George Pataki to announce presidential bid Thursday  —  Former New York Governor George Pataki  —  WASHINGTON - Ignoring the polls and pundits, former New York Gov. George Pataki plans to announce Thursday that he's joining the crowded Republican field for president.

Charter Communications Reaches Deal for Time Warner Cable  —  Roughly $55 billion deal would give John Malone prize he has been chasing  —  Charter Communications Inc. reached a $55 billion deal for Time Warner Cable Inc., giving cable mogul John Malone the prize he has been chasing for two years.

Four Words That Imperil Health Care Law Were All a Mistake, Writers Now Say  —  WASHINGTON — They are only four words in a 900-page law: “established by the state.”  —  But it is in the ambiguity of those four words in the Affordable Care Act that opponents found a path to challenge the law, all the way to the Supreme Court.

Twitter Suspends Troll Chuck Johnson — Are Its New Guidelines Actually Working?  —  Notorious Twitter troll Chuck Johnson was placed in time-out Sunday — at least temporarily — and it looks like the company's new policy on violent threats was the reason.  —  Twitter suspended Johnson …

Evangelist Claims Josh Duggar Wasn't Christian At Time Of Molestation Allegations  —  Former Republican governor of Arkansas and current presidential candidate Mike Huckabee expressed his support ...  Founded in 2007, OpposingViews.com is an independent media site that publishes original journalism …

B.B. King's Daughters Allege He Was Poisoned  —  Two B.B. King heirs who've been most outspoken about the blues legend's care in his final days are accusing King's two closest aides of poisoning him, but the attorney for King's estate is calling the claims ridiculous.

The Koch brothers try to rein in the GOP presidential clown show  —  If you're a Republican primary voter, you're probably feeling pretty good about the presidential primaries.  Even if you haven't yet found the candidate who will make you swoon, one thing you've got is choices.

Arizona Sheriff Joe Arpaio asks public's help with legal fees  —  With his legal fees mounting and a trial turning increasingly personal, Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio is turning to the public for money and the legal system for a new judge.  —  Arpaio said in a letter to supporters …

Cochran marries longtime aide Kay Webber  —  U.S. Senator Thad Cochran married his longtime aide Kay Webber in a private family ceremony in Gulfport on Saturday, according to a one-sentence statement released by his office Monday.  —  Cochran's relationship with Webber became the topic …

GOPer Wants Police Chief Who Released Duggar Offense Report To Be Fired  —  A Republican lawmaker on Saturday called for the termination of the police chief who released a 2006 offense report alleging that Josh Duggar, of TLC's “19 Kids and Counting,” molested five underage girls when he was a teenager.

Turning sewage into drinking water gains appeal as drought lingers  —  It's a technology with the potential to ease California's colossal thirst and insulate millions from the parched whims of Mother Nature, experts say.  —  But there's just one problem — the “yuck factor.”

The Big Meh  —  Remember Douglas Adams's 1979 novel “The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy”?  It began with some technology snark, dismissing Earth as a planet whose life-forms “are so amazingly primitive that they still think digital watches are a pretty neat idea.”

Islamic State crisis: Iraq will take back Ramadi ‘in days’ - PM Abadi  —  The Iraqi city of Ramadi could be taken back from Islamic State (IS) militants “in days”, Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi has told the BBC.  —  But he said more support was needed from international coalition partners.