Poll: Fiorina Wins Debate, Trump Still Leads  —  Former Hewlett Packard CEO Carly Fiorina won Wednesday's second Republican presidential debate, according to voters who watched the Simi Valley showdown polled by Morning Consult.  —  It was a performance that vaulted Fiorina into the top tier of a crowded field.

Trump drops out of Heritage event after birther backlash  —  Donald Trump canceled his appearance Friday evening at a major campaign stop for the GOP presidential field in South Carolina as he faces criticism from both Republican and Democratic candidates over his failure to address claims …

Vatican Disputes White House Guest List for Papal Visit  —  Invitations to transgender activists, first openly gay U.S. Episcopal bishop and activist nun to White House event prompt pushback  —  On the eve of Pope Francis's arrival in the U.S., the Vatican has taken offense …

Last night I went to a bar on Mackinac Island for the GOP Mackinac Conference.  I ran into a guy named Rich Beeson, who frankly I didn't even know who it was at first because he isn't relevant in our political world.  Anyway, he is Marco Rubio's national campaign manager.

Lawyer: Clerk may have interfered with order on gay marriage  —  OWENSBORO, Ky. (AP) — A Kentucky county clerk may have again defied a federal judge's order by altering marriage license forms to remove her name, according to an attorney that represents one of the clerk's employees.

House votes to freeze federal funding for Planned Parenthood  —  The House on Friday voted along party lines to freeze federal funding for Planned Parenthood after weeks of escalating tension surrounding its use of fetal tissue.  —  In a 241-187 vote, nearly all Republicans …

New: 87 Deceased NFL Players Test Positive for Brain Disease  —  A total of 87 out of 91 former NFL players have tested positive for the brain disease at the center of the debate over concussions in football, according to new figures from the nation's largest brain bank focused on the study of traumatic head injury.

Obama to nominate first openly gay service secretary to lead the Army  —  President Obama, in a historic first for the Pentagon, has chosen to nominate Eric Fanning to lead the Army, a move that would make him the first openly gay civilian secretary of one of the military services.

What Is Hillary's Greatest Accomplishment?  —  <p>"If you want to stump a Democrat, ask them to name an accomplishment of Hillary Clinton," Carly Fiorina quipped at Wednesday's Republican debate.  The line got hearty applause—but it also cut to the core of one of the defining lines of attacks …

Football Players Who Blindsided Ref Say They Were Following Coach's Orders  — Shares-  —  Play

Court strikes down DC gun regs in mixed ruling  —  The nation's second most influential court handed a partial win to Dick Heller on Friday in a case challenging Washington, D.C.'s gun laws.  —  Heller is best known for winning a landmark Supreme Court case in 2008, in which the court ruled 5-4 …

WATCH: Anderson Cooper Loses His Cool With Trump Supporter On-Air  —  CNN host Anderson Cooper got heated with a Donald Trump backer Thursday night, losing his famously calm disposition when the guest tried to explain Trump's remarks about Muslims at a campaign event.

Finger-Pointing, but Few Answers, After a Syria Solution Fails  —  WASHINGTON — By any measure, President Obama's effort to train a Syrian opposition army to fight the Islamic State on the ground has been an abysmal failure.  The military acknowledged this week that just four or five American-trained fighters are actually fighting.