Trump threatens to pull out of next GOP debate  —  <p>A Republican National Committee conference call to discuss plans for the Oct. 28 GOP debate with top advisers to the presidential campaigns spiraled into chaos Thursday afternoon as Donald Trump threatened to pull out of the debate …

Strong El Niño sets the stage for 2015-2016 winter weather  —  Forecasters at NOAA's Climate Prediction Center issued the U.S. Winter Outlook today favoring cooler and wetter weather in Southern Tier states with above-average temperatures most likely in the West and across the Northern Tier.

Why Talk of “Tyranny” Is Dangerous  —  So here was Ted Cruz' calm and reflective observations about the first Democratic presidential debate, as conveyed to an Iowa audience (per the Dallas Morning News' Todd Gillman): … I'm guessing a lot of observers hear this sort of thing and just shrug …

X-Rated Audio Shocks Customers At San Jose Target Store  —  SAN JOSE (KPIX 5) — Shoppers at a Target store in San Jose stopped in their tracks Wednesday morning when a sexually explicit recording began blaring over the store's public address system.  —  Chris Minor, who was shopping …

THE DRONE PAPERS … DRONES ARE A TOOL, not a policy.  The policy is assassination.  While every president since Gerald Ford has upheld an executive order banning assassinations by U.S. personnel, Congress has avoided legislating the issue or even defining the word “assassination.”

Top Party Official Accuses Democratic National Chairwoman of Lying and Questions Her Leadership  —  R. T. Rybak, the former mayor of Minneapolis and a vice chairman of the Democratic National Committee, on Thursday accused the party's leader, Representative Debbie Wasserman Schultz …

Carson puts public campaign events on hold  —  GOP presidential candidate Ben Carson is stepping away from the campaign trail to promote his new book, “A More Perfect Union,” according to ABC News.  —  The network reported late Wednesday that Carson is scheduled for over 20 private fundraisers during …

Graham: Dem debate ‘made me sick’  —  Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) said late Wednesday that the first Democratic presidential debate was nausea-inducing.  —  “It made me sick,” he told host and Family Research Council President Tony Perkins on the organization's “Washington Watch” radio broadcast.

Huckabee Suggests Poor People Should Be Sold Into Slavery For Stealing  —  The United States criminal justice system could be improved if we sell poor people convicted of crimes into slavery, according to Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee.  —  The former Arkansas governor weighed …

Wayne Simmons, recurring Fox News guest, charged with lying about CIA ties  —  Wayne Simmons, a recurring guest on Fox News who claimed to have 27 years of experience with the CIA, was arrested Thursday after being indicted by a federal grand jury on charges that he lied about his service.

Dennis Hastert Reaches Plea Deal in Bank Withdrawals Case  —  CHICAGO — J. Dennis Hastert, the small-town wrestling coach who rose to political power as the longest-serving Republican speaker of the House, intends to plead guilty as part of an agreement in a case where he is accused …

New York Times staffer tweets, deletes ‘F— you’ to Bush  —  <p>A New York Times news assistant tweeted and then deleted a “F— you Jeb Bush” message Wednesday night after the Republican candidate delivered public remarks about dealing with poverty.</p><p>Bush spoke at a New Hampshire town hall …

Bernie Sanders rejects CEO Martin Shkreli's campaign donation  —  WASHINGTON — The man who has become the public face of rising drug prices says he has donatedto presidential candidate Bernie Sanders — who has been bashing Big Pharma on the campaign trail — to try to get a meeting so the two can talk it out.

“Arabian Street Artists” Bomb Homeland: Why We Hacked an Award-Winning Series  —  What's wrong with Homeland's political message?  The very first season of “Homeland” explained to the American public that Al Qaida is actually an Iranian venture.  According to the storyline …

The State Department Clown Car Makes Things Worse In the Middle East  —  Palestinians have launched at least 28 attacks on Israeli Jews over the past week, leaving seven dead and more than 70 wounded.  These attacks, mostly using knives while a few involved guns or motor vehicles …

South Korea?  Trump's ‘Where Are You From’ Moment  —  This week, a seemingly benign Q&A turned into an awkward cultural moment on the presidential campaign trail.  —  Joseph Choe, a Harvard student, stood up to ask Donald Trump a question about South Korea at the No Labels Problem Solver Convention in New Hampshire on Monday.

Oakland Gospel Choir Draws Nuisance Complaint, Faces $500 A Day Fine  —  OAKLAND (KPIX 5) - Those who love Gospel music refer to it as “joyful noise” and it is anything but quiet.  —  “The music of the church reveals the life of the church, the enthusiasm of the church,” said Michael Wright, pastor at Solid Rock Baptist Church.

Jeb's Medical Records  —  Alberto A. Mitrani, M.D.  —  Internal Medicine  —  Health Status Summary  —  John Ellis (Jeb) Bush  —  Date of Birth: 02.11.1953  —  This health statement is provided at the request of John E. Bush and it summarizes his medical history.

The Pluto system: Initial results from its exploration by New Horizons  —  1Southwest Research Institute, Boulder, CO 80302, USA.  —  2Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO 80303, USA.  —  3National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) …

What Do We Really Know About Osama bin Laden's Death? … Mark Bowden was watching a ballgame — the Phillies versus the Mets — on the night of May 1, 2011, when the network cut away to President Obama in the East Room of the White House.  “Tonight,” the president said …

I Got Syria So Wrong  —  I spent early 2011 trying to ease tensions between Syria and its neighbors.  I never predicted the brutality that would come from inside.  —  Getty  —  Now and then I am asked if I had predicted, way back in March 2011 when violence in Syria began …

Walker's Campaign Spent Heavily Before its Collapse  —  Campaign finance report shows that the famously frugal governor ended his campaign with enough money to pay the bills.  —  McCormickJohn  —  Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker's now-ended Republican presidential bid was spending almost …