Fox lowers threshold for early debate  —  The change serves to guarantee the presence of candidates such as Lindsey Graham and Carly Fiorina.  —  Getty  —  Fox News is opening its 5 p.m. debate to all the announced Republican candidates who fail to make the cut for the Aug. 6 prime-time event …

Planned Parenthood hires crisis communications firm  —  Planned Parenthood has hired high-profile Washington public relations firm SKDKnickerbocker as it scrambles to deal with the ongoing scandal and release of a third undercover video Tuesday showing a clinic's staff handling fetal tissue after an abortion.

Meet Donald Trump's Proud Bullies, Goons, And Thugs  —  Photo illustration by BuzzFeed News / Trump: Getty Images  —  When Donald Trump's longtime political adviser and attorney was asked by the Daily Beast Monday to comment on a potentially explosive story about his boss …

Smoke That Pot Now, Chris Christie Tells Users in States That Allow It  —  Residents in U.S. states that have legalized marijuana should toke up while they still can, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie said.  —  “If you're getting high in Colorado today, enjoy it,” Christie …

Jon Stewart's secret White House visits  —  Obama, aides took unusual steps to cultivate ‘Daily Show’ comic  —  Jon Stewart slipped unnoticed into the White House in the midst of the October 2011 budget fight, summoned to an Oval Office coffee with President Barack Obama that he jokingly told …

Cecil the lion's killer revealed as American dentist  —  EXCLUSIVE: A Minnesota father of two is discovered to be the hunter who shot dead Cecil - one of Zimbabwe's most loved lions  —  Cecil the lion - the most famous creature in one of Zimbabwe's national parks - was killed by an American hunter …

House conservative seeks John Boehner's ouster  —  The move by Rep. Mark Meadows represents a new level of opposition to GOP leadership from House's right wing.  —  Rep. Mark Meadows (R-N.C.) has filed a motion to try to force Speaker John Boehner from his leadership post.

Please Stop Talking, John Kerry  —  America's chief diplomat is saying way too much about the Iran deal.  —  John Kerry, the U.S. secretary of state, is a thoughtful, honest man.  He's remarkably adept at seeing conflicts and issues from the perspectives of other people.

Mind-Blowing Temperature Fraud At NOAA  —  The measured US temperature data from USHCN shows that the US is on a long-term cooling trend.  But the reported temperatures from NOAA show a strong warming trend. … They accomplish this through a spectacular hockey stick of data tampering …

Teen ‘Lured’ 8-Year-Old Santa Cruz Girl Into Apartment Before Killing Her, Dumping Body in Recycling Bin: Police  —  A teenage boy arrested in the death of an 8-year-old Santa Cruz girl who went missing over the weekend allegedly lured the child into his apartment before killing her and dumping …

Inside Rand Paul's downward spiral  —  He was once a serious contender for the White House.  Now, his campaign is fighting over what went wrong.  —  Rand Paul, once seen as a top-tier contender, finds his presidential hopes fading fast as he grapples with deep fundraising and organizational problems …

The Vox conversation  —  When Sen. Bernie Sanders launched his presidential campaign, few treated it as a serious challenge to Hillary Clinton.  Sanders, after all, isn't even a Democrat: He's an “democratic socialist.”  But his campaign struck a chord.  He's raised more than $15 million …

Camille Paglia: How Bill Clinton is like Bill Cosby  —  In exclusive Salon interview, the cultural critic finds parallels between Cosby and Clinton, takes down modern p.c.  —  Camille Paglia, the political and cultural critic, has been a brave and brilliant provocateur on Salon for almost 20 years now.

Jonathan Pollard, Spy for Israel, to Be Released on Parole in November  —  WASHINGTON — Jonathan J. Pollard, who was sentenced to life in prison in 1985 for passing classified documents to the Israeli government, will be released on parole in November after 30 years in prison, a government panel decided on Tuesday.

Who Will Make the Debate Cut?  —  Only the top 10 GOP candidates in an average of the last five national polls will get a podium on the debate state on August 6.  First Read crunched the numbers as they look today:  — Trump: 18%  — Bush 14%  — Walker 10.6%  — Rubio 6.2%

Obama: ‘I think if I ran again I could win’  —  Washington (CNN)President Barack Obama said Tuesday that he could win a third term in office if he ran again, but is barred by the Constitution.  —  “I think if I ran again I could win.  But I can't!”  Obama said.  —  Barack Obama's presidency 52 photos