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 …

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.

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.

Sidney Blumenthal, Hillary Clinton's Confidant, Turns Over Memos on Libya  —  WASHINGTON — A close confidant of Hillary Rodham Clinton's, Sidney Blumenthal, has provided the House committee investigating the 2012 attacks in Benghazi, Libya, with dozens of pages of emails between him and Mrs. Clinton …

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 …

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.

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 …

Bernie Sanders' Longshot Campaign Drawing Big Crowds  —  Challenge for the Democratic presidential candidate is to channel the enthusiasm into donations, votes  —  DES MOINES, Iowa—It's the sort of problem many candidates would envy.  Sen. Bernie Sanders is drawing large …

House punts on trade  —  House GOP leaders are punting on voting again on President Obama's trade agenda, possibly until the end of July.  —  After Friday's failed vote to pass aid for workers displaced by trade deals, known as Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA), Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) …

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 …

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.

It's official: Obama axes trans fat  —  The Obama administration is making good on its pledge to all but ban trans fat nationwide.  —  The Obama administration is making good on its pledge to all but ban trans fat nationwide.  —  The FDA issued a final decision Tuesday that gives …

Michelle Obama's European Trip in Photos  —  The first lady embarks on a jaunt through the U.K. and Italy.  —  First lady Michelle Obama arrived in London on Monday with daughters Sasha and Malia and her mother, Marian Robinson.  On her weeklong trip through the U.K. and Italy …

Lindsey Graham's memoir blunt about his upbringing  —  He shares stories of tough times and failed relationships.  —  Lindsey Graham grew up in the back room of a South Carolina bar, sharing a bathroom with patrons who worked down the street at a nearby mill plant.  He took baths with water heated up on the stove.

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 …