‘I am Batman,’ Trump tells boy on helicopter ride  —  Des Moines, Iowa (CNN)A helicopter landed here just after noon on Saturday, causing a short but violent windstorm.  Large trees shivered; small ones bent nearly sideways.  Dust swirled up from the parking lot, stinging the eyes of the onlookers.

Corbyn offers only angry defiance.  What we need is Kendall's clarity and courage  —  The stakes could not be higher in the Labour leadership election - Britain could become a multi-party democracy where only the Tories can ever win  —  here are a number of reasons why politics around the world is splintering.

Boxing out Biden  —  At fundraiser, Clinton and Obama supporters revel in unity and hope the vice president will take a pass.  —  Getty  —  EDGARTOWN, Mass. - As Joe Biden considers a possible run for president, the donors he'd need to be viable appear to be ruling him out.

With High-Profile Help, Obama Plots Life After Presidency  —  WASHINGTON — The dinner in the private upstairs dining room of the White House went so late that Reid Hoffman, the LinkedIn billionaire, finally suggested around midnight that President Obama might like to go to bed.

An Amazonian's response to “Inside Amazon: Wrestling Big Ideas in a Bruising Workplace”  —  Disclaimer and proviso: “The postings on this site are my own and don't represent Amazon's position in any way whatsoever”.  —  Update: I really appreciate the notes of thanks this post has received, here and on other social media avenues.

Bernie Sanders Has Heard About That Hashtag  —  What is your elevator pitch for socialism?  My elevator pitch is that the United States has a grotesque level of income and wealth inequality where the top one-tenth of 1 percent owns almost as much wealth as the bottom 90 percent …

Chris Christie's presidential run: Time to call it a day, Guv |  Mulshine  —  President Obama and Chris Christie after Hurricane Sandy in 2012 - and right before Obama's re-election: Rand Paul reminded voters of this moment during the first debate.  It's as close to president as Christie will ever get.

How Trump Is Winning Over Conservatives Without the Bona Fides  —  No one plays the music of conservatism better than Trump, which allows him to make crowds go wild without mentioning issues like taxes, the deficit, profligate spending, or abortion.  —  “Keep dropping the truth bomb!” …

Bangkok bomb: Deadly blast rocks Thailand capital  —  A bomb has exploded close to a shrine in the centre of Thailand's capital, Bangkok, killing at least 12 people and injuring dozens more.  —  A second bomb has been found in the area and made safe, officials say.

Republicans Against Retirement  —  Something strange is happening in the Republican primary — something strange, that is, besides the Trump phenomenon.  For some reason, just about all the leading candidates other than The Donald have taken a deeply unpopular position, a known political loser, on a major domestic policy issue.

Price for TSA's failed body scanners: $160 million  —  How bad are the machines at catching threats?  So bad that Sen. Ron Johnson suggests adding metal detectors.  —  Getty  —  It's now becoming clear exactly how many tens of millions of dollars the TSA spent on body scanners …