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.

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 …

Why the 14th Amendment Can't Possibly Require Same-Sex Marriage  —  The Supreme Court is about to decide if the 14th Amendment to the United States Constitution requires the states to redefine marriage to include same sex relationships.  There are several reasons why the answer is no.

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 …

Aaron Schock's final hours  —  His decision to quit was so abrupt that even Speaker John Boehner didn't get a heads up.  —  Aaron Schock's Tuesday began with a quiet early-morning stroll near the Capitol with his close friend, Missouri Rep. Jason Smith.  Sporting shorts and a sweatshirt …

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.

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 …

Judge dismisses oil-spill lawsuit  —  He says ruling seems unfair, but class action unwarranted  —  A federal judge dismissed a class-action lawsuit Tuesday against Exxon Mobil over a 2013 oil spill in Mayflower and acknowledged that the message his decision sends to people with pipeline easements …

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.

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.

Data Mining Reveals When a Yellow Taxi Is Cheaper Than Uber  —  Computer scientists have compared a vast dataset of Yellow Taxi fares in New York City against Uber prices for the first time.  —  The crowdsourced cab service, Uber, is currently taking the world by storm.

Poll: Hillary Clinton still tops in 2016 - CNN.com  —  Hillary Clinton continues to be a dominant force heading into the 2016 presidential election, according to a new CNN/ORC poll.  The former secretary of state maintains a broad lead over the field of potential Democratic challengers …

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.