Prominent Lawyer in Fight for Gay Rights Dies After Setting Himself on Fire in Prospect Park  —  A lawyer nationally known for being a champion of gay rights died after setting himself on fire in Prospect Park in Brooklyn early Saturday morning and leaving a note exhorting people …

Michael Cohen and the End Stage of the Trump Presidency  —  On May 1, 2003, the day President George W. Bush landed on the U.S.S. Abraham Lincoln in front of the massive “Mission Accomplished” sign, I was in Baghdad performing what had become a daily ritual.

Trump tries to appear strong in Syria even as he plans to withdraw … President Trump's approach to Syria seems to be guided by a principle that has shaped so many of his administration's policies during his time in office: Do the opposite of his predecessor.

Starbucks ceo: Reprehensible outcome in Philadelphia incident  —  Dear Starbucks Partners and Customers:  —  By now, you may be aware of a disheartening situation in one of our Philadelphia-area stores this past Thursday, that led to a reprehensible outcome.  —  I'm writing this evening to convey three things:

Trump hits highest approval in a year, but 68 percent of women dislike him personally  —  The thriving economy looks to be bolstering Donald Trump's approval rating — but his personal unpopularity, especially among women, may be putting a ceiling on it.  —  The president remains poorly rated overall …

In his new book, James Comey calls for ‘ethical leadership.’ But does he live up to it?  —  Review of 'A Higher Loyalty: Truth, Lies, and Leadership" by James B. Comey … A HIGHER LOYALTY: Truth, Lies, and Leadership  —  Flatiron Books.  304 pp.  $29.99

A $76,000 Monthly Pension: Why States and Cities Are Short on Cash  —  Governments are struggling as mounting pension obligations crowd out the rest of their budgets.  Oregon faces a severe, self-inflicted crisis.  —  A public university president in Oregon gives new meaning to the idea of a pensioner.

Boise, Idaho, Feels the Growing Pains of a Surging Population  —  Locals cope with rising home prices, traffic; ‘You have to plan ahead for restaurant reservations now’  —  BOISE, Idaho—Laura Johansen has always loved the easiness of life in her hometown: The first-rate hiking and rafting a short drive from her front door.

Anne Frank House banned Orthodox Jewish employee from wearing his skullcap at work  —  A Jewish employee at Anne Frank House could not believe his ears when his bosses banned him from wearing a skullcap at work.  —  Barry Vingerling turned up for work on his first day at the museum in Amsterdam and was told to take off his ‘yarmulke’.

On The Deficit, GOP Has Been Playing Us All For Suckers  —  To say we're all being played by House and Senate Republicans and the Trump administration when it comes to the deficit is my polite way of saying that the GOP is operating the federal equivalent of a huge budget bunco game.

SYRIAN MEDIA: EXPLOSIONS AT IRANIAN BASE NEAR ALEPPO  —  An Iranian military base in Syria was targeted by unidentified aircraft, Syrian media reported late Saturday night.  —  The Iranian base, located in the Jabal Azzan region south of Aleppo, is the largest in the country.

Kentucky governor claims that children were sexually assaulted, used drugs while teachers protested … Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin (R) lashed out against teachers participating in a statewide protest Friday, saying educators exposed some of the “hundreds of thousands” of children to sexual assault and drug use by walking out of class.

Eric Garcetti, presidential long shot, journeys to Iowa, the land of dreams  —  Iowa grows corn, raises hogs and nurtures presidential dreams.  —  The state launched two exceeding long shots, Jimmy Carter and Barack Obama, to the White House, giving each a look and listen …

Leave.EU, Arron Banks and new questions about referendum funding  —  Revealed: Leave donor faces data investigation as first documentary evidence of Cambridge Analytica Brexit ‘work’ uncovered … The Information Commissioner's Office is investigating Leave.EU and its donor Arron Banks …