Heavy burden falls to McConnell  —  Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has a hard road ahead.  —  The Kentucky Republican will have to take the lead later this year on raising the debt ceiling and preventing a government shutdown due to Speaker John Boehner's (R-Ohio) resignation, GOP strategists say.

Bush camp moves to ease donor angst  —  Assessing the state of anxiety on a scale of one to 10, one donor puts the panic level at a ‘six or seven.’ … For the past week, Jeb Bush's campaign advisers have been using a new data point to convince nervous donors that he's still the candidate to beat …

On taxes?  Not so populist  —  Analysis: Trump's plan would benefit the rich, and cost $2-3 trillion  —  On Monday, Donald Trump released his tax plan—for the most part, a classic supply-side approach that would simplify the number of tax brackets and cut the corporate rate to 15 percent.

Donald Trump Is Not Going Anywhere … don't worry about anything," Donald J. Trump told me aboard his 757 as we were flying to the recent Republican debate at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, Calif. He was dividing his attention between the brick-size slice of red-velvet cake …

Rush Limbaugh pans evidence of water on Mars as part of ‘leftist agenda’  —  <p>Flowing water on Mars?  That's just part of the liberal agenda, Rush Limbaugh says. </p><p>The conservative radio talk show host addressed NASA's announcement on Monday that it had found evidence of flowing water …

How Sweden's negative interest rates experiment has turned economics on its head  —  Nordic experimentation with sub-zero interest rates has changed the way central bankers think about fighting recessions  —  It has long been believed that when it comes to interest rates, zero is as low as you can go.

Schumer in talks with Ryan on major tax, infrastructure deal  —  The two, along with Sen. Rob Portman, are trying to hash out a sweeping bipartisan package. … Three years ago, Chuck Schumer called Paul Ryan's plans for deficit reduction a “fraud.”  Now the future Democratic leader wants to cut a deal with him.

NBC/WSJ Poll: Anger Defines 2016 Electorate  —  One word seems to define the American public's mood more than 13 months until Election Day 2016 — anger.  —  According to the new NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll, 62 percent of respondents believe the country is headed in the wrong direction …

Hillary Clinton not sure if Bill Clinton would get West Wing office  —  Hillary Clinton isn't sure if former President Clinton would have an office in the West Wing if she is elected president.  —  “He's a pretty busy guy, I don't know anything like that,” Hillary Clinton …

Fiorina Pops the Liberal Bubble  —  It has been impossible to miss the shift in tone among liberals when criticizing Carly Fiorina.  The timbre of their opposition to the surging Republican candidate has evolved from dismissive and aggravated disappointment to disproportionately seething rage.

“They Told Me It Never Happened” … TRENDING  —  Lara McLeod never wanted to report her rape.  In those first few hours, the 19-year-old was barely able to put what had happened to her into words.  Joaquin Rams, Lara's older sister's fiancé, had forced Lara to have sex with him …

A small town in Slovakia held a vote on accepting refugees; 97 percent said no.  —  GABCIKOVO, Slovakia — The next act of the European refugee crisis will unfold in little places like this one, where hundreds of Syrian war refugees are coming to live in a town that just voted by overwhelming numbers to oppose their stay.

Daughter of actor Paul Walker files wrongful-death suit against Porsche  —  The teenage daughter of actor Paul Walker has filed a wrongful-death suit against Porsche AG, claiming defects in the car that the 40-year-old star of “The Fast and the Furious” franchise rode in when he was killed in a fiery crash nearly two years ago.

Question for Hillary?  Leave it below-\-\she'll be back soon to start a live Facebook Q&A on everything from health care to college affordability.  —  ***Thanks for joining me, Facebook.  Let's do this!  -H

Why Robert Mugabe just shouted “We are not gays” in his UN speech  —  Robert Mugabe, the 91-year-old leader of Zimbabwe, deviated slightly from his prepared remarks, during his Monday evening address to the United Nations General Assembly, to do something that he does frequently: slur against homosexuality.