Jeb crams, Donald scrams  —  Bush plans ‘intense’ debate prep, others study up, while Trump visits Scotland.  —  After a week mostly away from the campaign trail, Jeb Bush will hunker down with top advisers for what aides described as “intense debate preparation” starting this weekend in Miami.

MSNBC cancels three shows amid transition  —  MSNBC has formally decided to cancel three programs — “The Cycle,” “Now with Alex Wagner” and “The Ed Show” — as part of a larger effort to shift its daytime lineup away from opinion programming, network sources told the On Media blog on Thursday.

A Pro-Life Opportunity  —  In the wake of the undercover videos showing Planned Parenthood's involvement in the trafficking of aborted baby tissue and body parts, the U.S. Senate has scheduled a vote to defund Planned Parenthood.  It's a fine first step by Congress in response to the horror revealed …

Donald Trump: Number one with Hispanics and expecting to win  —  POLITICKING WITH COTTON CANDY: The early caucus state of Iowa's famed annual state fair turns into a political showcase every fourth year as candidates in party primaries vie for the kind of attention a helicopter can easily deliver

State Department to Release Next Load of Hillary Clinton E-Mails  —  The State Department is set Friday to post online its next batch of e-mails that Hillary Clinton sent and received on a personal account while she was secretary of state.  —  Communications with former department officials …

Star Of Bloomberg's Trump Supporter Vid: Wait, I'm No Trump Supporter!  —  Bloomberg Politics' “With All Due Respect” won the morning Thursday with a boffo focus group of New Hampshire Trump supporters singing The Donald's praises as a “classy” commander-in-chief in waiting who is definitely …

The G.O.P.'s Crowded Stage  —  ANYBODY not running for president?  —  It seems as if every Republican politician and some who aren't really politicians or even Republicans — that's Donald J. Trump, for one — are gleefully jumping into the most expensive, demanding and demeaning process available without an indictment.

Sanders vows no third-party run in 2016  —  Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) says he will not run for president as an Independent if he falls short in his bid to secure the Democratic 2016 nomination.  —  Speaking at the Newseum in Washington on Thursday, Sanders said that if he ran a third-party campaign …

Ky. man arrested after shooting down $1800 drone hovering over sunbathing daughter  —  A Kentucky man shot down an $1800 drone hovering over his sunbathing daughter and was then arrested and charged with first degree criminal mischief and first degree wanton endangerment.

With Debate and Convention, G.O.P. Looks to Reclaim Ohio in 2016  —  CLEVELAND — When 17 presidential contenders converge on Cleveland to debate on Thursday, not a few party leaders will be shuddering at the prospect of a scene out of “The Hunger Games.”  Or perhaps a duel of insults dominated by Donald J. Trump.

Letter to the New York Times' Dean Baquet  —  Dear Mr. Baquet:  —  I am writing to officially register our campaign's grave concern with the Times' publication of an inaccurate report related to Hillary Clinton and her email use.  —  I appreciate the fact that both you and the Public Editor …

Child Found Unresponsive in Feces Covered Home in Gray Court  —  The Laurens County Sheriff's Office has arrested 25-year-old Savanah Morgan of Gray Court after they found her child unresponsive in a feces filled home with dead animals.  —  Deputies responded to a residence on Martins Lake Road …

Santa Cruz: Disturbing details emerge about suspect, how Maddy Middleton died  —  SANTA CRUZ — When they first got word that he was a murder suspect, those who watched 15-year-old Adrian Jerry “A.J."Gonzalez grow up before their eyes at the Tannery Arts Center held out hope.

James Woods Sues Twitter User for $10 Million Over “Cocaine Addict” Accusation  —  The actor files a defamation lawsuit against an individual who replied to his tweets about Barack Obama and Caitlyn Jenner.  —  Incivility on social media seems to be a regular occurrence …

Brent Moulton: (202) 606-9606  —  National Income and Product Accounts  —  Gross Domestic Product: Second Quarter 2015 (Advance Estimate); Includes Historical Revisions  —  Real gross domestic product — the value of the production of goods and services in the United States …

The Fox News GOP Debate Could Draw the Biggest Audience in Cable News History — and Roger Ailes Is Making All the Rules  —  “Crazy stuff!  You have a TV executive deciding who is in — and out — of a presidential debate!  ”  —  Shares

Fraternity brothers sue Rolling Stone as top editor resigns  —  Share Tweet Reddit Digg Mail Print SMS More  —  Three members of the fraternity accused in a now-retracted Rolling Stone article of facilitating a brutal gang rape are suing the magazine, its publisher and the author.

Harley an awkward ride for ‘union-busting’ Republican Walker  —  For Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker, there's something awkward about the Harley-Davidson motorcycles that he has been posing on at presidential campaign stops: each one bears a sticker on its frame that reads “Union made in the USA.”

U.S.-Trained Anti-ISIS Commander Kidnapped in Syria  —  BAGHDAD — The commander of a group of Syrian fighters trained by the United States has been kidnapped by Al Qaeda's affiliate in Syria, his group said in a statement Thursday.  —  The commander, Nadeem Hassan, and seven of his fighters …