Donald Trump's ‘kinder, gentler’ version: Kirsten Powers  —  The Donald explains why politics is ‘a crazy business’ and why he never cries anymore.  —  CONNECT  —  Is Donald Trump about to make a pivot toward presidential?  —  In an hour-long interview Thursday in his New York office …

Racially Charged Joke by Hillary Clinton and Bill de Blasio Leaves Some Cringing  —  In less than three minutes, a comedy routine between Hillary Clinton and Mayor Bill de Blasio of New York managed to cause a storm of controversy over a racially charged joke.

After Loss in Colorado, Donald Trump Supporters Give State Chairman an Earful  —  It has been two days since Senator Ted Cruz of Texas swept Colorado's delegates, and Steve House, the chairman of the state's Republican Party, is feeling the wrath of Donald J. Trump's supporters.

The dark side of Guardian comments  —  Hear from three of those writers, explore the data and help us host better conversations online … omments allow readers to respond to an article instantly, asking questions, pointing out errors, giving new leads.  At their best, comment threads are thoughtful …

Court Documents Reveal The Planned Parenthood Shooter's Inspiration  —  Robert Lewis Dear, the man who has confessed to killing three people at a Colorado Planned Parenthood clinic last fall, admired a man who murdered an abortion doctor in Florida in the 1990s, according to court documents that were unsealed this week.

Billionaires fund anti-Trump delegate push  —  First they spent tens of millions trying to boost their favorite presidential candidates, then they poured cash into ads attacking Donald Trump, and now some of the biggest donors on the right are turning their attention to the delegate fight.

Porn Site Bans North Carolina Users Due To State's Anti-LGBT Laws  —  “I think that porn has the power to do what Bruce Springsteen can't.”  —  There's a new kink in North Carolina's LGBT controversy: A popular porn website is banning all computers from “The Tar Heel State.”

NY1/Baruch College Poll: Trump Leads Rivals by 43 Percentage Points  —  Donald Trump has a commanding 43-point lead in the New York Republican presidential primary, and Hillary Clinton has a 13-point advantage in the Democratic primary, according to a NY1/Baruch College poll released Monday night.

Ted Cruz: “The Drudge Report Has Become The Attack Site For The Trump Campaign”  —  “By all appearances, Roger Stone now decides what's on Drudge.”  —  Ted Cruz says the Drudge Report has become propaganda for Donald Trump's campaign.  —  “Drudge Report over the years has done …

Mizzou closes two dorms due to lack of students  —  Following a drop in students applying for housing, the University of Missouri will not be placing students in two dorms for the fall 2016 semester.  —  Mizzou will be closing the Respect and Excellence halls (ironic names, given the circumstances) …

Olivier Blanchard eyes ugly ‘end game’ for Japan on debt spiral  —  Japan is heading for a full-blown solvency crisis as the country runs out of local investors and may ultimately be forced to inflate away its debt in a desperate end-game, one of the world's most influential economists has warned.

TRANSCRIPT: Hillary Clinton meets with the Daily News Editorial Board, April 9, 2016  —  The Daily Editorial Board interviewed Hillary Clinton, Democratic candidate for President, on April 9 in the offices of the newspaper in downtown Manhattan.  —  Daily News: Welcome.

Showdown week for FAA  —  BIG WEEK FOR THE FAA: Senators from both parties are really hoping to close the deal this week on an FAA reauthorization.  But it's already pretty clear that resolving the FAA tax title probably won't happen without some more bumps along the way.

Hundreds Protesting Political System Arrested On Capitol's Steps  —  Police needed most of Monday afternoon to arrest all of the sit-down protesters outside the U.S. Capitol in Washington at a demonstration in favor of changing the rules on political money, voting rights and redistricting.

Christie shows signs of frustration with Trump backlash  —  Gov. Chris Christie hasn't wanted to talk much about Donald Trump in recent days.  —  After answering one question about the Republican presidential candidate, he wouldn't take another.  —  “You get one Trump question a press conference …

Wall Street Wages Double in 25 Years as Everyone Else's Languish  —  Trump, Sanders capitalize on Main Street anger over pay gap  —  Bankers earned five times average for rest of U.S. in 2014  —  Dear Wall Street: Stop complaining about your pay.  —  Five years after Occupy Wall Street protesters took …

Brothers trick sister with zombie attack after wisdom teeth surgery  —  Just a day after National Sibling Day flooded your Facebook feed with happy family photos, three brothers decided to celebrate their sister in a different way.  —  After their younger sister Millicent had her wisdom teeth removed …

Michael E. Kraft: Climate-change deniers deserve punishment  —  Most of us recognize the value of science in dealing with complex problems that pose significant risks to public health and well-being.  —  Thus we expect reputable science to be reported and used in helping us make difficult policy choices …

Denmark, a social welfare utopia, takes a nasty turn on refugees … COPENHAGEN — Lise Ramslog was out for a barefoot amble on the warm day last September that Europe's refugee crisis came to her remote village in southern Denmark.  —  The 70-year-old grandmother had planned a simple stroll.

Tenn. Bill That Lets Counselors Deny Service To LGBT People Heads To Guv  —  The Tennessee state senate on Monday passed a bill that would let counselors reject clients who are gay based on their religious beliefs, sending the legislation to Gov. Bill Haslam (R).

How dark-money donors find accomplices in the government  —  WAVES OF dark money are washing through the country's political system as big donors exploit a trick to get around disclosure laws — creating sham corporations to do the donating for them.  —  Corporations have already channeled …

Hillary Clinton's claim that the ‘highest per capita number’ of crime guns in New York come from Vermont  —  What is a super PAC? … State of the 2016 race … — Hillary Clinton, panel on gun violence, April 11, 2016  —  This Clinton campaign attack on Bernie Sanders's gun record has been a week in the making.