N.S.A. Phone Data Collection Illegal, Appeals Court Rules  —  WASHINGTON — A federal appeals court in New York on Thursday ruled that the once-secret National Security Agency program that is systematically collecting Americans' phone records in bulk is illegal.

The Cavaliers Should Have Thought A Little Harder About This Promo  —  During last night's playoff game against the Chicago Bulls, the Cleveland Cavaliers showed the video below, which was removed from the team's Vimeo page this morning, on the in-arena jumbotron.

One of Jeb Bush's top advisers on Israel: George W. Bush  —  When asked this week at an exclusive Manhattan gathering about who advises him on U.S.-Israel policy, Jeb Bush surprised many of the 50-plus attendees by naming his brother, former president George W. Bush, as his most influential counselor.

Bernie Sanders brings in $3 million in four days  —  Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) announced Wednesday his 2016 presidential campaign had pulled in $3 million over the last four days.  —  Sanders's campaign had received approximately 75,000 contributions at an average amount of $43, according to The Huffington Post.

Senate overwhelmingly approves Iran review bill in 98-1 vote  —  The Senate voted overwhelmingly Thursday to approve legislation allowing Congress to review a nuclear deal with Iran in a 98-1 vote.  —  Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) was the only senator to oppose the bill.

Exposure to ideologically diverse news and opinion on Facebook  —  1Facebook, Menlo Park, CA 94025, USA.  —  2School of Information, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.  —  ↵† These authors contributed equally to this work.  —  Exposure to news, opinion …

Release Detail  —  What Trouble?  Clinton Has Early Lock On Iowa Caucus, Quinnipiac University Poll Finds; Sanders, Biden Are Only Dems Over 3%  —  Sample and Methodology detail  —  With 60 percent of the vote among Iowa likely Democratic Caucus participants, former Secretary …

Sources: Baltimore police investigation doesn't support some of prosecution's charges  —  Baltimore (CNN)The Baltimore police investigation into the death of Freddie Gray doesn't support some of the charges, including the most serious, filed by the Baltimore City State's Attorney …

Woman claims Verizon Wireless gave her a heart attack  —  Angela Hawkins called Verizon Wireless last year to straighten out a problem with her bill.  —  The grandmother of four hoped to talk to a helpful customer service representative.  —  Instead, according to a lawsuit …

McDonald's was there for me when no one else was  —  Before stardom, James Franco was just a fast-food employee eating fries straight from the hopper.  —  McDonald's sales have slumped.  Maybe the public wants healthier food.  Maybe there's too much competition.  Maybe people aren't into the chipotle barbecue snack wrap.

The Price of Nice Nails  —  Manicurists are routinely underpaid and exploited, and endure ethnic bias and other abuse, The New York Times has found.  —  The women begin to arrive just before 8 a.m., every day and without fail, until there are thickets of young Asian and Hispanic women …

Piers Morgan Causes Mika Brzezinski To Roll Off ‘Morning Joe’ Set (VIDEO)  —  Former CNN personality Piers Morgan's opinions led to an Irish exit from co-host Mika Brzezinski on the set of MSNBC's “Morning Joe” on Thursday morning.  —  The moment came during a segment about paid paternity leave …

Stephen Colbert funds $800,000 in grants for South Carolina public school teachers  —  Stephen Colbert spoke to S.C. Supt.  Molly Spearman at Alexander Elementary School to announce he, along with ScanSource and Share Fair Nation, would fund all 1,000 classroom projects South Carolina teachers asked for on DonorsChoose.org.

THIS WEEK'S COVER: INSIDE QUENTIN TARANTINO'S BLOODY, BRUTAL NEW WESTERN THE HATEFUL EIGHT  —  Somebody's dying today—you can hear it in Samuel L. Jackson's voice.  On a soundstage in Hollywood this April, the actor who plays Major Marquis Warren in Quentin Tarantino's The Hateful Eight …

It's Time to Change the Iowa Straw Poll  —  Much has changed since 1979 and sometimes cherished traditions—like the Iowa GOP Straw Poll—must change too.  What is supposed to be a fun opportunity for Iowans and presidential candidates has turned into a high-stress and expensive endeavor.

Bush leads, Rubio up, Christie down in new WMUR poll  —  Tightly packed field continues with 9 months to go  —  Nine months is an eternity in politics, particularly in late-deciding New Hampshire.  And so not surprisingly, the Republican presidential primary field remains crowded with no true frontrunner …

The media's real role in 2016  —  Let's be honest with ourselves for a second: This is Hillary Clinton's election to lose.  —  On Nov. 8, 2016, Clinton will start — start — with a minimum 247 of the 270 electoral votes she needs to win.  If you give her Colorado and Virginia …

Federal lawsuit against all gay people dismissed  —  Yesterday, we noted that a Nebraska woman filed a lawsuit in federal district court against all gay people.  The complaint listed some quotes from the Bible, and appeared to discuss the woman's own personal views on homosexuality and gay people.

EPA Commits $100K to ‘Addressing Bed Bugs in Rural Alaska’  —  Rural Alaska is well known for its wolves, bears, and moose, but the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has set its sights on a considerably smaller creature: the bed bug.  The EPA is prepared to award a grant of up to $100,000 …

CITY OF NORTH LAS VEGAS WANTS TO DUMP ‘INTEGRITY’ FROM CORE VALUES  —  The City of North Las Vegas wants to eliminate integrity from its core values.  —  Also on their way out: Respect, creativity, quality service and leadership.  —  The move to edit the city's statement of core values …

Behind the Lens: Photographing the President in 50 States … This was not as easy as I thought it would be.  With help from photo editor Phaedra Singelis, I tried to depict a variety of situations.  Some are more lighthearted; some are sad, and some are poignant.