Rachel Dolezal breaks her silence on TODAY: ‘I identify as black’  —  Rachel Dolezal, the former NAACP chapter president accused of pretending to be black, tells TODAY's Matt Lauer in an exclusive live interview that she identifies as black — something she started doing at the age of five.

Democrats face gut-check moment on spending  —  They aim to force Republicans to increase domestic spending by killing GOP funding bills.  —  Senate Democrats are ready to follow through on a risky strategy to confront Republicans this week over government spending, shrugging off Republicans' assertions …

Jeb Bush Offers Some Surprises  —  Jeb Bush's speech announcing his presidential campaign today confirmed some things we already suspected — like the fact that he's running — but also revealed a few surprises that suggest the 2016 Republican primaries will be more interesting than expected.

How Obama Abandoned Israel  —  Netanyahu and the president both made mistakes, but only one purposely damaged U.S.-Israel relations.  —  'Nobody has a monopoly on making mistakes.  " When I was Israel's ambassador to the United States from 2009 to the end of 2013, that was my standard response …

Joyce Mitchell had sexual relationships with both escaped N.Y. inmates, sources say  —  They got out with a bang.  —  The wayward wife accused of helping two killers break out of upstate's Clinton Correctional Facility had sex with both of them, sources told the Daily News.

Obama's anti-police ideology  —  As President Obama starts to wind down his tenure in the White House, with just a year and a half to go, he's focusing on federalization of local police forces in the name of “justice.”  Attorney General Loretta Lynch will be his go-to on this project, just as Eric Holder was before her.

Pope Francis warns of destruction of Earth's ecosystem in leaked encyclical  —  Vatican condemns early release of document in which pontiff calls on people to change their lifestyles and energy consumption or face grave consequences  —  Pope Francis will this week call for changes in lifestyles …

Dems should not be losing voting-rights fight  —  Why are Democrats losing the debate over voting rights?  —  The biggest political fight shaping the 2016 campaigns for the White House and Senate is over limiting the Democrats' base of likely voters.  —  President Obama twice won …

We Are All Donald Trump Now  —  Back in 2000, my grandmother returned from visiting my uncle in Chattanooga to the Coles County Airport of Mattoon, Illinois.  She flew as cheaply as possible, which meant she took tiny US Airways shuttles from Chattanooga to West Lafayette, Indiana, to Mattoon.

A Vital Dashboard Indicator For Monetary Policy: Nominal Wage Targets  —  The most important decision that will influence the economic recovery over the next few years is the trajectory of short-term interest rates.  Debate over when to begin raising these short-term rates has picked up in recent months …

2 boys shoot out woman's teeth with BB gun in Holly Hill, police say  —  Two boys could be extradited from Michigan and charged with a felony after Holly Hill police said the 12- and 16-year-old siblings intentionally shot four people with a BB gun.  —  One of the victims was struck in the mouth and lost two teeth.