Trump leads GOP presidential field in new national poll  —  Media coverage of Donald Trump's controverisal immigration remarks have lifted the GOP presidential candidate to the top of the Republican field, according to a new Economist/YouGov poll.  —  Trump was the preferred GOP nominee …

Pelosi ambushes GOP with Confederate flag resolution  —  The House voted Thursday to refer legislation banning the Confederate flag image from the Capitol to a committee, effectively punting the issue.  —  The dramatic vote was forced by Minority Leader  —  Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) …

OPM Announces Steps to Protect Federal Workers and Others From Cyber Threats  —  WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) announced the results of the interagency forensics investigation into a recent cyber incident involving Federal background investigation data …

N.Y. Times keeps Cruz off bestseller list  —  The New York Times informed HarperCollins this week that it will not include Ted Cruz's new biography on its forthcoming bestsellers list, despite the fact that the book has sold more copies in its first week than all but two of the Times' bestselling titles, the On Media blog has learned.

Judge jails kids for refusing lunch with dad  —  The children were sent to a juvenile detention facility for defying her orders — while in court — that they go to lunch with their father.  —  CONNECT  —  Three Oakland County children who refused to go to lunch with their father …

This Is How Hillary Loses the Primary  —  Bernie Sanders will never be president.  But unless Clinton changes her strategy—and soon—he can still wind up toppling her.  —  Something remarkable is happening in American politics.  For the first time in our history, a socialist is running …

Alan Grayson: Dems Would ‘Crawl Over Hot Coals Naked’ To Back Me  —  Rep. Alan Grayson's reputation as a progressive bomb-thrower is exactly what's made national Democrats fearful that his bid for Senate in Florida could cost them a top pickup opportunity.  —  But when he launched his bid on Thursday …

Go Set A Watchman: read the first chapter - interactive  —  An exclusive extract from the new novel by Harper Lee, the author of To Kill A Mockingbird, published on 14 July  —  Since Atlanta, she had looked out the dining-car window with a delight almost physical.

Lost Girls … In 1974, when she was only 14, Jackie Fuchs would wake up way before her parents and catch a ride with friends from her house in the San Fernando Valley across the Santa Monica Mountains and into Malibu.  She'd hit the beach and paddle out in the quiet, pre-dawn dark.

The Greek government's full proposal to the Eurogroup  —  The full proposal submitted by the Greek government to the Eurogroup earlier on Thursday is the following:  —  “Greece: Prior Actions  —  Policy Commitments and Actions to be taken in consultation with EC/ECB/IMF staff:

Schumer calls for ban on gun-shaped iPhone cases  —  Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) is raising alarm about the sale of iPhone cases that are made to look like the handle of a 9 mm handgun.  —  In letters to online retailers and U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the senator said the product …

Jeb Bush's Money Juggernaut: $114 Million and Counting  —  The former Florida governor is crushing the field in fundraising.  —  Jeb Bush raised $11.4 million in his first 16 days as a presidential candidate, and the super PAC he tirelessly fundraised for before he formally entered …

Jeb Bush and longer working hours: gaffesplainer 2016  —  Jeb Bush's stated goal of 4 percent annual GDP growth, though unrealistic, in general sounds nice.  But during a New Hampshire Union Leader interview live-streamed on Periscope, Bush got granular about his plan, revealing that part …

Purple-State Republicans and the Two Electorates  —  Anybody who's read my book on the 2014 elections can surely appreciate my enthusiasm for an analysis of the GOP presidential field offered today by Bloomberg Politics' Ken Goldstein, which looks at the candidates' record of “electability” …