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Trump More Than Doubles National Lead in NBC/WSJ Poll — CHARLESTON, S.C. — Donald Trump has more than doubled his national lead in the Republican presidential race ahead of Thursday night's GOP debate here, according to the results from a new NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll.
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Florida Politics, Business Insider, Bloomberg Business, Political Wire, The Last Refuge, The Resurgent, Vox and American Power
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ANALYSIS: Republican Debate Shows What Donald Trump Has Already Won — Donald Trump may yet lose the Republican presidential nomination, and Thursday night's debate offered hints of the fights that could make that possible. — But the first GOP debate of 2016 revealed the extent to which Trump has already won.
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Associated Press, 6abc.com, Taylor Marsh, Bloomberg Business and Politico

Trump-Cruz Rivalry Intensifies in Rollicking GOP Debate — The rivalry between the Republican Party's two leading candidates for president intensified in Thursday's debate, which featured the most rollicking action to date. — Yet rising tensions between billionaire businessman Donald Trump …


Bill Maher: We Must Stop ‘Evil’ Ted Cruz Before It's Too Late — The host of HBO's Real Time, which returns Friday, on why he's scared of Cruz, and the ‘underage hookers’ scandal that could sink Hillary Clinton's campaign. — For the past month and change, there's been a void …
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Raw Story, New York Times, Yahoo Politics, Hunter Walker, The Week, Washington Post, Vox, Mediaite and The Resurgent


Rand Paul: GOP is turning into 'the old white man's party' — Sen. Rand Paul (Ky.) says the GOP is at risk of turning into “the old white man's party.” — “I think it's important that the Republican Party not be seen as a party that's not welcoming and that [doesn't] want new people,” …
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ABC News, Politico, The Week, Yahoo Politics, Washington Post and The Bob and Chez Show

The POLITICO Wrongometer
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Trump and Cruz Fiercely Clash in Opening of Republican Debate
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Politico, NPR, New York Sun, Hot Air, New York Post, Bloomberg View and RedState

Exclusive: RNC member urges party to rally against Trump
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Mediaite

The 12 biggest moments of the GOP debate
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Vanity Fair, John Hawkins' Right Wing News, ABC News, Bloomberg View, Bloomberg.com, The Gateway Pundit, CNN and Mediaite

GOP debate: Trump-Cruz ‘bromance’ is over
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The Other McCain, Shark Tank, Yahoo Politics, National Review, The Week, Daily Kos, Washington Post, KFOR-TV and New York Times

Have Republicans Given Up on Fighting Donald Trump?
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No More Mister Nice Blog, Washington Post and Vox

Cruz explains what he meant by Trump's ‘New York values’
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Yahoo Politics, Bloomberg.com and Mashable

The New Donald Trump Anthem You Have to Hear
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6abc.com, Yahoo Politics and Mediaite

Cruz slams New York Times ‘hit’ on undisclosed bank loans
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Bloomberg Business, Bloomberg.com and The Hill

Why I Will Never Vote for Donald Trump
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Bloomberg Business, The Moderate Voice and EPIC JOURNEY

Trump's Image Among Democrats, Independents Most Negative of Any GOP Candidate
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Political Wire and Politico

Yes, Ted Cruz Did Disclose That Loan, the New York Times Just Didn't Report It
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Vox, Washington Post, Raw Story, WPRI-TV, New York Times and Townhall.com

Running second makes Cruz everyone's target at GOP debate
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Althouse, The Week, New York Times, NBC News and Politico

Marine Corps helicopters collide off Haleiwa; search on for survivors — EDITOR'S NOTE: This post is preliminary and items may change as more information becomes available. — (CNN/KHON2) — Two U.S. Marine Corps CH-53 helicopters collided off the North Shore of Oahu late Thursday, according to the U.S. Coast Guard.
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Washington Post and WATE-TV
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Glenn Beck Confronts Rand Paul For Questioning Cruz's Eligibility In Brutal Interview — “If you're not a constitutional scholar, if you're not a constitutional expert, then what the hell are we voting for you for,” Beck said to Paul. — Alex Wong / Getty Images — w.soundcloud.com
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The Resurgent
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Marco Rubio seeks to dismiss court challenge to his eligibility to be president — Donald Trump in Pensacola on Wednesday night continued to question Canadian-born Ted Cruz's eligibility to be president, wondering if Cruz were to win the nomination and a court ruled against him, “What do you do?
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addictinginfo.org, Daily Mail, Talking Points Memo, Daily Kos and The Bob and Chez Show

Paul's plan: Ditch debate, get more media
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PoliticusUSA, Business Insider, ABC News, AOL, RedState and Mediaite

Statement from Primates 2016 — Today the Primates agreed how they would walk together in the grace and love of Christ. This agreement acknowledges the significant distance that remains but confirms their unanimous commitment to walk together. — The Primates regret that it appears …


Search is on for mysterious Powerball winner — Powerball players return to Chino Hills 7-Eleven, where one person purchased one of three winning Powerball tickets. — The search was on Thursday for the winner of the record Powerball jackpot, which was purchased in Chino Hills.
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Slantpoint, Daily Mail, KRON4.com, KRQE-TV, WBAY-TV and WISH-TV

Hillary Clinton's national lead is slipping faster in 2016 than it did in 2008 — In 2008, Hillary Clinton saddled up for the Kentucky Derby on a thoroughbred that was a sure thing. Her campaign was the finest colt in Kentucky, at odds that barely made it worth betting on her.

Lindsey Graham to endorse Jeb Bush for president — CHARLESTON, S.C. — Senator Lindsey Graham will endorse former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush for president this morning, according to two sources familiar with the plans. — Graham, a hawkish South Carolina senator and influential foreign policy voice …
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Business Insider and Daily Kos


6th Republican debate transcript, annotated: Who said what and what it meant — Seven candidates participated in Thursday's 2016 presidential debate in North Charleston, S.C.: Donald Trump, Ben Carson, Sen. Marco Rubio (Fla.), former Florida governor Jeb Bush, Sen. Ted Cruz (Tex.) …
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Informed Comment, Slantpoint, The Week, Mother Jones and Politico