Netanyahu Soundly Defeats Chief Rival in Israeli Elections  —  TEL AVIV — After a bruising campaign focused on his failings, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel won a clear victory in Tuesday's elections and seemed all but certain to form a new government and serve a fourth term …

Mickey Kaus quits Daily Caller after Tucker Carlson pulls critical Fox News column  —  The blogger Mickey Kaus has quit his job at The Daily Caller after the conservative site's editor-in-chief, Tucker Carlson, pulled a critical column about Fox News from the site, Kaus told the On Media blog on Tuesday.

Largest Presbyterian Denomination Gives Final Approval for Same-Sex Marriage  —  After three decades of debate over its stance on homosexuality, members of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) voted on Tuesday to change the definition of marriage in the church's constitution to include same-sex marriage.

Trump drops ‘Apprentice,’ will launch presidential exploratory committee  —  New Hampshire Union Leader  —  Donald Trump will launch a presidential exploratory committee Wednesday, the eve of the business mogul's return to New Hampshire.  —  A senior adviser tells the New Hampshire Union Leader …

Cyanide Sent to White House  —  An envelope sent to the White House Mail Screening Facility on Monday tested positive for cyanide, according to an internal law enforcement document obtained by The Intercept.  —  The envelope listed a return address for a man who the alert says has a record …

Rep. Aaron Schock resigns  —  Illinois Rep. Aaron Schock is resigning his seat in Congress.  —  The 33-year-old Republican has been dogged by questions about his spending of taxpayer and campaign dollars.  On Monday afternoon, POLITICO posed a lengthy set of questions about charging …

Activist allegedly tried to bait protesters with ‘kill cops’ script  —  A controversial conservative activist is being accused of trying to incite anti-police protesters by saying, “I wish I could kill some of these cops,” to provoke them into making outrageous statements.

Walker Aide Quits After Questioning Iowa's Role in Campaign  —  An aide to Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker's national political operation resigned late Tuesday after drawing heated criticism from the head of the Iowa Republican Party for questioning the state's early role in the presidential nominating process.

Holder goes out swinging  —  Attorney General Eric Holder is speaking his mind in his final days in office, swiping at GOP antagonists and leaving the Department of Justice on his own terms.  —  Holder has ridiculed Senate Republicans for delaying the nomination of his successor, Loretta Lynch …

According To Dick Cheney, This Is Why President Obama Is The Worst President In His Lifetime  —  Former Vice President Dick Cheney said that President Barack Obama was “playing the race card” to excuse criticism of his record as president.  —  “I think they're playing the race card, in my view.

Why Hillary can win big  —  The most popular former president since the Second World War is John Kennedy.  The most popular living former president is Bill Clinton.  The most popular public figure in America is Pope Francis, whose favorable rating was a towering 78 percent in a recent Pew poll.

Obama to Draw Contrasts With Republicans Over Spending  —  President Barack Obama is criticizing a $3.8 trillion budget plan put forward by House Republicans, saying it won't invest in “all the things that we need to grow.”  —  He's taking that message to Cleveland on Wednesday …