CBS News poll: Trump maintains commanding lead over GOP field  —  Donald Trump (35 percent) continues to hold a commanding lead over the rest of the field, with a 17 point lead over his closest rival, Texas Senator Ted Cruz (18 percent).  John Kasich (11 percent) has now risen to a virtual third-place tie with Marco Rubio (12 percent).

MSNBC's Town Hall With Donald Trump Was Disgraceful  —  The media's coverage of Trump has been soft, insufficient, and without substance.  —  Is Donald Trump in trouble?  After facing hostile questions from Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski Wednesday night—they comprehensively laid out his flip-flops …

Controversy Erupts At A T14 Law School Over How (Or Even Whether) To Mourn Justice Scalia  —  How should one respond to the death of Justice Antonin Scalia, a controversial figure within the law?  One can imagine a range of possible reactions, from mourning and tributes to criticism …

President Obama is going to Cuba.  Here's why:  —  Cuba is only 90 miles from Florida, but for a long time the distance between our two countries seemed a lot greater.  —  For more than fifty years, the United States pursued a policy of isolating and pressuring Cuba.

Oregon Occupier Countersues For $666 Billion, Citing ‘Works Of The Devil’  —  Shawna Cox, one of the last militants to be arrested for occupying an Oregon wildlife refuge last month, has filed a counter-suit against the U.S. government and others in which she alleges “damages from the works of the devil in excess of 666,666,666,666.66.”

How to Break a Party  —  Beginning with the Tea Party wave and continuing through the not-Romney musical chairs of the 2012 Republican primary and the battles over debt limits and fiscal cliffs, most coverage of the Republican Party's internal divisions during the Obama era fell into an easy groove …

Mainstream G.O.P. Field of Three Faces Brutal Delegate Math  —  If the Republican Party remains divided for much longer, it will start getting more difficult for a mainstream candidate to win the nomination.  —  Yet Marco Rubio, Jeb Bush and John Kasich all have incentives to stay in the race …

Outside Groups Warn GOP: Don't Even Think About Holding A SCOTUS Hearing  —  If any Republican senator is thinking about defecting from the GOP's tough line on blocking a Supreme Court nomination until next year, then let them be warned.  Outside conservative groups are preparing to go to war …

Obama ‘Hope’ designer endorses Sanders  —  Artist and activist Shepard Fairey, who designed the iconic “Hope” poster during then-Sen. Barack Obama's 2008 presidential campaign, is backing Democratic presidential hopeful Bernie Sanders.  —  “I'm supporting Bernie Sanders …

Abortion ban linked to dangerous miscarriages at Catholic hospital, report claims  —  Exclusive: Five women suffered prolonged miscarriages, severe infections and emotional trauma at Mercy Health Partners when staff neglected patients' health to uphold religious directives against inducing delivery, report reveals

Apple Unlocked iPhones for the Feds 70 Times Before  —  A 2015 court case shows that the tech giant has been willing to play ball with the government before—and is only stopping now because it might “tarnish the Apple brand.”  —  Apple CEO Tim Cook declared on Wednesday that his company …

Charges Dismissed Against 6 Ex-Employees of Rentboy.com  —  Federal authorities have dismissed charges against six former employees of the website Rentboy.com, while continuing to move forward with a case against the chief executive on counts of money laundering and promoting prostitution …

A note from the editorial director  —  Earlier today, SB Nation posted a story called “Who is Daniel Holtzclaw?” that attempted to find out the backstory of convicted serial rapist Daniel Holtzclaw.  The story focused on his football background in particular.