The Note: What's Coming Up For Cuba … NOTABLES  —U.S., CUBA TO ANNOUNCE EMBASSY OPENINGS IN WASHINGTON AND HAVANA: President Obama is expected to announce today that the two countries have reached an agreement to re-establish formal diplomatic relations and open embassies in Washington and Havana …

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 …

New Trove of Hillary Clinton's Emails Highlights Workaday Tasks at the State Department  —  WASHINGTON — The State Department released a trove of email messages on Tuesday night from Hillary Rodham Clinton's first year as secretary of state amid deep curiosity in both parties about what they will show …

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 …

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 …

Alexis Tsipras backs down on many Greece bailout demands  —  Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras will accept most of the bailout creditors' conditions offered last weekend but is still insisting on a handful of changes that could thwart a deal, according to a letter he sent late on Tuesday night.

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.

The Sunny Side of Greed  —  In the dire prophecies of science-fiction writers and the fevered warnings of left-wing activists, big corporations will soon rule the earth — or already do.  —  Fine with me.  —  They've been great on the issue of the Confederate flag.

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—

Richard NIxon Was Not Misunderstood  —  Every once in a while someone writes a book arguing that Richard Nixon has been misunderstood.  These authors tend to focus on some particular aspect of his presidency that, the argument goes, is more important than that Watergate business.

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.

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 …

Why I'm Filing a Civil-Rights Lawsuit  —  Milwaukee County District Attorney John Chisholm and his agents ransacked my house and ruined my career.  —  By  —  After much soul-searching, I am filing a civil-rights lawsuit on Wednesday against Milwaukee County District Attorney John Chisholm.

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 …

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.

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.