Aide to Kamala Harris, 2 others accused of running rogue police force  —  An aide to state Atty. Gen. Kamala D. Harris and two others are accused of operating a rogue police force that claimed to exist for more than 3,000 years and have jurisdiction in 33 states and Mexico, authorities said Tuesday.

New Iowa poll: Scott Walker leads, Jeb Bush in 7th place  —  The latest Iowa polling numbers are great news for Scott Walker, and terrible news for Jeb Bush.  —  The Wisconsin governor retains his advantage among Iowa Republican caucus-goers, according to a new Quinnipiac University poll released Wednesday …

Alberta election 2015 results: NDP wave sweeps across province in historic win  —  Wildrose Party, led by newly elected leader Brian Jean, once again Alberta's Official Opposition  —  It's a massive shock that turns Canadian politics on its head: the NDP has won a majority government in Alberta.

Joss Whedon Calls “Horsesh*t” On Reports He Left Twitter Because Of Militant Feminists  —  “I just thought, Wait a minute, if I'm going to start writing again, I have to go to the quiet place, and this is the least quiet place I've ever been in my life,” Whedon told BuzzFeed News.

ISIS threatens controversial blogger Pamela Geller in message boasting of ‘71 trained soldiers in 15 different states’  —  ISIS appears to declare war on controversial blogger Pamela Geller on Tuesday in an ominous online message claiming it has fighters across America ready to attack “any target we desire.”

Republicans pass a budget, flexing power of majority  —  Congressional Republicans scored a major legislative victory on Tuesday as the Senate adopted the first bicameral GOP budget agreement in a decade.  —  The 51-48 vote capped weeks of work by Republican leaders in the House and Senate …

Conservatives Keep Pouring Fuel On The Texas Takeover Fire  —  The Pentagon has no plans to stage a military takeover of the Lone Star state.  There are no tunnels covertly being constructed under West Texas' shuttered Wal-Mart stores.  —  So why are the fringes of the Internet still abuzz …

Democrat: My party didn't cause the problems in Baltimore  —  Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-Md.) on Wednesday rejected the idea that Democratic political leaders were responsible for problems in Baltimore.  —  “Chris, come on Chris,” he told CNN's Chris Cuomo on “New Day.”

Exclusive: Bill De Blasio plans ‘Contract with America’ for left  —  NYC's mayor will unveil his ‘Progressive Agenda’ next week at the U.S. Capitol.  —  New York Mayor Bill de Blasio, using his muscular perch to try to nudge the national Democratic Party to the left, next week will unveil …

Warren met privately with ‘Draft Warren’ supporters  —  The Massachusetts senator recently huddled with progressives affiliated with the campaign urging her to run for president.  Her office insists she was unaware of any connection.  —  Elizabeth Warren says she has no intention of jumping into the 2016 race.

Germanwings crash: Co-pilot Lubitz ‘practised rapid descent’  —  Germanwings co-pilot Andreas Lubitz is known to have suffered depression in the past  —  The co-pilot of the Germanwings plane that crashed in the French Alps in March appears to have practised a rapid descent on a previous flight, a report by French investigators says.

Surveillance planes spotted in the sky for days after West Baltimore rioting  —  As Benjamin Shayne settled into his back yard to listen to the Orioles game on the radio Saturday night, he noticed a small plane looping low and tight over West Baltimore — almost exactly above where rioting …

Catholicism Undervalues Women  —  Like a Pringles vendor sounding an alarm about obesity, Pope Francis fashioned himself a feminist last week.  —  You are not reading The Onion.  —  It was an epic mismatch of messenger and message, and I say that as someone who is thankful for this pope …

McCain in Big Trouble for GOP Primary  —  John McCain's troubles with conservatives have him in a whole lot of trouble for reelection next year.  Even among Republican primary voters just 41% approve of the job he's doing to 50% who disapprove.  Only 37% of primary voters say they generally support …

3 reasons why Huckabee 2016 will be a bust  —  In 2008, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee surprised many Beltway pundits by coming out of nowhere on a shoestring budget to win the Iowa caucuses and finish as the runner-up to eventual nominee John McCain in the delegate count.

A Digital Single Market for Europe: Commission sets out 16 initiatives to make it happen  —  The Internet and digital technologies are transforming our world - in every walk of life and in every line of business.  Europe must embrace the digital revolution and open up digital opportunities for people and businesses.

U.S. Is Probing Apple Over Its Deals for Beats Music  —  U.S. antitrust officials are scrutinizing Apple Inc.'s efforts to line up deals with record labels as it prepares to debut a new version of the Beats Music streaming service, according to people familiar with the matter.

A sign of things to come in the Democratic party  —  Last night at a public hearing on the budget in Prince George's County, Maryland, a flyer with the following headline was circulated: … The flyer goes on to attack the “Israel lobby,” which allegedly is using Black politicians to split …