Shooting Survivor: CNN Gave Me “Scripted Question” After Denying Question About Armed Guards  —  Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School student Colton Haab said he was approached by CNN to ask a question at Wednesday night's town hall but decided not to after the network gave him a “scripted question,” quashing one he wrote himself.

McMaster could leave WH after months of tension with Trump  —  Washington (CNN)With tensions flaring between President Donald Trump and national security adviser Lt. Gen. H.R. McMaster, the Pentagon is considering options that would allow the President to potentially move the three-star general …

Bernie blames Hillary for allowing Russian interference  —  Bernie Sanders on Wednesday blamed Hillary Clinton for not doing more to stop the Russian attack on the last presidential election.  Then his 2016 campaign manager, in an interview with POLITICO, said he's seen no evidence …

Margaret Brennan Named Host of ‘Face the Nation’ on CBS  —  WASHINGTON — Margaret Brennan, the senior foreign affairs correspondent for CBS News, will be the next moderator of “Face the Nation,” the network's prestige Sunday morning public affairs show and one of the most influential venues in American politics.

Video delays misled cops at Stoneman Douglas shooting  —  Sun Sentinel  —  Nearly a half-hour after Nikolas Cruz dropped his rifle and fled Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, police thought they were seeing him live on security cameras, still in the building.  They were actually seeing images tape-delayed.

Florida House approves bill to post “In God We Trust” in all public schools  —  With the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High shooting still looming large, its students in the Capitol to lobby for gun controls, the Florida House overwhelmingly passed a measure Wednesday its sponsor said aimed at bringing “light” to the schools.

Warriors to spend part of D.C. trip with local kids, as they won't be heading to White House  —  OAKLAND, Calif. — With President Donald Trump tweeting last September that a White House invitation for the Golden State Warriors was “withdrawn,” the reigning NBA champs have decided …

Fueled by a Democratic surge, Texans turn out in force on first day of early voting  —  AUSTIN — Of the 51,249 Texans who cast ballots Tuesday on the first day of early voting, more than half voted in the Democratic primary.  —  The total number of voters from 15 of the state's largest counties is high for a midterm year.

NRA opposes new age limits on gun purchases  —  The National Rifle Association (NRA) said Wednesday it opposes any new legislation that would put age restrictions on firearm purchases.  —  “We need serious proposals to prevent violent criminals and the dangerously mentally ill from acquiring firearms …

Trump-appointed judge who donated to campaign refuses to recuse himself from dossier matter  —  A Trump-appointed federal judge who donated to the Trump campaign and worked on his presidential transition team has rejected requests to recuse himself from overseeing a legal battle involving Fusion GPS …

Apple Plans Upgrades to Popular AirPods Headphones  —  Company working on water resistance, more Siri integration  —  Apple CFO says wearables revenue rose almost 70% last year  —  Apple Inc., seeking to bolster its wearables business, is working on upgrades to its wireless AirPods headphones …

Ohio student dies after shooting himself in school bathroom, officials say  —  The Ohio student who apparently shot himself with a gun in his school bathroom on Tuesday has died, officials announced Wednesday.  —  The deceased seventh grader, from Jackson Memorial Middle School …

Free Speech and the Necessity of Discomfort  —  This is the text of a lecture delivered at the University of Michigan on Tuesday.  The speech was sponsored by Wallace House.  —  I'd like to express my appreciation for Lynette Clemetson and her team at Knight-Wallace for hosting me in Ann Arbor today.

A superintendent threatens to suspend students protesting gun laws.  But that's not legal. … The superintendent of a Texas public school district is drawing harsh criticism after issuing a written threat Tuesday to suspend any students who take part indemonstrations about gun violence after the school shooting in Florida last week.

Pot smoking vs. spousal abuse: Security clearance double standard alleged  —  From speeding to pot smoking to, in one case, ownership of a Canadian brewery, rank-and-file government employees often see their security clearances challenged, denied or revoked for issues they consider relatively minor.

Black History Month Menu at N.Y.U.: Kool-Aid, Watermelon and Controversy  —  On Tuesday, a dining hall at New York University advertised a special meal in honor of Black History Month.  On the menu?  Barbecue ribs, corn bread, collard greens, and two beverages with racist connotations: Kool-Aid and watermelon-flavored water.

U.S. Colleges Are Separating Into Winners and Losers  —  Schools that struggle to prepare students for success losing ground; ‘The shake-out is coming’  —  Concord University in West Virginia and Clemson University in South Carolina were both founded shortly after the Civil War.

MSNBC's Stephanie Ruhle connects the dots in latest Mueller indictment to tie Trump directly to Putin  —  On Wednesday, MSNBC anchor Stephanie Ruhle laid out how special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation is becoming “clearer by the indictment.”  —  Tuesday's guilty plea …

Trump Steers Right-Wing Summit on Populist Path Blazed in Europe  —  Stars of U.K., French nationalist movements to address CPAC  —  Annual gathering of conservatives often signals GOP direction  —  President Donald Trump has pushed the Republican Party toward a European-style populism …

Security Alert - U. S. Embassy Podgorica, Montenegro (February 22, 2018)  —  Event: The U.S. Embassy in Podgorica advises U.S. citizens there is an active security situation at the U.S. Embassy in Podgorica.  Avoid the Embassy until further notice.  —  Actions to Take:

Arctic temperatures soar 45 degrees above normal, flooded by extremely mild air on all sides … While the Eastern United States simmers in some of its warmest February weather ever recorded, the Arctic is also stewing in temperatures more than 45 degrees above normal.

Community Resource Officer Called to “Back Lot”  —  Jefferson County Sheriff's Deputy Neil Gardner soon would complete his second year as the uniformed community resource officer assigned to Columbine High School.  Gardner, a 15-year veteran of the Sheriff's Office, normally ate his lunch …