Taliban Commander: More Kidnappings to Come After Bergdahl Deal  —  A Taliban commander close to the negotiations over the release of U.S. Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl told TIME Thursday that the deal made to secure Bergdahl's release has made it more appealing for fighters to capture American soldiers and other high-value targets.

Inside look at what New York Times' Dowd was told about edibles in visit to Denver  —  When Pulitzer-winning New York Times columnist Maureen Dowd came to Denver in January 2014 to report on the newly legal recreational marijuana sales that had just begun throughout Colorado …

McDaniel rep, others locked in courthouse  —  An official investigation has been opened into three people who were found locked in the Hinds County Courthouse hours after it was closed by election officials Tuesday after returns had been counted in the Republican primary for U.S. Senate.  —  CONNECT

Really, Dr. Carson?  Obamacare Is Worse Than 9/11?  —  The Republican presidential hopeful thinks that Obamacare has caused Americans more pain than jetliners crashing into the World Trade Center and two costly wars.  —  Dr. Ben Carson, the Republican right's favorite African-American neurosurgeon …

HILLARY SAYS NO LINGERING EFFECTS FROM HER CONCUSSION - PARENTS MOBILIZE TO STOP DATA-MINING OF THEIR CHILDREN — GERRIT LANSING ENGAGED - DAVID ESPO b'day  —  FIRST LOOK — TIME cover: “WAS HE WORTH IT?  The cost of bringing Sgt. Bergdahl home ... The return of sergeant Bowe Bergdahl from captivity is no simple feel-good story.

Hillary to New York Times: Back Off  —  Some of Hillary Clinton's closest aides blasted the New York Times for what they said was unfair coverage of the former first lady during a recent secret meeting with the paper's Washington bureau, the Washington Free Beacon has learned.

Brian Schweitzer Isn't Holding Much Back as 2016 Approaches  —  Would he be a better president than Hillary Clinton?  He thinks so  —  To get rid of the trash, former Montana Governor Brian Schweitzer either has to drive it away in a pickup from his remote lake house or burn it in a rusty oil barrel.

Energy Choices  —  Nate Silver got a lot of grief when he chose Roger Pielke Jr., of all people, to write about environment for the new 538.  Pielke is regarded among climate scientists as a concern troll - someone who pretends to be open-minded, but is actually committed to undermining the case for emissions limits any way he can.

Obama the Velcro President  —  They said that Ronald Reagan was the Teflon President.  Nothing, not even Iran-Contra, could stick to him.  —  Barack Obama is the Velcro President.  Everything is sticking to him.  —  He probably thought he could get some major political mileage …

Big Brother: Meet the Parents  —  This story is part of a POLITICO series examining the unchecked expansion of private-sector data collection and the implications for consumer privacy.  —  You've heard of Big Oil and Big Tobacco.  Now get ready for Big Parent.

First draft of state GOP 2014 platform has revamped planks on immigration, homosexuality  —  Fort Worth — The first blueprint of the Republican Party of Texas' 2014 platform contains a revamped immigration plank that emphasizes a beefed-up plan for border security and a proposes a visa program …

Caveat Lecter  —  Good news for fans of anthropodermic bibliopegy, bibliomaniacs and cannibals alike: tests have revealed that Houghton Library's copy of Arsène Houssaye's Des destinées de l'ame (FC8.H8177.879dc) is without a doubt bound in human skin.

Three in Four in U.S. Still See the Bible as Word of God  —  But 21%, near the 40-year high, consider it fables and history  —  PRINCETON, NJ — Twenty-eight percent of Americans believe the Bible is the actual word of God and that it should be taken literally.