taliban, feeling the excitement of the freedom and prosperity that was promised …

It's Time to Draft Ted Cruz for President  —  When Republicans run for the White House as conservatives, we win.  When they run as moderates, we lose.  Yet every four years, the party bosses and political consultants tell us that conservatives are unelectable and that we must support their big-government candidates.

Secretary Kerry: U.S. To Send Scientists To Discuss Homosexuality With Ugandan President  —  “Maybe we can reach a point of reconsideration” on Uganda's Anti-Homosexuality Bill, Kerry said during a forum at the State Department.  —  U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry speaks about Ukraine during …

The Secret Lives of Inner-City Black Males  —  Paul Ryan's explanation for urban poverty isn't much different from Barack Obama's.  Why did it make liberals so angry?  —  On Sunday, I took my son to see two movies at a French film festival that was in town.  The local train was out.

GOP lawmaker Frank Ruff apologizes for calling Obamacare a “tar baby”  —  The Virginia state senator insists he didn't mean anything “racial” with his comment  —  Virginia GOP state Sen. Frank Ruff apologized on Wednesday for using the racially loaded phrase “tar baby” …

The four biggest takeaways from the Illinois primaries  —  Illinois voters went to the polls Tuesday to pick nominees for federal and state races, several of which will be among the most hotly contested in the country this fall.  —  Here's what stood out most about the results: