Donald Trump's Muslim Ban Somehow Got Worse  —  Donald Trump told a Wisconsin town hall on Wednesday that his proposed ban on Muslims entering the United States would have an exception for the billionaire's rich friends.  —  “I have actually—believe it or not, I have a lot of friends …

Central Texas mother allows children to get tattoos  —  A Central Texas mother was taken into custody after allowing her young children to be tattooed.  Police say the mom was intoxicated at the time and let her boyfriend's brother do the work.  Now the three children each have tattoos on their ankles.

Seventh Person Dies from Fentanyl Overdose in Sacramento County  —  A seventh person has died of a fentanyl overdose in Sacramento County.  —  Family confirms that Jerome Butler, who was in a coma with liver and kidney failure after taking a fentanyl pill, was taken off life support on Wednesday afternoon.

GOP nears the breaking point  —  The presidential primary has been a wrenching experience for the GOP so far — and it's about to get even worse.  —  and John Kasich have all backed away from their pledge to support the party's eventual nominee, foreshadowing a fight at the convention …

Citrus Heights Police Need Help Identifying Serial Peeper, Sex Assault Suspect … It's the police sketch giving Citrus Heights residents the creeps — a man police are looking for in a sexual assault investigation.  —  “I don't know.  He looks really creepy,” resident Brianna Rowland said.

Michelle Fields Abandons Apartment Over Safety Concerns After Fox, BuzzFeed Publish Personal Info  —  Ex-Breitbart reporter Michelle Fields said Wednesday she had temporarily moved out of her D.C.-area apartment over safety concerns after Fox News and BuzzFeed accidentally published her address online.

Metro could shut down entire rail lines to do extended maintenance, board chair says  —  Metro's top officials warned Wednesday that the transit system is in such need of repair that they might shut down entire rail lines for as long as six months for maintenance, potentially snarling thousands …

35 years later: John Hinkley, Jr., closer to living permanently in Hampton Roads  —  John Hinckley, Jr., may soon accomplish something no other man has.  Never has anyone shot an American president, and then walked the streets, full-time, as a free man.  —  “I don't think anyone who owned …

FBI agrees to help Arkansas prosecutors open iPhone after hack of San Bernardino device  —  Apple appears to have gained a momentary reprieve in the tech industry's sparring with the government over encryption technology.  (Mark Lennihan / Associated Press)

Revealed: how Associated Press cooperated with the Nazis  —  German historian shows how news agency retained access in 1930s by promising not to undermine strength of Hitler regime  —  The Associated Press news agency entered a formal cooperation with the Hitler regime in the 1930s …

DID YOU SEE THIS AMAZING VIDEO??  It was taken by visitor Tina Dorschel on the Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary boardwalk early Monday morning.  (Please be warned, there is a curse word at the end!)  —  This gorgeous # Floridapanther seems to have unexpectedly found himself cornered while traveling around …

AJAM's David Shuster Exclusive: Hillary Clinton to be Interviewed by FBI Director Comey in Coming Days  —  Al Jazeera America may be shutting off the lights permanently soon, but that doesn't mean reporters like David Shuster aren't continuing to go about their business until the final gun sounds.

Climate Model Predicts West Antarctic Ice Sheet Could Melt Rapidly  —  For half a century, climate scientists have seen the West Antarctic ice sheet, a remnant of the last ice age, as a sword of Damocles hanging over human civilization.  —  The great ice sheet, larger than Mexico …

Trump would be least-popular major-party nominee in modern times … If Donald Trump secures the Republican presidential nomination, he would start the general election campaign as the least-popular candidate to represent either party in modern times.  —  Three-quarters of women view him unfavorably.

How we can make our vision of a world without nuclear weapons a reality  —  Barack Obama is president of the United States.  —  Of all the threats to global security and peace, the most dangerous is the proliferation and potential use of nuclear weapons.  That's why, seven years ago in Prague …

The Electoral College: The Only Thing That Matters  —  It's a long way to November, but for the moment the GOP is an underdog  —  We live in a post-factual era.  Thanks to the Internet and social media, which mix informed and uninformed views in equal measure, the old rule …

Trump releases letter confirming tax audit  —  campaign on Wednesday released what appears to be a letter from the Republican presidential front-runner's tax attorneys saying that his tax filings since 2009 are currently being audited.  —  “Your personal tax returns have been under continuous examination …

Barney Frank Is Not Impressed by Bernie Sanders  —  “Bernie Sanders has been in Congress for 25 years with little to show for it.”  —  Barney Frank, the former Massachusetts Congressman who retired from the House of Representatives in 2013, is perhaps best known for a bill that carries his name …

Emanuel to ban city travel to North Carolina in gay rights flap  —  Mayor Rahm Emanuel is issuing an executive order banning official city travel to North Carolina.  —  And, seeking to gain from a flap over the rights of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered people there …