Chaffetz enters speaker's race, pans McCarthy  —  <p>Rep. Jason Chaffetz has officially launched his dark-horse campaign for House speaker, arguing he's a better choice to unite the fractious Republican conference and that Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy lacks the communication skills …

Polls: Trump Still Leads in IA and NH, But Loses Ground  —  Donald Trump remains ahead in the early Republican nominating contests of Iowa and New Hampshire, but his lead has shrunk from a month ago, according to brand-new NBC News/Wall Street Journal/Marist polls of these two states.

Biden Backs Transgender Military Service As US Considers Policy  —  WASHINGTON (AP) — Vice President Joe Biden is throwing his unequivocal support behind letting transgender people serve openly in the U.S. military, as the Obama administration considers whether and when to lift the longstanding ban.

She was a conservative pundit.  He was a liberal activist.  At home, none of that mattered.  —  It was so Washington, the way they met.  She was on the dais at a panel discussion on media and politics, holding forth knowledgeably; he was in the audience, smitten.

McCain: GOPers' Use Of Derogatory Language Is Hurting The Republican Party  —  Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) said Sunday that the Republican presidential candidates who use — or don't correct — those who use derogatory language are hurting the GOP's chances at the White House.

Trump: Teachers with guns could have prevented Oregon shooting  —  Republican presidential frontrunner Donald Trump said armed teachers could have protected the students who were killed in a mass shooting at a community college in Oregon this week.  —  “This is in light of what's gone on in Oregon …

Clinton mocks Trump in SNL premiere  —  <p>For the first time since her 2008 presidential campaign, Hillary Clinton on Saturday evening returned to the set of “Saturday Night Live," starring in a skit as “Val,” an easy-to-talk-to barkeep giving advice to the former secretary of state …

The Curious Case of Oregon Shooter Chris Harper-Mercer - A Social Media Profile Shaped, Modified and Deleted...  The Oregon Shooter is a 26-year-old black male.  —  Birth Certificate Name is: Christopher Sean Mercer - 07/26/1989.  —  Mother: Laurel Margaret Harper - 04/05/1951 Dad: Ian Bernard Mercer - 05/15/1960

A New Way to Tackle Gun Deaths  —  We've mourned too often, seen too many schools and colleges devastated by shootings, watched too many students get an education in grief.  It's time for a new approach to gun violence.  —  We're angry, but we also need to be smart.

Supreme Court Prepares to Take On Politically Charged Cases  —  WASHINGTON — The last Supreme Court term ended with liberal victories, conservative disarray and bruised relations among the justices.  The new one, which starts on Monday, marks the start of Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr.'s second decade …

Guns, Campuses and Madness  —  Austin, Tex. — I'M not sure if this meets the exact definition of irony, but it definitely meets the exact definition of insanity:  —  Across the country, there's so much concern for college students' emotional safety that some schools add “trigger warnings” to novels and other texts.