Ted Cruz to announce presidential bid Monday  —  Senator will be first declared GOP candidate  —  Sen. Ted Cruz plans to announce Monday that he will run for president of the United States, accelerating his already rapid three-year rise from a tea party insurgent in Texas into a divisive political force in Washington.

What makes the dark horses run?  —  The potential 2016 presidential field is a long list full of long shots.  —  Former New York Gov. George Pataki (R), has said he is “very seriously” considering a bid.  —  Socialist Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) appears to be mulling a challenge …

ISIS Urges Sympathizers to Kill U.S. Service Members It Identifies on Website  —  WASHINGTON — In a new online threat to American military personnel, the Islamic State has called on its members and sympathizers in the United States to kill 100 service members whose names, photos and purported addresses it posted on a website.

Dems want to empower Boehner  —  House Democrats fighting for leverage in the GOP Congress are hoping they can empower an unlikely ally: Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio).  —  Democrats are outnumbered by more than 50 members - and have almost no power to bring bills to the floor.

Obama Details His Disappointment With Netanyahu In First Post-Election Comments  —  WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama is operating under the assumption that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu does not support the creation of a Palestinian state, despite the Israeli leader's post-election efforts …

In College and Hiding From Scary Ideas  —  KATHERINE BYRON, a senior at Brown University and a member of its Sexual Assault Task Force, considers it her duty to make Brown a safe place for rape victims, free from anything that might prompt memories of trauma.

Israel: Beware of Obama  —  First he comes for the banks and health care, uses the IRS to go after critics, politicizes the Justice Department, spies on journalists, tries to curb religious freedom, slashes the military, throws open the borders, doubles the debt and nationalizes the Internet.

Khamenei calls ‘Death to America’ as Kerry hails progress on nuke deal  —  Day after Obama urges Iran to seize ‘historic opportunity,’ supreme leader says US seeks to create insecurity  —  Iran's Supreme leader Ali Khamenei called for “Death to America” on Saturday, a day after President …

TED CRUZ summons reporters for Mon. speech - RAND PAUL: Clinton Foundation should return donations from Saudi Arabia: ‘thinly veiled bribes’ — POTUS at niece's NCAA game — B'DAY: Ken Spain  —  By Mike Allen (@mikeallen; mallen@politico.com), with Daniel Lippman (@dlippman; dlippman@politico.com)

Solar eclipse: schoolchildren banned from watching on ‘religious and cultural’ grounds  —  North Primary School in Southall was accused of putting religious superstition before science  —  A London primary school was criticised for banning children from watching the eclipse for “religious and cultural reasons.”

Mayoral Candidate Apologizes For Performing In Black Face  —  Oklahoma mayoral candidate Bill Helton dressed as “Pollyester Kotton.”  —  CREDIT: Screenshot  —  A white mayoral candidate in Oklahoma is apologizing to voters after videos surfaced of him wearing black face and performing …

Petraeus: Iran a greater threat to Iraq than ISIS  —  Retired Gen. David Petraeus says that Iranian-backed Shiite militias pose a greater threat to Iraq's long-term peace and security than the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS).  —  “The current Iranian regime is not our ally in the Middle East.