Parkland school cop ‘never went in’ during the shooting.  There were other failures, too.  —  Eight days after mass shooter Nikolas Cruz murdered 17 people inside Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, Broward's top cop on Thursday revealed a stunning series of failures by the sheriff's department.

What Do Jotted Talking Points Say About Trump's Empathy?  —  WASHINGTON — For more than an hour on Wednesday, President Trump listened quietly to entreaties for action, personal stories of grief and loss, and expressions of raw anger, clutching a white notecard with talking points written on it.

Sources: Ex-Trump Staffer Rick Gates to Drop His Lawyer in Russia Probe … Former Trump campaign official Rick Gates has fired his lawyer, The Daily Beast has learned.  And, contrary to recent media reports, Gates is not about to make a deal with the Special Counsel Robert Mueller, according to sources familiar with the matter.

In rare move, national Democrats come out against primary candidate Laura Moser in bid for Culberson's seat  —  The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee on Thursday posted negative research on Democratic congressional hopeful Laura Moser, one of seven Democrats vying to unseat Republican U.S. Rep. John Culberson.

Gov. Greitens indicted for felony invasion of privacy stemming from affair  —  Gov. Eric Greitens was indicted Thursday afternoon by a St. Louis grand jury on a felony charge of invasion of privacy.  —  The charge stems from a 2015 affair and allegations that he threatened to release …

Putin ally said to be in touch with Kremlin, Assad before his mercenaries attacked U.S. troops … A Russian oligarch believed to control the Russian mercenaries who attacked U.S. troops and their allies in Syria this month was in close touch with Kremlin and ­Syrian officials in the days …

An Epidemic of Dishonesty on the Right  —  Enough with the rancid conspiracy theories  —  First it was the Holocaust, now Parkland — is there any act of depravity to which the less respectable right-wing media cannot imagine a connection for George Soros?

The Gun-Control Debate Could Break America  —  A rage more personal than political exists on both sides, and poses real danger to the ties that bind us as a nation.  —  Last night, the nation witnessed what looked a lot like an extended version of the famous “two minutes hate” from George Orwell's novel 1984.

AP sources: Adelson offers to help pay for Jerusalem embassy  —  WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration is considering an offer from Republican mega-donor Sheldon Adelson to pay for at least part of a new U.S. embassy in Jerusalem, four U.S. officials told The Associated Press.

Trump administration to target North Korea with new sanctions on Friday  —  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Trump administration plans to announce on Friday what is being billed as the largest package of sanctions yet against North Korea to increase pressure on Pyongyang for its nuclear …

What Ever Happened To Brendan Fraser?  —  GQ's Zach Baron reports on the stupendous rise and surprising disappearance of the once ubiquitous movie star.  —  Brendan Fraser wants me to meet his horse.  “I got this horse because it's a big horse,” he says, standing in a barn in Bedford, New York.

Poll: Support for stricter gun laws rises; divisions on arming teachers  —  Nearly two-thirds of Americans support stricter laws on gun sales, including an increasing number of Republicans, but the public divides on the idea of allowing more teachers and school officials to carry guns.

Is America a ‘Nation of Immigrants’?  Immigration Agency Says No  —  LOS ANGELES — The federal agency that issues green cards and grants citizenship to people from foreign countries has stopped characterizing the United States as “a nation of immigrants.”  —  The director of United States …

Kasich's team gears up for possible 2020 bid  —  John Kasich's inner circle is gearing up for a possible presidential run in 2020 — actively weighing the prospect of a Republican primary challenge to President Donald Trump against the feasibility of a long-shot general election campaign as an independent.

‘They have had it’: West Virginia teachers strike, closing all public schools … Teachers across West Virginia walked off the job Thursday amid a dispute over pay and benefits, causing more than 277,000 public school students to miss classes even as educators swarmed the state Capitol in Charleston to protest.

Gov. Rauner drinks chocolate milk to demonstrate his commitment to diversity  —  In an awkward onstage appearance this week, Gov. Bruce Rauner drank a glass of chocolate milk to demonstrate his belief in diversity.  —  “It's really, really good,” Rauner said after taking a sip of the sugary drink.

Exclusive: U.S. official focused on election security being shoved aside  —  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The head of a federal agency who has helped U.S. states protect election systems from possible cyber attacks by Russia or others is being removed from his post by Republican House of Representatives Speaker Paul Ryan and the White House.

It's Not All About the NRA  —  In the aftermath of an unspeakable tragedy, like the school shooting at Stoneman Douglas High School in Florida last week, anguish needs to find an outlet.  Students have taken to the streets and the halls of political power demanding an end to the violence.