First on CNN: Walmart to stop selling Confederate flag merchandise  —  (CNN)Walmart, the country's largest retailer, will remove all Confederate flag merchandise from its stores, the company told CNN Monday.  —  The announcement is the latest indication that the flag, a symbol of the slave-holding South …

The Roberts Court's Surprising Move Leftward  —  This term so far shows potential for a greater percentage of liberal decisions than any since 1969.  —  Decisions … The Supreme Court under Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. has been a conservative court.

WSJ/NBC Poll Finds Hillary Clinton in a Strong Position  —  She has firm grip on Democratic nomination and leads three GOP rivals, new survey shows  —  Hillary Clinton has emerged from the rocky launch of her second presidential bid with a firm grip on Democratic voters and leads …

Charleston Dad's Viral Photo Captures Love In The Aftermath Of Tragedy  —  On Sunday June 21, local parishioners from churches across the Charleston area took part in “Charleston United,” an emotional prayer and worship gathering to honor the victims of the Emanuel A.M.E. Church shooting.

KFC ‘Fried Rat’ Is In Fact Chicken, Lab Test Confirms  —  It doesn't look appetizing, but it's definitely chicken.  —  Last week, KFC was forced to confront a customer's accusations that he'd been served a fried rat in a three-piece meal at a Los Angeles store.

Composer James Horner Dies in Plane Crash: Hollywood Reacts  —  For his work on the 1997 best picture winner Titanic, directed by James Cameron, Horner captured the Oscar for original dramatic score, and he nabbed another Academy Award for original song (shared with lyricist Will Jennings) …

Obama's Legacy Is at Stake in Supreme Court's Health Care Ruling  —  WASHINGTON — The night his administration's Affordable Care Act passed in 2010, President Obama described the victory the way he hopes historians will: as a “stone firmly laid in the foundation of the American dream.”

Punished GOP lawmaker stirs new talk of Boehner rebellion  —  A band of House conservatives is discussing whether to retaliate against GOP leaders for punishing rank-and-file lawmakers who voted against a procedural vote on trade earlier this month.  —  Rep. Mark Meadows (R-N.C.) …

Putin's plot to get Texas to secede  —  For Moscow's right-wingers, payback means teaming up with a band of Texas secessionists.  —  Lead image by AP Photo.  —  Nathan Smith, who styles himself the “foreign minister” for the Texas Nationalist Movement, appeared last Spring at a far-right confab in St. Petersburg, Russia.

Exclusive — Ted Cruz: Obamatrade Enmeshed in Corrupt, Backroom Dealings  —  The American people do not trust President Obama.  And they do not trust Republican leadership in Congress.  And the reason is simple: for far too long, politicians in Washington have not told the truth.

MSNBC staff chanted ‘F- -k Brian Williams’ at party  —  Brian Williams' welcome to MSNBC might be frigid because staffers there haven't forgotten a scathing report he arrogantly aired on his short-lived “Rock Center” about “corrosive” cable news blowhards at MSNBC, Fox News and CNN.

Prison Worker Joyce Mitchell to Husband: ‘I Was Over My Head’  —  New York prison worker Joyce Mitchell told her husband she was in over her head as part of a plot to free two killers who remain on the run, he told NBC News in an exclusive interview.  —  Speaking to TODAY's Matt Lauer …