Michael Bloomberg defends Hillary Clinton on Benghazi  —  Former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg says people who are criticizing Hillary Clinton over her handling of the Benghazi attacks are engaging in “cheap politics,” and that both she and Jeb Bush would be “quality” presidential choices.

Donald Sterling tells Anderson Cooper: I was ‘baited’ into ‘a terrible mistake’  —  Clips from the exclusive interview with Donald Sterling will be released on CNN.com and “New Day” in the early morning.  Watch Anderson Cooper's full interview with Sterling at 8 p.m. ET Monday on “AC360” on CNN.

In midterm elections, Democrats can have some hope of retaining control of Senate  —  Senate races are not House races.  —  This seems obvious.  But amid increasing chatter about just how bad the national environment will be for Democrats in midterm elections this fall, it's an important point to remember.

GOP goes quiet on ObamaCare  —  House Republicans have no scheduled votes or hearings on ObamaCare, signaling a shift in the party's strategy as the White House rides a wave of good news on the law.  —  Not a single House committee has announced plans to attack the healthcare law in the coming weeks …

Show Us the Drone Memos  —  WASHINGTON — I BELIEVE that killing an American citizen without a trial is an extraordinary concept and deserves serious debate.  I can't imagine appointing someone to the federal bench, one level below the Supreme Court, without fully understanding …

Crazy Climate Economics  —  Everywhere you look these days, you see Marxism on the rise.  Well, O.K., maybe you don't — but conservatives do.  If you so much as mention income inequality, you'll be denounced as the second coming of Joseph Stalin; Rick Santorum has declared that any use of the word “class” is “Marxism talk.”

Chicopee woman faces wiretapping charges after allegedly recording her own arrest  —  SPRINGFIELD— A Chicopee woman apparently got a little too loud and belligerent while drinking on Chestnut Street Sunday morning, and refused to cooperate with police when they asked her to quiet down.

Hagel ‘Open’ to Reviewing Military's Ban on Transgender People  —  WASHINGTON — Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said in an interview broadcast on Sunday that the military should “continually” review its prohibition on transgender people in the armed forces, calling into question whether …

Rubio on a Presidential Bid, and Climate Change  —  WASHINGTON — Senator Marco Rubio on Sunday said he was ready to be president, becoming the second potential Republican candidate recently to drop big hints about 2016 as he vies for early attention in a crowded field of maybes.

The Closing of the Collegiate Mind  —  Opponents of free speech have chalked up many campus victories lately as ideological conformity marches on.  —  There was a time when people looking for intellectual debate turned away from politics to the university.

A modern pope gets old school on the Devil  —  VATICAN CITY — A darling of liberal Catholics and an advocate of inclusion and forgiveness, Pope Francis is hardly known for fire and brimstone.  —  Yet, in his words and deeds, the new pope is locked in an epic battle with the oldest enemy of God and creation: