It is disqualifying for a modern-day presidential nominee to refuse to release tax returns to the voters, especially one who has not been subject to public scrutiny in either military or public service.  Tax returns provide the public with its sole confirmation of the veracity …

House GOP warns Ryan to back Trump  —  Washington (CNN)Rank-and-file House Republicans are urging Speaker Paul Ryan to get behind presumptive GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump, warning his resistance could lead to the party fracturing rather than uniting if he withholds his endorsement.

America's Shrinking Middle Class: A Close Look at Changes Within Metropolitan Areas  —  The middle class lost ground in nearly nine-in-ten U.S. metropolitan areas examined  —  The American middle class is losing ground in metropolitan areas across the country, affecting communities from Boston to Seattle and from Dallas to Milwaukee.

George Zimmerman puts gun that killed Trayvon Martin up for auction  —  SALE: One .9-mm pistol — and whatever's left of George Zimmerman's bankrupt soul.  —  The Florida neighborhood watchman who fatally shot unarmed teen Trayvon Martin in 2012 is putting the killer handgun up for auction — and hoping to fetch at least $5,000.

Flashback 2012: Trump Endorses Hillary  —  RUSH: I found the YouTube last night, and I'm gonna play this for you and I'm curious to know how Trump supporters react to this.  Because this is gonna be in an ad, too.  This may end up being an ad.  It may be chopped up and edited into an ad, but it's gonna be an ad.

Producer defends film on Reagan's Alzheimer's  —  A producer linked to a controversial movie about former President Ronald Reagan's Alzheimer's disease says backlash over its subject matter is unfair.  —  “I've never been close to a movie like that where so little information became such a tidal wave …

Harry Reid to Rep. Alan Grayson: ‘I want you to lose’  —  Rep. Alan Grayson angrily confronted Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid on Wednesday, disrupting a meeting of the Congressional Progressive Caucus in front of dozens of staffers and members of Congress.

Glenn Makes Wild Prediction About Trump  —  Donald Trump has faced consistent pressure and scrutiny from Glenn, so his prediction Wednesday on The Glenn Beck Program came as a surprise.  —  “I'm going to make a prediction about Donald Trump,” Glenn said.  “I could say he's going to be the nominee of the Republican Party.

Woody Allen Slapped With Rape Joke at Cannes Opening Night Ceremony  —  “You've shot so many of your films here in Europe and yet in the U.S. you haven't even been convicted of rape,” said Laurent Lafitte  —  French comic Laurent Lafitte helped the 2016 Cannes Film Festival kick off to an awkward start …

Cruz Running for Re-election in 2018 … *Editor's note: This story has been updated throughout.  —  U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, is officially running for re-election in 2018.  —  Cruz filed paperwork Wednesday afternoon to seek a second term, adding some clarity to his political future …

Think Pieces About MEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE And How I Could Possibly Be Wrong  —  I'm tired of reading think pieces about WHY WE ALL THOUGHT DONALD TRUMP WOULD LOSE (I'm looking at you, Chait).  First of all, we all didn't, you and your circle jerk did.  Secondly, I don't care what your prior beliefs about the Republican party were.

Trump: Muslim ban was ‘just a suggestion’  —  Donald Trump has demoted his proposed Muslim immigration ban to a mere “suggestion.”  —  In a radio interview with Fox News' Brian Kilmeade on Wednesday, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee softened his call to temporarily prohibit Muslims from entering the United States.

Italy Approves Same-Sex Civil Unions  —  ROME — After decades of struggle by gay rights groups, and months of contested political negotiations, the Italian Parliament on Wednesday evening gave final approval to a law recognizing civil unions of same-sex couples.

Sanders' California director leaves campaign  —  Bernie Sanders' campaign parted ways with its California state director Michael Ceraso on Wednesday morning, 27 days before the primary in the state that Sanders has repeatedly said is crucial to his effort to capture the Democratic nomination.

Judge Finds Planned Parenthood Shooting Suspect Unfit for Trial  —  COLORADO SPRINGS — A Colorado judge on Wednesday declared the confessed gunman in a shooting rampage last November at a Planned Parenthood clinic here mentally incompetent to stand trial.  Three people were killed and nine were wounded in the attack.

Megyn Kelly Opens Up About Surviving the ‘Ugly’ and ‘Threatening’ Donald Trump Attacks: ‘I Just Wanted It to Stop’  —  When Donald Trump publicly attacked Megyn Kelly a day after she moderated the presidential debate last August, the Fox News host had no idea it would last as long as it did.

A Trump adviser's plan for a multitrillion-dollar budget surplus, explained  —  Speaking at a Pete Peterson Foundation fiscal summit on Wednesday, Donald Trump adviser Sam Clovis said that the Trump campaign's economic program would unleash so much growth that the federal budget surplus …

Billionaire T. Boone Pickens Backs Donald Trump, Muslim Ban  —  LAS VEGAS—Oil billionaire T. Boone Pickens, who previously backed former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush's presidential campaign, on Wednesday endorsed presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump and said he supports the candidate's proposal …

The NYPD Was Systematically Ticketing Legally Parked Cars for Millions of Dollars a Year- Open Data Just Put an End to It  —  New York City is a complex place to drive.  And when it comes to parking, there are plenty of rules and regulations to follow.  It's no wonder that sometimes people …

Cops: Barber Pulled Gun On Man, Told Him He ‘Does Not Cut Black Hair’  —  ROCK HILL, S.C. (AP) — Authorities in South Carolina say a barber with a history of aggressive behavior toward potential customers faces charges for pulling a gun on a man and telling him he “does not cut black hair.”

Michael Ratner, Lawyer Who Won Rights for Guantánamo Prisoners, Dies at 72  —  Michael Ratner, a fearless civil liberties lawyer who successfully challenged the United States government's detention of terrorism suspects at Guantánamo Bay without judicial review, died on Wednesday in Manhattan.