Marco Rubio, absentee senator  —  The Florida senator leads the 2016 pack — in playing hooky from his day job to campaign.  —  At last week's Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing, Marco Rubio attacked the Obama administration for failing to secure the release of American hostages in Iran.

Reince Priebus: GOP candidates should pledge not to make third-party bids  —  Republican candidates for president should pledge not to run as a third-party candidate, Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus said Monday.  —  The remarks come days after current GOP frontrunner Donald Trump hinted …

'I'm No Longer Afraid': 35 Women Tell Their Stories About Being Assaulted by Bill Cosby, and the Culture That Wouldn't Listen … More has changed in the past few years for women who allege rape than in all the decades since the women's movement began.  Consider the evidence of October 2014 …

Anti-NYC hacker takes New York Magazine offline  —  On Sunday night, New York Magazine released a groundbreaking new cover featuring 35 victims of alleged assault from Bill Cosby.  —  But you can't see it. … A self-described hacker called ThreatKing, who says he hates New York City …

President Obama: Mike Huckabee's Iran Comments an Attempt to ‘Push Mr. Trump Out of the Headlines’  —  On his first day in Ethiopia, President Obama waded into the 2016 presidential campaign, criticizing Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee for suggesting the president is trying …

Don't Be Misled by the New Poll Results for Donald Trump  —  It has been more than a week since Donald Trump's remarks about whether Senator John McCain should be considered a war hero, and many journalists and commentators have reached a conclusion: Mr. Trump has emerged unscathed.

White officer pepper-sprays crowd at Black Lives Matter summit in Cleveland  —  An encounter with an ‘intoxicated’ 14-year-old outside the conference to discuss police brutality ends with a transit officer spraying the crowd  —  A transit police officer has pepper-sprayed a crowd …

Bobbi Kristina Dead — Whitney Houston's Daughter Dies at 22  —  Whitney Houston and Bobby Brown's daughter Bobbi Kristina has died at the age of 22.  —  She passed away outside Atlanta in the hospice care facility where she's been since June 24 ... when her family decided to take her off all meds.

A kiss is not a kiss.  In some cultures it's just gross, researchers find.  —  Science has taught us a lot about a smooch.  —  Researchers have discovered kissing helps you choose the right mate and helps you live longer.  They have found you use 146 muscles when you pucker up and swap 80 million new bacteria when you lock lips.

'I'm only here because of the smoke': Florida council official caught on camera telling resident the smoke from his barbecue ‘cannot leave the property’  —  A bizarre video has emerged out of Florida showing a man who says he is a council official telling a resident that the smoke from their barbecue …

Governors Who Would Be President Have Mixed Records on Miracles  —  Miracles are regular occurrences for governors who want to be president of the U.S.  —  Rick Perry's supporters have talked about the “Texas Miracle” of job growth.  Post-recession recoveries under John Kasich …

Pension fund trustees seek billions in damages from state  —  TRENTON — In the latest salvo in the battle between New Jersey and its public workers, the heads of the state's largest pension funds are accusing the state of breaching its contract by underfunding government workers' pensions.

New California: Mass Immigration Turning Virginia Blue  —  A remarkable transformation is underway in the Commonwealth of Virginia.  —  The birthplace and final resting place of George Washington, James Madison, Thomas Jefferson—and once one of the most reliably-red of red states …

Turkey and U.S. Plan to Create Syria ‘Safe Zone’ Free of ISIS  —  BAGHDAD — Turkey and the United States have agreed in general terms on a plan that envisions American warplanes, Syrian insurgents and Turkish forces working together to sweep Islamic State militants from a 60-mile-long strip …

Hologram Performance by Chief Keef Is Shut Down by Police  —  A performance by the Chicago rapper Chief Keef — or rather, his likeness, beamed live via hologram from California — was shut down by the police on Saturday night in Hammond, Ind., after warnings from the mayor's office …