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.

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)

House defies Obama veto threat, approves $612B defense bill  —  Defying a veto threat from President Obama, the House on Friday passed a $612 billion defense bill in a 269-151 vote.  —  All but eight Republicans voted in favor, along with 41 Democrats who went against Obama's veto threat …

Perry to announce June 4 in Dallas  —  Former Texas Gov. Rick Perry will announce his expected entry into the crowded GOP presidential field on June 4 in Dallas.  —  Anita Thigpen Perry, his wife, emailed an invitation on Friday to supporters of the former governor's political committee.

Sentence Reached for Dzhokar Tsarnaev in Boston Marathon Bombing  —  BOSTON — The jury has reached a decision on a life-or-death sentence for Dzhokhar Tsarnaev in the bombing at the 2013 Boston Marathon, the worst terrorist attack on American soil since Sept. 11, 2001.

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 …

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 …

A ‘Jewish Litmus Test’ Was Unacceptable  —  A Ph.D. candidate at the University of California, Berkeley, David McCleary, wrote to me this week with a complaint about being subjected to what he called “a Jewish litmus test” during a Times interview.  —  The interview (conducted by a Times stringer …

Orlando Pub Owner Allegedly Holds Black Couple At Gunpoint: ‘Call Jesse Jackson’  —  A pub owner in Orlando, Fla. was arrested after allegedly holding a black couple at gunpoint and telling them to call Jesse Jackson, the Orlando Sentinel newspaper reported Wednesday.

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.

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.

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 …

Save Obama (on trade)  —  That free trade is advantageous to both sides is the rarest of political propositions — provable, indeed mathematically.  David Ricardo did so in 1817.  The Law of Comparative Advantage has held up nicely for 198 years.  —  Nor is this abstract theory.  We've lived it.

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.

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 …

A multifaceted program causes lasting progress for the very poor: Evidence from six countries  —  1Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Cambridge, MA, USA.  —  2Center for Economic and Policy Research (CEPR), Washington, DC, USA.  —  3National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER), Cambridge, MA, USA.