Conservatives cool to Ryan as Speaker  —  Conservatives are not sold on the idea of Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) as Speaker.  —  While top House Republicans are trying to push a reluctant Ryan into the job, on the grounds that he alone can unify the conference, conservative lawmakers gave …

An Incoherent Syria War Strategy  —  The Obama administration's $500 million initiative to train and arm so-called moderate rebels to take on the Islamic State never seemed promising when it was rolled out last year.  Having acknowledged that this plan has failed — largely …

Benghazi committee, under fire, releases more Clinton emails  —  Hillary Clinton used her private email account to pass along the identity of one of the CIA's top Libyan intelligence sources, raising new questions about her handling of classified information, according to excerpts …

Exxon's Climate Concealment  —  CAMBRIDGE, MASS. — MILLIONS of Americans once wanted to smoke.  Then they came to understand how deadly tobacco products were.  Tragically, that understanding was long delayed because the tobacco industry worked for decades to hide the truth, promoting a message of scientific uncertainty instead.

Biden may ditch ‘Draft Biden’ super PAC  —  <p>If Joe Biden runs, it'll likely be without Draft Biden.</p> <p>Two sources familiar with the planning around Biden's potential presidential campaign say the vice president's team believes the existing super PAC — started in the spring …

Should We Bank Our Own Stool?  —  BY last August, my 1-year-old son had taken five courses of antibiotics for recurrent ear infections.  That was alarming.  By age 10, the average American child has had about 10 courses, and some microbiologists argue that even one course a year is too many …

Shia LaBeouf Arrested ... Booked for Public Intoxication  —  ARRESTED  —  Booked for Public Intoxication  —  EXCLUSIVE  —  Shia LaBeouf was arrested in Austin, Texas Thursday ... and witnesses say the actor was blitzed, out of control and disobeyed police.

Moms and Guns  —  It passed with little notice when an 11-year-old boy shot and killed an 8-year-old girl a few days ago in Tennessee — shot her because she wouldn't show him her puppy.  The boy used his family's 12-gauge shotgun to kill the second-grader.

Ben Carson Says Holocaust Would Have Been ‘Greatly Diminished’ if Jews Had Guns  —  Carson has faced scrutiny for multiple statements about guns this week, including a recent story about a robbery in a Baltimore Popeyes  —  Republican presidential candidate Ben Carson told CNN's Wolf Blitzer …

Police searching for gunman who killed freshman at Texas Southern University  —  One student was killed and another person was injured after someone opened fire outside a Texas Southern University dormitory on Friday morning, prompting a lockdown at the Houston school, officials said.

Twitter Is Planning Company-Wide Layoffs for Next Week  —  Jack Dorsey was named permanent CEO of Twitter on Monday, and a big reason he got the job was that as a co-founder, Dorsey isn't afraid to make the tough, necessary decisions.  He isn't wasting much time.

Turkey terror attack: scores killed in twin Ankara blasts  —  Death toll climbs to 86 after blasts in Turkish capital during protests against conflict between state and Kurdish militants  —  More than 80 people have been killed and up to 150 wounded in the deadliest terror attack …