McConnell builds case for 2016  —  Mitch McConnell is building the case that this Senate is much more productive than the last one.  —  The Kentucky Republican, who ascended to majority leader after repeatedly ripping the Democratic-led Senate as “dysfunctional,” has to show that the GOP can govern.

Trade war heating up among Democrats  —  Hillary Rodham Clinton and other top Democrats began feuding over President Obama's trade initiative Tuesday as his bid for a major late-term win began tearing at the party's unity and threatened to expose old divisions ahead of the 2016 presidential election.

When battling Hillary, it's the cronyism, stupid  —  “The economy, stupid.”  Democratic operative James Carville used that simple phrase in 1992 to remind former President Bill Clinton to maintain narrow focus on that issue.  —  Republicans who want to beat Hillary Clinton in 2016 need …

Conservative Republicans Alone on Global Warming's Timing  —  Story Highlights  —  WASHINGTON, D.C. — While notable majorities of all other political party/ideology groups say the effects of global warming will happen within their lifetime, fewer than four in 10 conservative Republicans …

Man shoots computer in Colorado Springs alley, gets revenge he wanted - and a citation  —  Updated:  —  3 photos  —  + caption  —  When ctrl + alt + delete doesn't work, just shoot the darn thing.  —  That's what one man did on Monday night, according to Colorado Springs police.

President Obama to shun saying ‘genocide’ on 100th anniversary of Armenian massacres  —  President Barack Obama will not use the word “genocide” to describe the massacre of up to 1.5 million Armenians in his annual statement commemorating the historic atrocity later this month.

Congressman Tells Protester: 'Touch me again, and I'll drop your ass'  —  Anti-immigration protesters were on hand to greet Congressman Steve Knight at the open house for his Simi Valley office last week.  And when one got a little too close, the former LAPD cop was having none of it.

EXCLUSIVE: The Prime Minister and the Waitress  —  This is a guest blog from an anonymous waitress about the way John Key kept touching her when he repeatedly visited her place of work.  The waitress contacted us with her story, The Daily Blog did not seek her out or pressure her in anyway to write this blog.

Protesters rally in Baltimore over the death of Freddie Gray  —  Story highlights  —  (CNN)Chanting “No justice!  No peace!” protesters rallied in Baltimore late Tuesday, the same day police released the names of the officers involved in the arrest of Freddie Gray.

Who was the reporter outside Cindy Archer's house?  —  Part 194 of 193 in the series Wisconsin's Secret War  —  MADISON, Wis. - Of all of the frightening accounts of government abuses in Wisconsin's political John Doe investigation, David French's description in National Review …

Paul Ryan doesn't want to talk about 2016  —  Paul Ryan has a message for the media: It's too early to start talking about the presidential election next year.  —  “I don't want to get into any of this 2016 stuff.  I know you guys are already kind of tired of talking about this stuff so early out …

Election 2016: Exploding The Governor Savior Myth  —  During every election cycle, there are storylines or interpretive memes that are widely repeated but turn out to be completely irrelevant or plain wrong.  Early in this presidential cycle, yesterday's cliches about the presidential race seem to be exploding all around us.

Watch Out, Hillary: Waka Flocka Flame Is Running for President  —  The 2016 campaign is getting quite a shake-up, because none other than Waka Flocka Flame himself announced yesterday to Rolling Stone he's running for president.  —  And yes, he very deliberately made the announcement on 4/20 …

Ted Cruz Showed Eloquence, and Limits, as Debater at Princeton  —  PRINCETON, N.J. — By the time he was a senior at Princeton University in 1992, Ted Cruz had developed an arsenal of rhetorical skills and theatrical gestures that made him one of the most polished performers on the college debate circuit.

Charles Koch: We may back several GOP candidates in primaries  —  WICHITA, Kan. — Charles Koch said he is considering throwing his political might into the Republican presidential primary for the first time and is likely to provide financial help to several contenders before settling on a single candidate.

Teacher terrified by surprise ‘active shooter’ drill in eastern Oregon schoolhouse files federal lawsuit  —  The town of Halfway sits a few miles west of the Snake River, in eastern Oregon.  (Richard Cockle/The Oregonian)  —  Elementary school teacher Linda McLean sat at her desk …

New Orleans Bars Issue Last Call for Smoking  —  NEW ORLEANS — No one goes to a bar here, particularly one that advertises its hours as “2 p.m. till,” and expects precision about the time of day.  But it was right on the stroke of midnight that Frankie Mazzanti, 56, one of the owners …

Obama's approval numbers rise; Americans optimistic on economy  —  President Obama's approval ratings have reached their highest mark in almost two years, according to a new poll from CNN/ORC.  —  Forty-eight percent of Americans approve of how Obama is running the country, compared to 47 percent who disapprove.