Nebraska Bans Death Penalty, Defying a Veto  —  LINCOLN, Neb. — Nebraska on Wednesday became the first conservative state in more than 40 years to abolish the death penalty, with lawmakers defying their Republican governor, Pete Ricketts, a staunch supporter of capital punishment who had lobbied vigorously against banning it.

Scott Walker defends mandatory ultrasounds  —  Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker defended his decision to sign a law in Wisconsin mandating ultrasounds for women before they get abortions, calling ultrasounds “just a cool thing out there.”  —  In an interview on “The Dana Show,” …

Corrupt FIFA Has Clinton Foundation Ties; World Cup Host Qatar Gave Millions  —  Both Bill Clinton and his family's charity have been tied to soccer's governing body, as well as Qatar's disastrous World Cup bid.  —  And just like that, another Clinton Foundation donor is in the news.

Bible verse sends former Marine back to court  —  Is posting a Bible verse on a desktop computer in a military workplace an act protected under the Constitution as a free expression of religion?  —  Or is such an open display of religiosity an affront to “good order and discipline”?

Lena Dunham, Amy Schumer and Comedy Actress A-List in Raunchy, R-Rated Roundtable  —  “So, what's your policy on ‘pussy’?” inquires a polite Amy Schumer regarding what can and can't be said during THR's annual gathering of Emmy-contending comedy actresses.  If the ensuing conversation …

Carly Fiorina, in an Ambush of Hillary Clinton, Gets Defensive  —  Carly Fiorina spoke during a reception and panel discussion in Spartanburg, S.C., on Wednesday.  —  COLUMBIA, S.C. — Carly Fiorina spends a lot of her time as a Republican presidential candidate attacking Hillary Rodham Clinton …

Google and Apple Adjust Strategies on Mobile Payments  —  The battle for mobile software dominance revolves around two companies: Apple and Google.  Now both giants are also going head-to-head in mobile payments, as they prepare to push deeper into digital wallets.

The New York Times blows a hole in the case against Obamacare  —  There are basically two versions of the looming Supreme Court case against Obamacare.  One of them makes sense but doesn't pose enough of a threat to Obamacare to satisfy Republicans.  The other poses a real threat to Obamacare …

Elizabeth Warren Bought Foreclosed Homes to Make a Quick Profit  —  Before the crash that she blamed on speculators, Senator Elizabeth Warren made a bundle by flipping houses.  —  Nearly two years after Veo Vessels died, her daughter, 70-year-old Mary Frances Hickman, decided to sell the home her mother had left to her.

L.A. labor leaders seek minimum wage exemption for firms with union workers  —  Labor leaders, who were among the strongest supporters of the citywide minimum wage increase approved last week by the Los Angeles City Council, are advocating last-minute changes to the law that could create …

Rick Santorum faces long odds — again  —  A longshot in 2012, the former Pennsylvania senator launches his second presidential campaign without key staffers and supporters from last time around and against a deeper GOP field.  —  CABOT, Pa. — The Republican Party has a habit of rewarding …

Bobby Jindal slams Rand Paul as unfit to be commander in chief  —  Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal lashed out at Sen. Rand Paul for his recent comments about the Islamic State, saying the presidential contender is unfit to be commander in chief and is taking the “weakest, most liberal Democrat position” …

Federal Laws and Policies Prohibiting Marijuana Use  —  Recently, several states and the District of Columbia have decriminalized the use of marijuana, allowing the use of marijuana for medicinal purposes and/or for limited recreational use.  These changes to state law have raised questions …

Ban on legal highs would technically cover alcohol, cigarettes and coffee  —  New bill proposes banning all psychoactive substances then expressly permitting use of government-approved drugs  —  A new blanket ban on legal highs is to be so widely drawn that its provisions could be used to outlaw alcohol …

CPD cops posed for photo standing over black man dressed in antlers  —  It's a racially charged photo the Chicago Police Department didn't want the public to see: two white cops posing with rifles as they stand over a black man lying on his belly with deer antlers on his head.

Americans Continue to Shift Left on Key Moral Issues  —  Story Highlights  —  PRINCETON, N.J. — Americans are more likely now than in the early 2000s to find a variety of behaviors morally acceptable, including gay and lesbian relations, having a baby outside of marriage and sex between an unmarried man and woman.

Immigration Overhaul May Be in Limbo Until Late in Obama's Term  —  WASHINGTON — President Obama's overhaul of the nation's immigration system, which he announced in a prime-time speech to the nation last November, may remain under a cloud of legal uncertainty until months before he leaves office in 2017 …

Michael LaCour Made Up a Teaching Award, Too  —  <span><span>It appears the fabrication extends to another part of his CV.</span></span>  —  Yesterday, Science of Us reported that Michael LaCour, the graduate student who is alleged to have faked data for a highly publicized …

Iowa aide to presidential hopeful Jim Webb resigns  —  The Democratic strategist who was running the Iowa effort for presidential hopeful Jim Webb has resigned, Iowans told The Des Moines Register Wednesday morning.  —  Rania Batrice confirmed the news in an email to the Register.

Jorge Ramos Admits to Ann Coulter: Bring All of Mexico to Live Here  —  MIAMI, Florida — Conservative columnist and 10-time New York Times bestselling author Ann Coulter steamrolled Fusion host Jorge Ramos in an appearance Tuesday filled with dramatic moments, none more interesting …

Is this central Denver's first 420-friendly hotel?  —  Smoke, vape and edibles on the balcony?  It's all good at Nativ Hotel, downtown Denver's first outwardly 420-friendly hotel  —  Many in Colorado's bustling cannabis industry have complained about the lack of marijuana-friendly hotels in this state and others.

Inside the war on coal  —  How Mike Bloomberg, red-state businesses, and a lot of Midwestern lawyers are changing American energy faster than you think.  —  Corbis  —  The war on coal is not just political rhetoric, or a paranoid fantasy concocted by rapacious polluters.  It's real and it's relentless.

Officers in Freddie Gray case file for change of venue  —  Defense attorneys for the six officers involved in the Freddie Gray case on Wednesday filed a motion to switch venues, claiming that they “cannot receive a fair and impartial trial in Baltimore City.”