NYSE floor trading halted; no sign of cyberattack  —  CNBC's Bob Pisani reports on halted trading operations at the NYSE.  —  Trading in all symbols was halted on the New York Stock Exchange floor Wednesday due to an apparent technical issue.  The NYSE tweeted that there was no sign of a cyberattack.

Hillary Plays the Victim in CNN Interview  —  She may be the frontrunner in the presidential race, but Clinton still comes across as guarded, quibbling, and poker-faced under the TV lights.  —  Any Clinton supporters who hoped that a New Hillary would emerge from Tuesday's televised grilling …

Federal judge orders cancellation of Redskins' trademark registrations  —  The Washington Redskins lost their biggest legal and public relations battle yet in the war over its mascot after a federal judge in Northern Virginia on Wednesday ordered the cancellation of the NFL team's federal …

Tom Selleck ‘drought shamed,’ accused of using hydrant water  —  Actor Tom Selleck had truckloads of water from a public hydrant delivered to his sprawling Hidden Valley ranch, according to court documents filed against the veteran actor by a Ventura County water district.

Dave Weigel returns to The Washington Post  —  Less than a year after joining Bloomberg Politics, Dave Weigel is making a surprise return to The Washington Post.  —  Weigel will cover national politics with a focus on grass-roots movements, traveling the country on the campaign trail …

Austerity Has Failed: An Open Letter From Thomas Piketty to Angela Merkel  —  Five leading economists warn the German chancellor, “History will remember you for your actions this week.”  —  The never-ending austerity that Europe is force-feeding the Greek people is simply not working.

House votes to ban Confederate flags at federal cemeteries  —  After just two minutes of floor debate late Tuesday evening, the House passed a measure to prohibit the display of Confederate flags on graves in federal cemeteries.  —  Despite the lack of fanfare, the vote marked the House's …

Obama administration to unveil major new rules targeting segregation across U.S.  —  Administration calls move “historic,” while conservatives decry it as “social engineering”  —  CHICAGO — When the Fair Housing Act was passed in 1968, it barred the outright racial discrimination that was then routine.

China stocks tumble as regulator warns of ‘panic’  —  Chinese stocks dived on Wednesday after the securities regulator said the tumbling stock market in the world's second-biggest economy was in the grip of “panic sentiment” as investors ignored a battery of support measures from Beijing.

How We Changed the Facebook  —  Friends Icon  —  Facebook headquarters is an amazing place.  The snacks are free, the sun always shines and everyone is full of the best intentions.  During my first week I encountered hundreds of people earnestly trying to to make the world a better place.

Satya Nadella email to employees on sharpening business focus  —  Over the past few weeks, I've shared with you our mission, strategy, structure and culture.  Today, I want to discuss our plans to focus our talent and investments in areas where we have differentiation and potential for growth …

New Zealand makes internet ‘trolling’ illegal  —  Supporters believe it will help mitigate the harm caused by cyber-bulling but critics say it is a threat to free speech  —  Internet trolls face up to two years' jail in New Zealand under a controversial new law which bans “harmful digital communications”.

It's official: Latinos now outnumber whites in California  —  The demographers agreed: at some point in 2014, Latinos would pass whites as the largest ethnic group in California.  —  Determining when exactly that milestone would occur was more of a tricky question.  Counting people isn't like counting movie ticket receipts.

The (Real) Bank of America  —  The USA has a bizarre $3 trillion portfolio of loans on its books—and no one in charge.  —  By MICHAEL GRUNWALD JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2015  —  Lead image by Oliver Munday.  —  David Matsuda had never been a mariner or an administrator before he became the head of the U.S. Maritime Administration in 2009.

The IRS scandal just got even worse  —  So the Obama IRS wasn't just persecuting right-leaning nonprofits — it was out to prosecute them, too.  And with the help of the Obama Department of Justice and FBI.  —  Via Freedom of Information Act lawsuits, the watchdog group Judicial Watch just got evidence of the plot.

Warren bill could create headache for Hillary  —  Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) has thrust anti-big bank policy into the 2016 presidential Democratic primary, presenting a new political challenge for frontrunner Hillary Clinton.  —  Warren's re-introduction on Tuesday of Glass-Steagall …

Gun used in pier killing had been stolen from federal agent  —  The gun used to kill a 32-year-old woman on San Francisco's waterfront was stolen from a federal agent in a car burglary in June, sources close to the investigation said Tuesday.  —  The .40-caliber pistol was stolen from the agent …

Students Told to Take Photos With a ‘Consent Contract’ Before They Have Sex  —  Apparently, just asking isn't enough.  —  A “yes means yes” advocacy group, the Affirmative Consent Project, is instructing college students to take a picture with a contract before they have sex with each …

Civil Rights Group Demands Kid Rock Denounce Confederate Flag... or Else  —  Unsatisfied with the removal of the Confederate flag from public places, stores and TV shows, activists are now calling for musician Kid Rock to stop using the banner at concerts.  —  The outspoken and politically …

Time Warner Cable owes $229,500 to woman it would not stop calling  —  Many people dislike receiving robocalls.  Araceli King disliked receiving 153 of them from a single company.  —  Time Warner Cable Inc must pay the insurance claims specialist $229,500 for placing 153 automated calls meant …