GOP braces for Pope Francis  —  The pope has become a political football.  —  Republicans want to use Pope Francis's visit to Congress this week — the first-ever by a pontiff — to highlight their opposition to abortion rights.  —  Democrats, meanwhile, hope the pope will lend new momentum …

Carson doubles down on no Muslims in the White House  —  Republican presidential hopeful Ben Carson is standing by his view that a Muslim should not be president of the United States, telling The Hill in an interview on Sunday that whoever takes the White House should be “sworn in on a stack of Bibles, not a Koran.”

Lord Ashcroft's David Cameron biography is the political book of the decade  —  Today we lift the lid on the extraordinary feud between David Cameron and a billionaire Tory donor that has triggered the most explosive political biography of the decade.  —  In the dynamite book …

Poll: Clinton's lead over Sanders grows  — If Joe Biden doesn't enter the race, Clinton's lead would grow to nearly 2-to-1 over Bernie Sanders  —  Washington (CNN)Hillary Clinton's lead in the Democratic presidential primary race has grown — and if Vice President Joe Biden decides to stay …

U.S. Soldiers Told to Ignore Afghan Allies' Abuse of Boys  —  KABUL, Afghanistan — In his last phone call home, Lance Cpl. Gregory Buckley Jr. told his father what was troubling him: From his bunk in southern Afghanistan, he could hear Afghan police officers sexually abusing boys they had brought to the base.

An Unexpected Democratic Revolt  —  The rise of candidates hailing from outside the class of professional politicians has led observers to accurately assess that the mood among average Republican voters is a rather dark one.  Republicans who profess to pollsters their support for candidates …

Scott Walker Mounts a Last Stand in Iowa  —  It's been a thrilling—and harrowing—roller coaster ride for Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker.  —  First, the Republican presidential candidate suddenly rose and broke from the pack with a well-received speech at the Iowa Freedom Summit in January …

Senate records weigh down White House hopefuls  —  The top three Democratic contenders for the party's presidential nomination, if you include Vice President Biden as a runner in that race, all have Senate voting records.  —  In a populist season when everyone wants to be seen as an outsider …

Exclusive: This Is the ISIS Intel the U.S. Military Dumbed Down  —  The intelligence pros said killing certain ISIS leaders might not diminish the group and that airstrikes might not be working.  The bosses didn't like those answers—not at all.  —  Senior intelligence officials …

Jake Brewer, RIP; Update: Memorial educational fund launched  —  It is with great shock and sadness that we offer our condolences and prayers to the family of Jake Brewer, the husband of Mary Katharine Ham, and the father of Georgia and a child on the way, as well as his colleagues and friends at the White House and Change.org.