Chaffetz enters speaker's race, pans McCarthy  —  <p>Rep. Jason Chaffetz has officially launched his dark-horse campaign for House speaker, arguing he's a better choice to unite the fractious Republican conference and that Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy lacks the communication skills …

Polls: Trump Still Leads in IA and NH, But Loses Ground  —  Donald Trump remains ahead in the early Republican nominating contests of Iowa and New Hampshire, but his lead has shrunk from a month ago, according to brand-new NBC News/Wall Street Journal/Marist polls of these two states.

Ore. Shooter's Dad: If He Hadn't Had Access To The Guns, It Wouldn't Have Happened  —  Ian Mercer, the father of the man who shot and killed nine people and injured nine others at a community college in Oregon last week told CNN Saturday that, had gun laws prevented his son from accessing the guns, the incident wouldn't have happened.

Biden to announce 2016 decision within days: report  —  Vice President Joe Biden is expected to announce whether he will run for president in the next seven to 10 days, according to CBS News.  —  Two of the three sources CBS News cited said the vice president is leaning toward running.

She was a conservative pundit.  He was a liberal activist.  At home, none of that mattered.  —  It was so Washington, the way they met.  She was on the dais at a panel discussion on media and politics, holding forth knowledgeably; he was in the audience, smitten.

Clinton mocks Trump in SNL premiere  —  <p>For the first time since her 2008 presidential campaign, Hillary Clinton on Saturday evening returned to the set of “Saturday Night Live," starring in a skit as “Val,” an easy-to-talk-to barkeep giving advice to the former secretary of state …

Trump: Teachers with guns could have prevented Oregon shooting  —  Republican presidential frontrunner Donald Trump said armed teachers could have protected the students who were killed in a mass shooting at a community college in Oregon this week.  —  “This is in light of what's gone on in Oregon …

McCain: GOPers' Use Of Derogatory Language Is Hurting The Republican Party  —  Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) said Sunday that the Republican presidential candidates who use — or don't correct — those who use derogatory language are hurting the GOP's chances at the White House.

Supreme Court Prepares to Take On Politically Charged Cases  —  WASHINGTON — The last Supreme Court term ended with liberal victories, conservative disarray and bruised relations among the justices.  The new one, which starts on Monday, marks the start of Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr.'s second decade …

A New Way to Tackle Gun Deaths  —  We've mourned too often, seen too many schools and colleges devastated by shootings, watched too many students get an education in grief.  It's time for a new approach to gun violence.  —  We're angry, but we also need to be smart.