Mitt Romney backlash intensifies  —  Conservatives argue he has too much baggage and the GOP needs a fresh face.  —  “Recycled.”  Not the “new blood” the GOP needs.  A man who “had his shot.”  —  A Republican backlash against Mitt Romney that had been simmering for days boiled …

Terrorism doesn't justify insulting Islam  —  Muslim activist: Cartoons no justification for attacks 06:08  —  Story highlights … (CNN)The latest Charlie Hebdo cartoon, produced after last week's horrific attacks on the Paris magazine's offices, literally adds insult to injury.

U.S. Easing Decades-Old Restrictions on Travel to Cuba  —  WASHINGTON — The United States government on Friday will begin making it easier for Americans to travel to Cuba than it has been for more than half a century, opening the door to a new era of contact between neighbors …

Muslim call to prayer to sound at Duke University  —  DURHAM, N.C. — A weekly call to prayer for Muslims will be heard at Duke University starting Friday, school officials said.  —  Members of the Duke Muslim Students Association will chant the call, known as adhan or azan …

One of new chairman's first act?:  Removing last chairman's portrait  —  It appears new House Oversight Committee Chairman Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah) really doesn't want to sit in the shadow of his predecessor and fellow Republican, Darrell Issa (R-Calif.).  —  At least, that's what his critics are saying.

Not Everyone's Internal Clock Is Set for the 9-to-5  —  No matter how early she went to bed, Maggie couldn't fall asleep until the early hours of the morning.  Though constantly exhausted, Maggie (she asked that I not use her last name) got good grades in high school, but she'd frequently …

Social Media and the Cost of Caring  —  For generations, commentators have worried about the impact of technology on people's stress.  Trains and industrial machinery were seen as noisy disruptors of pastoral village life that put people on edge.  Telephones interrupted quiet times in homes.

Oops!  “In Dog We Trust” printed within Pinellas County Sheriff's emblem on new rugs  —  Two newly rolled out rugs at the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office administration building sure looked nice while they lasted.  —  They were placed at the front entrance— bright green with the sheriff's bold, yellow emblem.

Substitute teacher on trial over showing explicit film at East High School  —  A Franklin County jury must decide whether a former substitute teacher for the Columbus City Schools committed a crime when she showed a movie filled with graphic sex and violence to five Spanish classes at East High School.

Lincoln Trail digs in for new fracking program  —  ROBINSON, Ill. (WTHI) - Lincoln Trail College this month announced the Robinson based community college would launch a petroleum drilling technology degree program.  The program is set to officially welcome students in the fall of 2015.

Ebola's Hidden Costs  —  On September 3, 2014, Agnes Ngekia learned by phone that her son was dead and that there would be no burial.  He had died of Ebola.  Ngekia is a nurse in the Kono district of Sierra Leone, and when her son had fallen ill she had diligently followed disease-prevention protocol …

Shunning ObamaCare  —  Of my company's 5,453 eligible employees, only 420 actually enrolled.  The other 5,033 opted to pay a penalty.  —  Among the Affordable Care Act's many economic and political disruptions, the law has unintentionally encouraged employers to convert full-time jobs into part-time jobs.

Why a Generation of Adoptees Is Returning to South Korea  —  Credit: Mark Neville for The New York Times  —  Laura Klunder's newest tattoo runs down the inside of her left forearm and reads “K85-160,” a number that dates to her infancy.  Klunder was 9 months old when her South Korean mother left her at a police station in Seoul.

Police Slowdown Cost New York City an Estimated $5 Million in Lost Fines  —  Now that New York's police force has returned to enforcing the laws at a pace closer to normal, city officials are calculating the costs of its protracted slowdown.  Their best guess so far is that the tally will be no more than several million dollars.

JP Morgan ‘Under Assault’ By Unpatriotic Regulators, CEO Says  —  One of America's largest banks is facing a regulatory attack so insidious and overbearing that it might even be un-American, according to the head of that bank.  —  “Banks are under assault,” JP Morgan CEO Jamie Dimon told reporters …

Dates set for Republican National Convention in Cleveland; 4-day event will run July 18-21  —  Balloons drop at the 2008 Republican National Convention in St. Paul, Minn., where presidential hopeful John McCain and running mate Sarah Palin accepted their nominations.

Border fight shifts to GOP summit  —  Fissures emerged Wednesday in the GOP on how to combat President Obama's immigration orders as 26 Republicans voted against halting delayed deportations for immigrants brought to the country as children.  —  While the overall bill …

Report of the Commission on Inclusive Prosperity  —  Report chapters  —  Preface  —  History tells us that societies succeed when the fruits of growth are broadly shared.  Indeed, no society has ever succeeded without a large, prospering middle class* that embraced the idea of progress.

Woman Reports Deadhead Son Missing Since '95  —  Teen reportedly left S.C. home to follow Grateful Dead on tour  —  A South Carolina woman yesterday contacted police to file a missing person report on her son, who left home to follow the Grateful Dead nearly 20 years ago.

House OKs panic buttons in wake of open carry confrontation  —  AUSTIN - The Texas House approved rules Wednesday to be able to install panic buttons and eject hostile members of the public from their offices, after a confrontation between lawmakers and open carry advocates visiting the Capitol on the opening day of the 2015 session.

Not waiting: Rand Paul is already in campaign mode  —  Rand Paul is in full-blown campaign mode.  —  While most potential GOP contenders' early efforts are taking place behind closed doors with donors and top strategists, the Kentucky senator is engaged in the kind of retail politicking …