Poll: Bush, Trump rising nationally for GOP, but both trail Clinton  —  Story highlights  —  Washington (CNN)With nearly all of the expected 2016 presidential candidates formally in the race, a new CNN/ORC national poll finds two recent entrants to the GOP field on the rise …

Gov. Chris Christie's Phony Truth-Telling  —  On his new website, Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey portrays himself as a guy who gets attacked for “telling it like it is,” but that's what his mom told him to do from her deathbed.  —  It is part of the legend Mr. Christie has carefully cultivated …

Budowsky: Obama could sink 2016 Dems  —  Nothing better dramatizes the damage that President Obama has done to Democrats than the fact that Republicans now control the House of Representatives, the Senate and a majority of governorships across America.  —  Nothing better illustrates the reason …

Fire crews responding to blaze at African American church in Greeleyville  —  A prominent African-American church that was burned to the ground by the KKK in 1995 is currently on fire, according to the State Law Enforcement Division.  —  Fire crews are still battling an active blaze …

A Momentous Week, and a GOP That Needs to Change  —  The fight over the Confederate flag and the Supreme Court decisions on Obamacare and same-sex marriage all send the signal that Republicans need to adapt to keep pace with younger voters.  —  The momentous events of the last week can be interpreted in numerous ways.

New Hillary Clinton emails show expansive role of Sidney Blumenthal  —  The liberal writer and family confidant peppered the secretary of state with advice on everything from internal turf battles to climate change.  —  Getty  —  In her early months in office, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton …

We Got Presidential Hopeful Ted Cruz To Do An Audition For “The Simpsons”  —  These impressions are “Excellent...”  —  GOP presidential hopeful Ted Cruz isn't just a conservative firebrand.  He's also a huge fan of The Simpsons.  —  Cruz does a confident Mr. Burns.  —  And he absolutely nails Ned Flanders.

America is not racist  —  In wake of the Charleston massacre in South Carolina, many on the left want us to believe America is a racist nation dominated by white supremacy and hatred for blacks.  —  They're wrong.  —  “Racism, we are not cured of it.  And it's not just a matter of it not being polite to say n—

Roy Moore's lawyer to Gov. Bentley: ‘Public officials are ministers of God’  —  Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley and Supreme Court Chief Justice Roy Moore ( )  —  “The criminal laws against homosexual sodomy are for the protection of the righteous.”  —  In harsh words and a lecturing tone …

Please Don't Make Me Get Gay Married  —  Brian Moylan is a writer and pop culture junkie.  —  We didn't need anyone's seal of approval before — and we don't need it now  —  The first time I heard the question was a year ago at my brother's wedding, an occasion where such coaxing is commonplace.

Redistricting litigation persists in key states despite court ruling  —  The Supreme Court may have knocked out the best-known challenge to existing congressional districts in a number of states on Monday, but maps still remain in flux for 2016 in three important, large battleground states: Florida, North Carolina and Virginia.

I created the Isis dildo flag at London Pride to start a dialogue, not get a laugh  —  I flew the flag in London's gay pride parade because Isis is deserving of mockery and disrespect.  I never thought CNN would think it was real  —  I spent the morning of London's Pride parade hand-stitching dildos onto a flag.

Rand Paul overlooks Cliven Bundy's racism to pander to the far right  —  DON'T MISS STORIES.  FOLLOW RAW STORY!  —  Rand Paul is openly courting Cliven Bundy's militia supporters by appealing to the scofflaw rancher at a campaign event Monday.  —  Paul spoke at a campaign stop in Mesquite …

The Cheerful Belligerence of Lindsey Graham  —  ASPEN, Colo.—Senator Lindsey Graham is irrepressibly cheerful, but he's not very happy about the world these days.  —  “I think I understand exactly the mess we're in,” the 2016 Republican presidential hopeful said on Monday.

Barack Obama basks in public approval after ‘best week of his presidency’  —  Barack Obama pledged on Tuesday to “squeeze every last ounce of progress” out of his remaining time in the White House, as his poll ratings reached a two-year high following what political commentators said was the best week of his presidency.

As default looms, Merkel rules out more negotiations with Greece  —  German Chancellor Angela Merkel ruled out new negotiations with Greece until after it votes on a proposal from creditors, leaving virtually no hope left to avert a midnight default despite a plea from Athens for a last-minute bailout extension.

No, Polygamy Isn't the Next Gay Marriage  —  Group marriage is the past—not the future—of matrimony.  —  AP Photo.  —  I am a gay marriage advocate.  So why do I spend so much of my time arguing about polygamy?  Opposing the legalization of plural marriage should not be my burden …