Why I'm Supporting Bernie Sanders  —  NO decision we make as Americans more dramatically affects the direction of our country than our choice for president.  He or she is more than the manager of the executive branch, commander in chief or appointer of judges.

Cruz likely to block Trump on a second ballot at the GOP convention  —  What's the deal with the Colorado GOP convention?  —  What is a super PAC? … State of the 2016 race … Republican presidential candidate Ted Cruz is close to ensuring that Donald Trump cannot win the GOP nomination …

In the Republican Primary: Donald Trump for President  —  Donald Trump is the father-in-law of the Observer's publisher.  That is not a reason to endorse him.  Giving millions of disillusioned Americans a renewed sense of purpose and opportunity is.  —  Explaining the phenomenon …

NBC Poll: Trump, Clinton Lead in Maryland  —  Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton hold big leads in Maryland two weeks before the state's presidential primary election, according to a new NBC 4/Marist poll released Tuesday night.  —  Among likely Republican voters, Trump holds a 12-point lead …

Trump won't attend White House dinner  —  says he will not be attending this year's White House Correspondents' Association dinner, despite receiving a flurry of invitations from the media.  —  Trump attended the annual dinner in 2011, only to have President Obama poke fun at him repeatedly in his comedy routine.

Cruz's message to Wall Street: Help me  —  NEW YORK — This Monday, assorted bankers, traders and Wall Street lawyers will gather inside the neo-Georgian walls of the Harvard Club in midtown Manhattan to write big checks to an unlikely recipient: Ted Cruz.  —  Cruz, who attended Harvard Law School …

Sam Brownback declares war on Kansas: This is how extremists gut a state — and democracy  —  The ultraconservatives take control, with an assist to ALEC and no concern for the people  —  It's not uncommon to see developments named after what they displace or sometimes destroy.

I Used to Support Bernie, but Then I Changed My Mind  —  I have a variety of concerns about both candidates' campaigns.  But I intend to vote for Hillary Clinton in the California primary for one fundamental reason.  —  By ,  —  A maze of political signs for Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton in Charleston, South Carolina.

Fast-Food Eaters Have More Industrial Chemicals in Their Bodies  —  Would you like phthalates with that?  —  People who reported eating fast food in the last 24 hours had elevated levels of some industrial chemicals in their bodies, according to a new analysis of data from federal nutrition surveys.

Hillary Clinton Responds to Bernie Sanders' Remark That She's “Condescending” to Young People  —  “I'm excited that so many young people are involved in this campaign.”  —  While on the campaign trail in Las Vegas, a young girl asked Hillary Clinton, “If you're elected the girl president …

FBI paid professional hackers one-time fee to crack San Bernardino iPhone  —  The FBI cracked a San Bernardino terrorist's phone with the help of professional hackers who discovered and brought to the bureau at least one previously unknown software flaw, according to people familiar with the matter.

Regulators Set to Reject Some Big Banks' ‘Living Wills’  —  J.P. Morgan, other firms to receive not credible verdict from Fed, FDIC  —  WASHINGTON—Regulators are set to reject the so-called living wills of at least half of the U.S.'s systemically important banks, including J.P. Morgan Chase & Co. …

Paul Ryan Is Not Running for President _ or Passing a Budget  —  House Speaker Paul Ryan's national stature is such that he had to call a news conference to deny he wants to be president.  Back on Capitol Hill, he's about to blow through a statutory deadline to pass an annual budget, a major embarrassment for him and House Republicans.

Team Clinton: Sanders ‘rigging the system’ with quest for superdelegates  —  's presidenital campaign on Tuesday accused Bernie Sanders  —  of “rigging the system” by seeking to pick-off the superdelegates that have already pledged their support to Clinton.

Obama to forgive the student debt of permanently disabled people  —  The Obama administration plans to forgive $7.7 billion in federal student loans held by nearly 400,000 permanently disabled Americans.  —  By law, anyone with a severe disability is eligible to have the government discharge their federal student loans.

Senators: NBA should move All-Star Game out of North Carolina  —  Six senators are calling on the NBA to move the league's 2017 All-Star game out of North Carolina due to the state's new law that bars anti-discrimination protections for gay and transgender people - adding …

WOW!  Glenn Beck: Nobody Can Understand the Moses-Like Burden Ted Cruz Carries (VIDEO)  —  What the hell?  —  Glenn Beck endorsed Senator Ted Cruz before the Iowa Caucuses and has been campaigning for the former Canadian for several weeks.  —  Radio host Glenn Beck told his audience …

White House demands Maryland super PAC pull Senate ad  —  The White House is wading into one of the hardest-fought Democratic primaries in the country — to tell one side to stop invoking the president on its behalf.  —  In an unprecedented and forceful move, President Barack Obama's administration …

Chicago police must face ‘hard truths’ about racist past, task force draft report says  —  Lori Lightfoot, left, and Sergio Acosta, center, of the Chicago Police Accountability Task Force, listen to comments during a community forum at the South Shore Cultural Center in Chicago on Feb. 11, 2016.