Kevin McCarthy Drops Out of House Speaker Race  —  WASHINGTON — Representative Kevin McCarthy on Thursday abruptly took himself out of the race to succeed John A. Boehner as House speaker, apparently undone by the same forces that drove Mr. Boehner to resign.

Airman 1st Class Spencer Stone stabbed in chest  —  Airman 1st Class Spencer Stone, who helped take down a gunman on a train in Belgium, was stabbed four times in the chest in Sacramento early Thursday morning, Air Force Times has learned.  —  “A1C Spencer Stone has been transported to a local hospital …

A New Clue Suggests Biden May Run  —  Joe Biden has taken another step toward entering the Presidential race.  —  Representatives of the Vice-President held a meeting this week with Democratic National Committee staffers.  They briefed Biden's aides on arcane but crucial rules …

First on CNN: U.S. officials say Russian missiles heading for Syria landed in Iran  —  U.S. jets diverted away from Russian fighter jet in Syria  —  Washington (CNN)A number of cruise missiles launched from a Russian ship and aimed at targets in Syria have crashed in Iran, two U.S. officials told CNN Thursday.

Ben Carson defends his Oregon gunman comments  —  Washington (CNN)Ben Carson defended on CNN Thursday his controversial comments that he'd rather go down fighting if he were facing a gunman similar to the Oregon college shooting.  —  “To me that doesn't sound like a very controversial thing …

Ben Carson Has Absolutely No Idea What the Debt Limit Is  —  The second-place Republican candidate is even crazier and less informed than the first-place Republican candidate.  —  1.3k  —  1.2k  —  The debt limit is a routine vote that Congress must periodically make to authorize payment on debts the government has incurred.

EXCLUSIVE: U.S. officials conclude Iran deal violates federal law  —  Some senior U.S. officials involved in the implementation of the Iran nuclear deal have privately concluded that a key sanctions relief provision - a concession to Iran that will open the doors to tens of billions of dollars …

This Trans Guy Took A Selfie Every Day For Three Years To Show How His Face Changed  —  “I didn't like looking in the mirror before I started on testosterone.  Now I'm happy with what I see.”  Jamie Raines talked to BuzzFeed News about capturing his transition and transforming his life.

Reducing the Costs of Federal Worker Pay and Benefits  —  The federal government employs 2.1 million civilian workers in hundreds of agencies at offices across the nation.1 The federal workforce imposes a substantial burden on America's taxpayers.  In 2015 wages and benefits …