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 …

The FBI's revenge  —  Back in December, President Trump tweeted: “After years of Comey, with the phony and dishonest Clinton investigation (and more), running the FBI, its reputation is in Tatters - worst in History!  But fear not, we will bring it back to greatness.”

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.

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 …

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:

Poll shows Democrats have midterm intensity advantage, but no ‘knockout’ yet  —  WASHINGTON — An advantage in intensity — against President Donald Trump and for voting in November — is fueling Democrats ahead of the midterm elections that take place more than six months from now …

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’.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Federal judge keeps hold on Trump transgender troop ban  —  A federal judge ruled late Friday that the injunctions put in place to halt President Trump  —  's ban on transgender members of the military should remain in place.  —  U.S. District Judge Marsha Pechman of the Western District …