Virginia KKK Leader Endorses Trump: ‘What He Believes In, We Believe In’ (VIDEO)  —  In a sit-down interview with a Richmond news station, the Imperial Wizard of the Rebel Brigade Knights of the Ku Klux Klan said Republican presidential frontrunner Donald Trump is his candidate for President.

Protesters storm Iraqi parliament in Baghdad  —  BAGHDAD — Protesters stormed Iraq's parliament on Saturday, bursting into the capital's fortified Green Zone, where other key buildings, including the U.S. Embassy, are located.  —  Live footage on Iraqi television showed swarms of protesters …

If Trump is nominated, the GOP must keep him out of the White House  —  Donald Trump's damage to the Republican Party, although already extensive, has barely begun.  Republican quislings will multiply, slinking into support of the most anti-conservative presidential aspirant in their party's history.

Trump Gains On Clinton, But Both Have Sky-High Negatives: IBD/TIPP Poll  —  Riding on a string of big victories in the presidential primaries, Donald Trump has not only extended his lead against his GOP rivals, but also he has gained ground against Hillary Clinton, according to the latest IBD/TIPP Poll.

Trump supporter attacks Muslim woman with ‘unknown liquid’ after cops fail to act: activists  —  DON'T MISS STORIES.  FOLLOW RAW STORY!  —  The Council on American-Islamic relations (CAIR) is calling for police in Washington D.C. to preserve video of what was described as an attack …

Clinton: I can handle men who go ‘off the reservation’ … Democratic presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton  —  says she has experience dealing with men who “get off the reservation” like GOP front-runner Donald Trump  —  “I have a lot of experience dealing with men who sometimes get off …

Indiana Campaign Dispatch Part 2: Ted and Carly Sittin' in a Tree...  My next stop on the Hoosier State campaign trail was South Bend, where Ted Cruz and his fellow pervert Carly Fiorina were holding a rally at the Century Center.  If I had any doubt about the Cruz campaign being in panic mode, the rally would have crushed it.

The most underappreciated fact of the election: Americans feel good about the economy … In an election season about voter anger, one important thing is underappreciated: voter optimism.  And in particular, optimism about the economy.  —  “Wait, what?” you may be thinking.

I�M THE A—HOLE?  —  IM THE A—HOLE?  At the lobby at the Washington Hilton at the DNC winter meetings, I headed over to a conversation between political columnist Roger Simon and former DNC Chairman Don Fowler of South Carolina.  (Not to be confused with Donnie Fowler, his son, who ran for DNC chair in 2004.)

African-American Leader: Trump's Message “Resonates” With Black Voters (VIDEO)  —  African-American Attorney Nikki Johnson-Huston defended Donald J. Trump and his supporters this week in an article at The Huffington Post titled “Trump 2016: In Defense of the White Working Class Voter.”

Insults and Ads: How Gender Hurts Trump but Doesn't Lift Clinton  —  Donald Trump thinks Hillary Clinton is playing “the women's card.”  But evidence suggests that if anything is making gender a potent issue in this campaign, it's Mr. Trump's words, not Mrs. Clinton's.  —  How do we know?

Prosecutors: Chicago cop was shot when fleeing suspect tossed gun  —  Rafael Martir-Ubiles, 25, is charged in the shooting of a Chicago police officer April 25, 2016.  —  A suspect fleeing police tried to throw his gun onto a roof, but it hit a wall instead and went off, hitting an officer in the shoulder, prosecutors said Thursday.

Racist Trump Fan Arrested With Stockpile Of Pipe Bombs After Threatening Obama  —  John Martin Roos, 61, repeatedly threatened to kill President Barack Obama in regular racist rants on Twitter and Facebook.  —  Senior Justice Reporter, The Huffington Post  —  WASHINGTON — A fanatical …

Republicans who vow to never back Trump  —  A number of prominent Republicans are vowing to never back Donald Trump  —  even as he closes in on the GOP presidential nomination.  —  The “Never Trump” ranks include lawmakers, party operatives, pundits and GOP donors — and the movement even sparked a popular hashtag on social media.

Wow.  Glenn Beck Admits He Blew Half a Million Stumping for Ted Cruz (Video)  —  Glenn Beck admitted today he lost almost half a million dollars traveling around giving sermons with Ted Cruz.  —  Beck posted the video today on The Blaze website: … That was a bust.

Live updates from California Republican Party convention: Trump arrives for lunch speech as protests get more intense  —  Welcome to a special edition of Essential Politics, our live feed from the California Republican Party convention in Burlingame.  Here's a quick glance at the agenda.