Nine FIFA Officials and Five Corporate Executives Indicted for Racketeering Conspiracy and Corruption  —  The Defendants Include Two Current FIFA Vice Presidents and the Current and Former Presidents of the Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF) …

The decline of Rand Paul  —  Rand Paul took a left turn on his journey to the Republican nomination, and now his hopes seem to be headed south.  —  The libertarian Kentucky senator's new book, “Taking a Stand,” came out Tuesday, and it is chock-full of lines that would position Paul well …

A tiny string of text can disable iPhone Messages  —  Apple device owners have discovered a string of text characters that, when received on an iPhone in Messages, can lock people out of the app and — reportedly in some cases — crash the phone.  Users who receive the string with Messages open …

Rick Santorum on Running for President 2016: ‘Ready to Do This Again’ … Rick Santorum, the former Republican senator from Pennsylvania who lost the GOP nomination to Gov. Mitt Romney in 2012, says he's “ready” to run for president in 2016.  —  “I'm ready to do this again,” …

Have Democrats Pulled Too Far Left?  —  AMONG liberals, it's almost universally assumed that of the two major parties, it's the Republicans who have become more extreme over the years.  That's a self-flattering but false narrative.  —  This is not to say the Republican Party hasn't become a more conservative party.

President Obama asserts power over small waterways  —  The Obama administration on Wednesday asserted its authority over the nation's streams, wetlands and other smaller waterways, moving forward with one of the most controversial environmental regulations in recent years.

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.

Give the ‘bigot’ bomb a break  —  Reducing human beings to their worst idea or comment diminishes us all.  —  A lesbian couple purchased engagement rings from a Christian jeweler.They were so pleased with the service, they referred a friend to the shop to purchase a ring for his girlfriend.

Scott Walker: Mandatory Ultrasounds Are ‘Just A Cool Thing’ For Women  —  Potential 2016 Republican presidential candidate and Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker (R) said in an interview on Friday that mandatory ultrasounds for women hoping to get an abortion was “just a cool thing.”

Conservatives ask the Supreme Court to restrict states' rights and overturn precedent.  —  For the second time in a year, the Supreme Court has agreed to wade into an election case at the urging of conservatives.  In both cases it has done so despite the issue appearing to be settled by long-standing precedent.

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.

A Growth Spurt  —  It's happened again: this dictionary has gotten bigger.  —  As of last week, it's grown by more than 1,700 entries, and existing entries have expanded by more than 700 new senses.  We've added 3,200 examples that provide contextual information, and another 200 entries …

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.

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 …

The White Protestant Roots of American Racism  —  he Apotheosis of Washington," painted in 1865 by Constantino Brumidi, is a fresco of the first president of the United States ascending to the heavens.  The goddesses of Victory and Liberty, along with 13 maidens who represent America's original colonies …

Military bans Big Macs, other treats at Guantánamo legal meetings  —  In this image reviewed by the U.S. military, Guantánamo detainees look out from fenced-in areas as a guard closes a door in Camp Echo detention facility on the U.S. Navy Base in Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, Wednesday, Nov. 19, 2008.

Ohio Gov. Kasich looks to announce 2016 bid this summer  —  Ohio Gov. John Kasich, who has been actively gauging reactions to a possible campaign for president in 2016, is now moving rapidly to assemble the staff and financial resources for such a bid and is looking to declare his candidacy sometime …

Police officer charged in Waldorf McDonald's homicide ID'd  —  A Prince George's County police officer is charged in a murder at the Waldorf McDonald's and detective say his service weapon may have been used by his mother in the crime WUSA  —  WALDORF, Md. (WUSA9) — A Prince George's County police officer …