POLITICO Huddle: WHAT IT WOULD TAKE FOR RYAN TO RUN — Cotton wants Cheney as speaker — Ex-Im makes comeback — BENGHAZI PANEL'S LATEST DRAMA  —  PLAYING HARD TO GET: How do you get the reluctant man from Janesville to run for speaker?  Jake Sherman reports there's but one way: Get the whole House GOP on board.

Obama: Those taking religion seriously are often suspicious of others  —  President Obama lamented the rancorous, divided state of U.S. politics in a wide-ranging interview with Pulitzer Prize-winning author Marilynne Robinson.  —  In the unusual discussion, Obama revealed …

D.N.C. Officer Says She Was Disinvited From Debate After Calling for More of Them  —  Representative Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii, a vice chairwoman of the Democratic National Committee, said she was disinvited from the first Democratic presidential primary debate in Nevada after she appeared on television and called for more face-offs.

South Carolina, Nevada CNN polls find Clinton far ahead  —  (CNN)With Hillary Clinton behind in New Hampshire and holding on to a narrowing margin over Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders in Iowa, new CNN/ORC polls in Nevada and South Carolina suggest Clinton holds strong support in the two states that could prove to be a firewall for her.

Donald Trump strikes sour note at No Labels  —  <p>MANCHESTER, N.H.—The event organizers called for problem-solving and civility, policy substance over sideshows.</p><p> But Donald Trump just couldn't help himself.</p><p>President Barack Obama "bombed" on a recent "60 Minutes" appearance.

Exclusive: Ex-Benghazi investigator alleges Rep. Gowdy violated federal law  —  The legal battle between the House Benghazi Committee and its former investigator, Todd Podliska, escalated Monday afternoon, when Podliska's lawyers alleged that Chairman Trey Gowdy violated government confidentiality rules and federal law.

The Serious Problem with Treating Donald Trump Seriously  —  Media outlets and candidates alike are pondering how to take down Donald.  Michael Kinsley writes that the answer might be quite simple.  —  The trouble with Donald Trump is not, as Jeb Bush and others would have it, that he's not a true conservative from any perspective.

Thresholds of Violence  —  On the evening of April 29th last year, in the southern Minnesota town of Waseca, a woman was doing the dishes when she looked out her kitchen window and saw a young man walking through her back yard.  He was wearing a backpack and carrying a fast-food bag …

Jeb Bush Rolls out Health Plan Aiming to Make Care More Affordable  —  The outline of Bush's plan contains some similarities with the Affordable Care Act.  —  Jeb Bush, like other Republican presidential candidates, is vowing to repeal Obamacare, while making healthcare more innovative and affordable.

Carson: I won't be silenced  —  Ben Carson refuses to be muzzled.  —  Republican presidential hopeful Carson told The Hill in a Monday interview that he has no intention of reining in his rhetoric, despite having attracted weeks of sensational headlines for remarks on everything from guns to religion to the Holocaust.

Milford schools ban Halloween  —  Milford parents and other residents are outraged by the school district's recent decision to ban the popular Halloween parades at the city's elementary schools, due to fear of excluding children who can't or won't participate in the tradition.

Confederate Flag Supporters Indicted in Clash With Black Partygoers  —  DOUGLASVILLE, Ga. — In an unusual legal maneuver, the district attorney in this suburb of Atlanta has won indictments against 15 supporters of the Confederate battle flag, accusing them of violating the state's anti …

The one question that hawks need to answer about Syria  —  Hawks want the United States to intervene in Syria.  They have some good reasons.  But they don't have an answer to this question.  —  The hard-working staff here at Spoiler Alerts has discussed the mess in Syria a lot in recent weeks …

Iranian TV says Post correspondent Jason Rezaian convicted  —  Jason Rezaian, The Washington Post correspondent in Tehran imprisoned for more than 14 months has been convicted in an espionage trial that ended two months ago, Iranian State TV has reported.  —  News of a verdict …

While at State, Clinton chief of staff held job negotiating with Abu Dhabi  —  For the four years that Hillary Rodham Clinton was secretary of state, her longtime friend and adviser Cheryl D. Mills served next to her as chief of staff.  Clinton has said Mills helped her run …