Obama's approval rating grows following memorable week  —  Story highlights  —  Washington (CNN)Could Barack Obama's great week mark a turning point in his poll numbers?  —  After months of stagnant approval ratings, a new CNN/ORC poll finds that for the first time in more than two years …

BuzzFeed's Ben Smith Says Ted Cruz 'Approaches Going Viral Like It's His Job'  —  Why was Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) showing the Internet his best impression of Homer Simpson?  —  It was an open question on Tuesday after BuzzFeed News published a video of the presidential candidate rattling off impersonations …

VIDEO: Brawl Breaks Out In Front Of South Carolina Statehouse Over Confederate Flag  —  COLUMBIA, S.C. (CBS Atlanta/AP) — One man has been arrested after a fight over the Confederate flag in front of the South Carolina Statehouse.  —  The brawl started about 7:15 p.m. Monday …

Ted Cruz rides the backlash  —  Sen. Ted Cruz is hoping to ride the conservative backlash on gay marriage to the front of the Republican presidential pack.  —  The Texas Republican has hit the Supreme Court with repeated rhetorical barbs in the wake of its ruling Friday that allowed …

A college balks at Hillary Clinton's fee, books Chelsea for $65,000 instead  —  When the University of Missouri at Kansas City was looking for a celebrity speaker to headline its gala luncheon marking the opening of a women's hall of fame, one of the names that came to mind was Hillary Rodham Clinton.

The only prudent way forward for Greece  —  GREEK PRIME Minister Alexis Tsipras chose an academic expert on game theory as finance minister, so it's fitting that his left-wing government has now decided to play games with the fate of Europe and the global economy.  Alas, it's no theoretical exercise.

Donor Says Girl Scouts Can't Use $100K Gift for Transgender Girls  —  So the organization gave the money back.  And now they want your help.  —  Courtesy Girl Scouts of Western Washington  —  A $50,000 donation is cause for celebration at the Queen Anne offices of the Girl Scouts of Western Washington.

‘The Solution I Propose Is Massive Civil Disobedience’  —  ASPEN, Colo.—Scholar Charles Murray traces his latest book back to a story he heard from a family friend: a small business owner who found himself targeted by a federal regulatory agency.  “Like most businesses of his sort …

Misty Copeland Is Promoted to Principal Dancer at American Ballet Theater  —  Misty Copeland, whose openness about race in ballet helped to make her one of the most famous ballerinas in the United States, was promoted on Tuesday by American Ballet Theater, becoming the first African-American …

Chris Christie Announces Run, Pledging ‘Truth’ About Nation's Woes  —  LIVINGSTON, N.J. — Gov. Chris Christie declared his candidacy for president here on Tuesday in a 20-minute speech full of New Jersey-style swagger, vowing that as president, “there is one thing you will know for sure: I say what I mean and I mean what I say.”

Rand Paul Meets With Cliven Bundy on Nevada Campaign Stop  —  Republican presidential candidate Sen. Rand Paul met with southern Nevada rancher Cliven Bundy on Monday during a question-and-answer session in the town of Mesquite with about 50 supporters and activists interested in land rights.

Court Revives Defunct NSA Mass Surveillance Program  —  The NSA's phone dragnet is back—for now.  —  A federal court has revived the National Security Agency's bulk collection of Americans' phone records, a program that lapsed earlier this month when sections of the Patriot Act briefly expired.

The Next Culture War  —  Christianity is in decline in the United States.  The share of Americans who describe themselves as Christians and attend church is dropping.  Evangelical voters make up a smaller share of the electorate.  Members of the millennial generation are detaching themselves from religious institutions in droves.

How Congress Should Respond to Justice Kennedy  —  Justice Kennedy's opinion for a 5-4 majority of the Supreme Court has rightly been condemned for its lack of grounding in the constitutional text he is sworn to uphold.  Unable to find gay marriage in either the due process clause …

Van Meter raffle offers chance to taser city official  —  For the price of a $5 raffle ticket, Van Meter is offering its residents a change to use a police taser on a city official.  —  City hall is selling the tickets as part of a public safety fundraiser.

California vaccine bill SB 277 signed into law by Jerry Brown  —  SACRAMENTO — Ending months of speculation, Gov. Jerry Brown on Tuesday signed into law Senate Bill 277, which requires almost all California schoolchildren to be fully vaccinated in order to attend public or private school …

Prison escapee David Sweat spills details of botched plan, governor says  —  Story highlights  —  (CNN)Had everything gone as planned, prison escapees David Sweat and Richard Matt would have killed the husband of a prison worker before fleeing with her to Mexico, officials said.

Murder defendant slugs lawyer in Worcester court; judge declares mistrial  —  WORCESTER - Janleer Povez's retrial on a second-degree murder charge in a fatal stabbing seven years ago ended in a mistrial Monday after Mr. Povez struck his appointed lawyer, Elliot R. Levine …