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 …

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.

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.

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 …

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.

A Response to My Critics—This Is a War  —  Pamela Geller is the President of the American Freedom Defense Initiative (AFDI) and publisher of PamelaGeller.com.  —  Some are saying I provoked this attack.  But to kowtow to violent intimidation will only encourage more of it.

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 …

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 …

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.”

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 …

Mike Huckabee Vows to Protect Programs for Older Americans  —  Mike Huckabee drew roaring cheers from supporters on Tuesday as the latest entrant in a sprawling field of Republican presidential candidates by declaring himself the guardian of so-called entitlement programs, warning …

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.

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.

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.

‘Safe-space’ America dangerous to dissenters  —  Accusations of hate speech are so mainstream, they scare or force opponents into silence  —  Christina Hoff Sommers has been speaking on college campuses for two decades challenging students to embrace what she calls “equity feminism” over “gender feminism.”