Fraternity of Failure  —  Jeb Bush wants to stop talking about past controversies.  And you can see why.  He has a lot to stop talking about.  But let's not honor his wish.  You can learn a lot by studying recent history, and you can learn even more by watching how politicians respond to that history.

B. B. King, Defining Bluesman for Generations, Dies at 89  —  B. B. King, whose world-weary voice and wailing guitar lifted him from the cotton fields of Mississippi to a global stage and the apex of American blues, died Thursday in Las Vegas, The Associated Press reported.  He was 89.

House sends Iran review bill to Obama  —  The House on Thursday passed legislation requiring congressional review of a nuclear deal with Iran, handing a victory to critics of the talks who demanded that Congress have an oversight role.  —  Passage came easily on a vote of 400-25.

Why Some Male Members of Congress Won't Be Alone with Female Staffers  —  Numerous women who work on the Hill say they've been excluded from solo meetings and evening events, a practice that could be illegal.  —  It's no secret that Congress is dominated by men, but as women work to make inroads …

Howard Dean screams about Chris Christie in N.J.: 'You're not gonna win!'  —  ATLANTIC CITY — For the last decade, former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean has been the butt of jokes about the “Dean Scream.”  —  On Thursday night, Dean turned the joke on Gov. Chris Christie and his presidential hopes.

Hillary Clinton's litmus test for Supreme Court nominees: a pledge to overturn Citizens United  —  Hillary Clinton told a group of her top fundraisers Thursday that if she is elected president, her nominees to the Supreme Court will have to share her belief that the court's 2010 Citizens United decision must …

Kid who got in to every Ivy League school is going to the University of Alabama — and it's a brilliant decision  —  High-school senior Ronald Nelson had an incredibly hard decision to make this year about college — mainly because he got into all eight Ivy League universities.

A Liberal Speech Cop Targets Alan Greenspan  —  The former Fed chairman drops out of a monetary conference after he's assailed by Paul Krugman.  —  To the list of questions the left has sought to place off limits to open debate—global warming, same-sex marriage, campaign finance, abortion—add a startling new topic: monetary reform.

Islamic State seizes capital of Iraq's largest province  —  Iraqi government forces are fighting back against an Islamic State advance that began overnight.  Witnesses say the militant group raised its black flag over a government compound in the city center on Friday.  (Reuters)

Republican Party to Vote in Support of Religious-Freedom Laws  —  The GOP follows presidential candidates as issue takes hold on campaign trail  —  The Republican National Committee is expected to approve a resolution Thursday reaffirming support for so-called Religious Freedom Restoration Acts …

The Great Stephanopoulos mess  —  ABC anchor proves to be his own worst enemy.  —  Former Clintonland insider George Stephanopoulos, who has excelled at both politics and journalism, appears to have failed both professions with a single transgression.  —  As my POLITICO colleague Dylan …

Is Christianity in America doomed?  —  Last month, New Atheist God-hater Daniel Dennett wrote an op-ed column in The Wall Street Journal that used a Pew poll to argue that the future of religion is bleak.  I responded with a column of my own in which I mocked this claim …

Romney vs. Holyfield: 'I'm Staying Far Away From His Ears'  —  Friday night in Utah — not exactly Las Vegas — the former Republican heavyweight Mitt Romney will face the former heavyweight champion Evander Holyfield in a charity boxing match.  The bout will benefit CharityVision …

BBC reporter slammed for comparing hate preacher Anjem Choudary to Gandhi and Mandela  —  THE BBC has come under fire after one of its chief reporters shockingly compared extremism preacher Anjem Choudary to civil rights heroes Nelson Mandela and Mahatma Gandhi.  —  GETTY  •IG

Tapping a Maple on a Cold Vermont Morning  —  LadyDragonflyCC / Flickr / The Atlantic  —  First came finding the trees.  We had tagged them that summer—loops of red twine, tied tightly around craggy trunks—when Fitz had been home, when the chill of winter had seemed distant and unthinkable.

China Fires Away at Coal Power  —  Reforms to the electricity sector spell bad news for coal-powered operators  —  China is planning the biggest overhaul of its power industry in over a decade.  And the scope for upheaval is biggest at companies that depend on coal, such as China Resources Power.