Paul Ryan: Donald Trump can help make reality of bold House policy agenda  —  When Donald Trump became the Republican Party's presumptive nominee for president one month ago, many Republicans like me faced a big question.  —  Six months earlier, in October, as I was taking the job as House speaker …

CNN has finally figured out how to cover Donald Trump's constant lying  —  Covering Donald Trump is great for ratings, and Trump is unusually willing to appear on cable television at basically all times, which is convenient for the cable networks.  But cable news has often struggled …

Donald Trump Keeps Up Attacks on Judge Gonzalo Curiel  —  The Republican's charge of a ‘conflict’ in case over his university draws criticism from some legal observers  —  Donald Trump on Thursday escalated his attacks on the federal judge presiding over civil fraud lawsuits against Trump University …

Fire chief: 1 dead after Navy Blue Angel jet crash in Smyrna … This photo was taken moments after the crash of a Blue Angel jet outside the Smyrna Airport on Thursday afternoon.  Becca Cullison-Burgess / FOR THE TENNESSEAN  —  1 of 4  —  Last Slide  —  Next Slide

3 Fort Hood soldiers dead, 6 missing after Army truck overturns in flooding  —  FORT HOOD, Texas — At least three soldiers were killed Thursday at Foot Hood in Texas when their truck overturned in a creek, according to the Army.  —  Rescue crews remained on the scene late Thursday afternoon.

Jake Tapper goes off on State Dept. over edited video  —  CNN's Jake Tapper slammed the State Department on Thursday after it admitted that a video of a 2013 press briefing was intentionally edited to remove part of a conversation about the Iran nuclear deal.

Holder on Joe Wilson's outburst: They should have told him to ‘sit the f— down’  —  Recalling Rep. Joe Wilson's 2009 outburst during President Barack Obama's address to a joint session of Congress, former Attorney General Eric Holder didn't mince words regarding the South Carolina congressman.

Mark Cuban: Trump “Appears To Never To Have Met A Lie He Didn't Love”  —  “From what I see today, I think he would be a puppet president.”  —  Billionaire businessman and investor Mark Cuban, who earlier this week questioned Donald Trump's billionaire status, told BuzzFeed News …

Party leads to alleged sexual assault  —  SHEBOYGAN - A 19-year-old Grafton man is facing first degree sexual assault charges after drinking at a party and allegedly threatening to cut a woman if she didn't have sex with him.  —  Anthony J. Zingale, who was also charged with carrying a concealed weapon …

Why Some of the Smartest Progressives I Know Will Vote for Trump over Hillary  —  Why do progressives reject Hillary Clinton?  The highly educated, high-income, finance-literate readers of my website, Naked Capitalism, don't just overwhelmingly favor Bernie Sanders.

Trump's Authentic Republicanism  —  A stray comment by Donald Trump is being taken as his campaign's lodestone, the key to all his beliefs.  Asked what the Republican Party would become under him, he told Bloomberg Businessweek, “You're going to have a worker's party.

President Obama Throws In The Towel On Social Security Reform  —  Since President Obama took office in 2009, the Social Security program's long-term funding shortfall has risen from $5.3 trillion to $10.7 trillion - not what you'd call progress.  I had once hoped that, in the waning days …

EXCLUSIVE: Hillary ‘triggered’ suicide of President Bill Clinton's counsel Vince Foster when she attacked and humiliated him in front of White House staff one week before his death, FBI agents claim  — Deputy White House Counsel Vince Foster shot himself with a .38 caliber revolver …

Haley talks of Trump, Confederate flag ahead of anniversary  —  COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley said Thursday she wishes Donald Trump communicated differently because bad things result from divisive rhetoric, as evidenced by last June's massacre in Charleston.

Landmark California bill would allow prosecution of climate-change skeptics  —  A landmark California bill gaining steam would make it illegal to engage in climate-change dissent, clearing the way for lawsuits against fossil-fuel companies, think-tanks and others that have “deceived or misled the public on the risks of climate change.”

UCLA gunman had accused slain professor of stealing his computer code, sources say  —  Police respond to the UCLA campus after a shooting Wednesday.  (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)  —  The gunman who shot and killed a UCLA professor Wednesday has been identified as Mainak Sarkar …

Why Hillary Clinton Is Avoiding Press Conferences  —  She's playing to her strengths, as any politician would.  —  Pin It  —  Hillary Clinton hasn't held a press conference in 180 days.  That fact hasn't been lost on reporters who cover her, nor has it escaped the notice of her Republican opponent.

The RNC's New Hispanic Media Director Bashed Trump Nonstop For Months  —  After the Republican National Committee Hispanic Media Director left Wednesday because of discomfort with working to elect Donald Trump, the RNC moved quickly to announce a replacement: commentator and journalist Helen Aguirre Ferré.

Police: Woman in Burka attacks Lawrenceville family with American flag  —  LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga. - A family in Lawrenceville said they were attacked by a total stranger just because they were flying an American Flag.  —  Amina Ahra, 30, was arrested on two counts of simple battery after being accused …

Elon Musk believes we are probably characters in some advanced civilization's video game  —  By far the best moment of Recode's annual Code Conference was when Elon Musk took the stage and explained that though we think we're flesh-and-blood participants in a physical world …

Former Mexican President Vicente Fox Challenges Trump To Debate  —  “I'm willing to come here, to come here, to the States, if it's for a debate.”  —  w.soundcloud.com  —  Former Mexican President and noted Trump dogger Vicente Fox challenged Donald Trump to a debate on Thursday.

Analysis Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton in a tight race in California as the campaign batters her popularity  —  California's primary outcome remains difficult to predict, precisely because of the untested nature of Bernie Sanders¿ following.  (Noah Berger (left) / John Locher / Associated Press)