High school graduation rate hits record high of 83.2 percent

The nation's high school graduation rate has reached a record 83.2 percent, continuing a steady increase that shows improvement across all racial and ethnic groups, according to federal data released Monday. President Barack Obama welcomed the higher rate as good news, but the gains come against a backdrop of decreasing scores on national math and reading tests.

Who is more Catholic than whom?

To hear the many howls of protest from conservatives, you'd think a handful of emails released by WikiLeaks demonstrates Hillary Clinton's campaign is a nest of anti-Catholics. Fortunately for her, the emails, which are 4 to 5 years old, tell a far more interesting tale about the struggles inside the Catholic Church in the period before the ascendancy of Pope Francis.

Caught on Tape: Democratic Election Official Admits, ‘There is a Lot of Voter Fraud’

Before we get to this hidden camera video from James O'Keefe, I'd like to make an important point. I've been disturbed by the number of Republican voters who tell pollsters that they're prepared to blame a Donald Trump loss on fraud or a " rigged " vote count, as opposed to Trump receiving fewer votes than Hillary Clinton.

It’s Federal Disaster Relief, Stupid: Could Matthew Affect the Vote in Florida? 16 minutes ago

Hillary Clinton is in Miami today to visit a state swept by Hurricane Matthew that is already feeling climate change on a regular basis. Her trip is part of a years-long trend of political leaders devoting more and more attention to weather disasters.

Trump threatens to jail Clinton if he wins election

Donald Trump on Sunday night issued a remarkable threat against Hillary Clinton, telling the Democratic presidential nominee he would seek to imprison her if he was elected next month. "If I win, I am going to instruct my attorney general to get a special prosecutor to look into your situation," Trump said, "because there has never been so many lies, so much deception."

Clinton upsetting life in the old boys club

As the news stories pile up about police shootings of black men in the U.S., there can no longer be any doubt about the country being deeply rooted in racism. As Hillary Clinton said, when she addressed a black church in Charlotte, North Carolina, "Because my grandchildren are white a they won't face the kind of fear that we heard from the young children testifying before your city council."

Some Republicans urge ticket-splitting for Clinton

Since then, he's been a reliable backer of Republican presidential nominees, including both presidents Bush, Bob Dole and Mitt Romney. The software engineer from Matthews isn't a fan of Hillary Clinton, the Democratic nominee, but he insists she would make a more reasonable president, especially on foreign affairs, than Trump.

Nader: Clinton and Trump ‘both flunk’

Ralph Nader, who ran for president in 2000 as a Green Party candidate, said that Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump "both flunk" when it comes to being viable options for the White House. "If it's a choice between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump, do you see much difference between the two?" CNN's Anderson Cooper asked Nader Wednesday on "AC360."

As Trump, Duterte and Putin prove, respectful leaders are in short supply today

Paul Letters says the animosity seen in the current US presidential race is reflected in the lack of civil leadership styles elsewhere Last week, a heartfelt hug between Michelle Obama, wife of the current US Democratic president, and former Republican president George W. Bush demonstrated the warmth between the two first couples and went viral. Meanwhile, millions of viewers in the US - and more online around the world - tuned in to the first presidential debate of 2016, anticipating animosity between the two candidates, Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton.

Come Watch the West Wing Debate Episode With Us

This week's presidential debate! It was a something, right? Since presidential debate season is upon us , this time around we're taking a slight detour from films: For our next Political Theater segment, we'll watch a " Game On ," the debate episode of The West Wing . "Game On" finds President Bartlet running against the George W. Bush-esque Governor Ritchie, and the episode contains, for my money, everything I love to hate-and hate to love-about The West Wing : blithe partisanship, broad-brush treatments of complicated public policies, optimistic institution porn, characters delightfully pranking each other.

From the CIA to the GFE

The United States needs to shift its spending from war to education, from CIA-backed regime change to a new Global Fund for Education . With hundreds of millions of children around the world not in school, or in schools with under-qualified teachers, a lack of computers, large class sizes, and no electricity, many parts of the world are headed for massive instability, joblessness, and poverty.

Top Republicans voting for Hillary Clinton

In a prime-time address at the Democratic National Convention, the billionaire made the case that Clinton is the best choice for moderate voters in 2016. "I will vote for Hillary, I will talk to my Republican friends about helping her, and I will donate to her campaign and try to raise money for her," Whitman told The New York Times .

Michelle Obama, George W. Bush hug, social media loves it

SEPTEMBER 24: President Barack Obama watches first lady Michelle Obama embracing former president George Bush, accompanied by his wife, former first lady Laura Bush, while participating in the dedication of the National Museum of African American History and Culture September 24, 2016 in Washington, DC, before the museum opens to the public later that day. The museum is a Smithsonian Institution museum located on the National Mall featuring African American history and culture in the US.

‘I’ve got stuff to do!’ Whoopi Goldberg says she’s ‘probably not’…

Sometimes a hug is all it takes: Michelle embraces George W Bush as President Obama opens up the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History with a rousing call for unity Did Macy's murderer stash his rifle before killing five people? Surveillance pictures appear to show 'Hispanic' gunman enter mall WITHOUT a weapon as police say there is no evidence of terrorism 'How is this not classified?' Obama used a code name to talk with Hillary on her personal email, as new FBI records reveal that even her top aide Huma was shocked by unsecure messages 'I've got stuff to do!' Whoopi Goldberg says she's 'probably not' returning to The View after season 20 No selfies, no calling her Kate and no hats after 6.30pm: Polite Canadians issue etiquette guide on how to greet Duke and Duchess of Cambridge Some stories do have a happy ending: Devoted couple married for 62 years are reunited after ... (more)