Senate deals stinging defeat to Obama trade agenda  —  Senate Democrats on Tuesday delivered a stinging blow to President Obama's trade agenda by voting to prevent the chamber from picking up fast-track legislation.  —  A motion to cut off a filibuster and proceed to the trade bill fell short of a 60-vote hurdle, 52-45.

America's Changing Religious Landscape  —  Christians Decline Sharply as Share of Population; Unaffiliated and Other Faiths Continue to Grow  —  The Christian share of the U.S. population is declining, while the number of U.S. adults who do not identify with any organized religion is growing …

Who should save sight of S.C. man who can't afford surgery?  —  Luis Lang, an uninsured resident of Fort Mill, S.C., needs an expensive operation to save his sight.  Ann Doss Helms ahelms@charlotteobserver.com  —  ahelms@charlotteobserver.com  —  To start a lively discussion …

Ex-Bush Aide: Jeb Told Me He Misheard Question About Invading Iraq (VIDEO)  —  Ana Navarro, a former aide to ex-Florida Gov. Jeb Bush (R), said on CNN Tuesday that the potential presidential candidate told her he'd misheard a question about the Iraq War.  —  Navarro, who was Bush's director …

Man saves dog, but gets arrested anyway  —  A man saves a dog from a hot Mustang but was arrested because of how he did it.  The move landed Michael Hammons behind bars.  WXIA  —  CONNECT  —  ATHENS, GA (WXIA) - A man saves a dog from a hot Mustang but was arrested because of how he did it.

U-Va. dean sues Rolling Stone for ‘false’ portrayal in retracted rape story  —  This image is included in a $7.5 million defamation lawsuit against Rolling Stone.  U-Va. associate dean Nicole Eramo argues that an image from the Cavalier Daily student newspaper (left) was turned into an illustration …

Jeb Bush to skip Iowa Straw Poll  —  No Iowa Straw Poll for Jeb Bush.  —  The likely Republican presidential candidate will instead attend a competing event, the RedState Gathering in Atlanta, the day of the Iowa event, GOP sources in Iowa told The Des Moines Register Tuesday.

AOL Has Been in Talks to Spin Off HuffPost as Part of Verizon Acquisition Deal  —  According to numerous sources, while it has been negotiating its deal to sell to Verizon, AOL has also been in advanced discussions with a number of parties to spin off its flagship Huffington Post content unit.

Handicapping a Democratic Takeover  —  The 2016 Senate cycle is shaping up to be the opposite of 2014, with the map heavily stacked against the GOP.  —  The battle for control of the Senate is finally underway and if early indications are correct, Republicans can be no more confident …

More ominous signs of Christian persecution  —  My daughter Aubrey and I arrived in Dallas and our home in Woodbridge on Sunday morning.  We had departed from Palm Beach Gardens Saturday evening after we watched Austen head off for her senior prom — a doggone big deal, dads!

Ben Carson Invokes Dred Scott Decision as Precedent for Ignoring Supreme Court Rulings  —  Republican presidential candidate Ben Carson raised eyebrows last week when he told Newsmax that a potential Supreme Court ruling to legalize same-sex marriage across the country would not have to be implemented …

Days Before Prom in Shelton, Conn., a Dress Code Adds to the Stress  —  SHELTON, Conn. — As surely as flowers bloom, springtime brings prom drama around the country.  The dates, the dancing, the photos, the cost — it is all fraught.  And the dresses.  Oh, the dresses.

Voters Worry Military Exercises May Lead to Federal Control Of States  —  Eight weeks of U.S. military exercises this summer in several southwestern states - dubbed Jade Helm 15 - have some wondering if the government is preparing for martial law.  Most voters don't oppose such exercises …

Obama's Catastrophic Climate-Change Denial  —  MIDDLEBURY, Vt. — THE Obama administration's decision to give Shell Oil the go-ahead to drill in the Arctic shows why we may never win the fight against climate change.  Even in this most extreme circumstance, no one seems able to stand up to the power of the fossil fuel industry.

Rand Paul: Advocates for the Disabled Should Help Brainstorm Ways to Cut Social Security Spending  —  Kinder, gentler, cheaper (maybe).  —  t daveweigel  —  Every election cycle, candidates who want to burnish their fiscal hawk credentials warn that entitlements are going to run out of money.

Late-term abortion ban keeps controversial incest rule  —  Newly unveiled language in the House's late-term abortion bill shows that GOP leaders did not meet all of the demands from members of their party who had opposed an earlier version, keeping in limits on incest-related abortion.

Gov. Scott Walker: 'I don't know' whether Obama is a Christian  —  Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, a prospective Republican presidential contender, said Saturday he does not know whether President Obama is a Christian.  —  “I don't know,” Walker said in an interview at the JW Marriott hotel in Washington …