Brandeis University withdraws planned honorary degree for Islam critic Ayaan Hirsi Ali  —  Brandeis University in Massachusetts announced Tuesday that it had withdrawn the planned awarding of an honorary degree to Ayaan Hirsi Ali, a staunch critic of Islam and its treatment of women, after protests from students and faculty.

20 injured in Pittsburgh-area high school stabbings, authorities say  —  (CNN) — At least 20 students were injured Wednesday morning in a stabbing incident at Franklin Regional Senior High School in the Pittsburgh area, said Dan Stevens, an emergency management agency spokesman.

John Boehner Cries at Taco Bell Event  —  On Capitol Hill, Boehner's tears, Kelly Rowland and thousands of tacos.  —  House Speaker John Boehner, seen here in 2010, choked back tears while praising the Boys & Girls Clubs of America at a Taco Bell-related event Tuesday on Capitol Hill.

Sliver of Medicare Doctors Get Big Share of Payouts  —  A tiny fraction of the 880,000 doctors and other health care providers who take Medicare accounted for nearly a quarter of the roughly $77 billion paid out to them under the federal program, receiving millions of dollars each in some cases …

GOP not fazed by paycheck vote  —  Republicans working to improve their image among women aren't worried about suffering a political backlash if they follow through with plans to block the Paycheck Fairness Act.  —  Most Senate Republicans are expected to unite on Wednesday to block the legislation …

Heartbleed security patches coming fast and furious  —  Summary: Fixes for the highly dangerous OpenSSL Heartbleed security hole are arriving now.  Update your servers ASAP.  —  Make no mistake about it.  The OpenSSL Heartbleed security hole is as serious for Internet security as a stage four cancer diagnosis would be for you.

UMass' Derrick Gordon says he's gay  —  Derrick Gordon, a sophomore starter for the University of Massachusetts men's basketball team, stepped forward Wednesday as the first openly gay player in Division I men's college basketball, sharing his story with ESPN and Outsports.

Israel Says It Is ‘Deeply Disappointed’ by Kerry's Remarks on Peace Talks  —  JERUSALEM — In an unusually pointed rebuke of an ally, the United States, Israel said on Wednesday that it was “deeply disappointed” by Secretary of State John Kerry's remarks a day earlier that appeared …

Jim DeMint Asserts The Federal Government Played No Role In Freeing The Slaves  —  Heritage Foundation head Jim DeMint appeared on Vocal Point with Jerry Newcombe of Truth In Action Ministries last week, where he insisted that “no liberal is going to win a debate that big government freed the slaves.”

Mike Huckabee: Not ‘homophobic’ but on the ‘right side of the Bible’  —  (CNN) - Mike Huckabee told an Iowa crowd on Tuesday that he's “not homophobic,” but believing marriage should be between one man and one woman is being “on the right side of the Bible.”

LAPD officers tampered with in-car recording equipment, records show  —  An inspection by LAPD investigators found about half of the estimated 80 cars in one South L.A. patrol division were missing antennas.  —  LAPD Chief Charlie Beck and other top officials learned about officers tampering …

Global Warming Scare Tactics  —  OAKLAND, Calif. — IF you were looking for ways to increase public skepticism about global warming, you could hardly do better than the forthcoming nine-part series on climate change and natural disasters, starting this Sunday on Showtime.

Release Detail  —  April 9, 2014 - New Jersey Bridgegate Probes: Whitewash V. Witch Hunt, Quinnipiac University Poll Finds; Gov. Christie's Approval Is Down, Bully-Meter Is Up  —  Watch Video: Assistant Director Tim Malloy discusses poll results  —  The investigation clearing New Jersey …

Exclusive: U.S. Won't Share Invasion Intel With Ukraine  —  American spies have spotted all the signs of an all-out Russian invasion of Ukraine.  Why won't they tell the Ukrainians about the forces on their border?  —  U.S. intelligence agencies now have detailed information that Russia …

What That RNC Aide's Equal Pay Blunder on MSNBC Says About Her Party  —  It's not Kirsten Kukowski's fault she only had gibberish to spout about workplace gender fairness.  It's the fault of her party and its culture—and the GOP will pay for it with women.

President Obama's persistent ‘77-cent’ claim on the wage gap gets a new Pinocchio rating  —  “Today, the average full-time working woman earns just 77 cents for every dollar a man earns...in 2014, that's an embarrassment.  It is wrong.”  —  In 2012, during another election season …

Clovis: Obama's race shields him from impeachment  —  Hinton Republican, former radio host, says he can talk language of GOP base  —  Republican U.S. Senate candidate Sam Clovis, a firebrand northwest Iowa conservative, says he believes many congressional Republicans want to impeach President Obama.

Defectors likely to make margin on Ryan budget vote razor thin  —  More than 10 Republicans are expected to reject Rep. Paul Ryan's (R-Wis.) budget blueprint, and many others remain undecided.  —  House GOP leaders have expressed confidence they will pass the budget measure …