America's Changing Religious Landscape  —  Christians Decline Sharply as Share of Population; Unaffiliated and Other Faiths Continue to Grow  —  The Christian share of the U.S. population is declining, while the number of U.S. adults who do not identify with any organized religion is growing …

Senate deals stinging defeat to Obama trade agenda  —  Senate Democrats on Tuesday delivered a stinging blow to President Obama's trade agenda by voting to prevent the chamber from picking up fast-track legislation.  —  A motion to cut off a filibuster and proceed to the trade bill fell short of a 60-vote hurdle, 52-45.

Who should save sight of S.C. man who can't afford surgery?  —  Luis Lang, an uninsured resident of Fort Mill, S.C., needs an expensive operation to save his sight.  Ann Doss Helms ahelms@charlotteobserver.com  —  ahelms@charlotteobserver.com  —  To start a lively discussion …

Ex-Bush Aide: Jeb Told Me He Misheard Question About Invading Iraq (VIDEO)  —  Ana Navarro, a former aide to ex-Florida Gov. Jeb Bush (R), said on CNN Tuesday that the potential presidential candidate told her he'd misheard a question about the Iraq War.  —  Navarro, who was Bush's director …

U-Va. dean sues Rolling Stone for ‘false’ portrayal in retracted rape story  —  This image is included in a $7.5 million defamation lawsuit against Rolling Stone.  U-Va. associate dean Nicole Eramo argues that an image from the Cavalier Daily student newspaper (left) was turned into an illustration …

AOL Has Been in Talks to Spin Off HuffPost as Part of Verizon Acquisition Deal  —  According to numerous sources, while it has been negotiating its deal to sell to Verizon, AOL has also been in advanced discussions with a number of parties to spin off its flagship Huffington Post content unit.

Ben Carson Invokes Dred Scott Decision as Precedent for Ignoring Supreme Court Rulings  —  Republican presidential candidate Ben Carson raised eyebrows last week when he told Newsmax that a potential Supreme Court ruling to legalize same-sex marriage across the country would not have to be implemented …

Hillary Clinton Hasn't Answered a Press Question in 21 Days (And Her Opponents Are Taking Notice) … Today is the one month anniversary of Hillary Clinton's 2016 presidential campaign.  It also marks 21 days since she answered a question from the press.  —  During this “ramp up” …

More ominous signs of Christian persecution  —  My daughter Aubrey and I arrived in Dallas and our home in Woodbridge on Sunday morning.  We had departed from Palm Beach Gardens Saturday evening after we watched Austen head off for her senior prom — a doggone big deal, dads!

Ananta Bijoy Das: Yet another Bangladeshi blogger hacked to death  —  Story highlights  —  (CNN)Attacks on bloggers critical of Islam have taken on a disturbing regularity in Bangladesh, with yet another writer hacked to death Tuesday.  —  Ananta Bijoy Das, 32, was killed Tuesday morning …

Rand Paul: Advocates for the Disabled Should Help Brainstorm Ways to Cut Social Security Spending  —  Kinder, gentler, cheaper (maybe).  —  t daveweigel  —  Every election cycle, candidates who want to burnish their fiscal hawk credentials warn that entitlements are going to run out of money.

Days Before Prom in Shelton, Conn., a Dress Code Adds to the Stress  —  SHELTON, Conn. — As surely as flowers bloom, springtime brings prom drama around the country.  The dates, the dancing, the photos, the cost — it is all fraught.  And the dresses.  Oh, the dresses.

George Zimmerman suffers facial wounds after shooting  —  George Zimmerman, the former Neighborhood Watch volunteer who shot and killed Trayvon Martin, suffered minor injuries in a roadside shooting Monday near a busy intersection in Lake Mary.  —  Lake Mary Police Department Chief Steve Bracknell …

Vitter's Obamacare crusade draws GOP ire  —  The Louisiana senator's quest to deny his colleagues benefits wins him no friends on Capitol Hill.  —  Getty  —  One fellow senator calls David Vitter's years-long crusade to scrap health care subsidies for lawmakers and their staffers “disingenuous.”

US Marine Helicopter With 8 Aboard Missing in Nepal … An American helicopter flying above Nepal has been declared missing, a defense official confirmed to ABC News.  —  The UH1 “Huey” helicopter had two Nepalese soldiers and six U.S. Marines on board when it went missing at approximately 10 p.m. local …

Brazil's World Cup Legacy Includes $550M Stadium-Turned-Parking Lot  —  Listen to the Story  —  It has been almost a year since the World Cup in Brazil.  The party is long over, but the country is still dealing with the hangover — in the form of “white elephant” stadiums and unfinished infrastructure projects.