Bio captures fire and rain, as well as sunshine, in James Taylor’s life

"Sweet Dreams and Flying Machines" chronicles singer-songwriter James Taylor's survival from a decades-long bout with heroin, episodes of depression severe enough for institutionalization and countless bad relationships. After his 2012 re-election, President Barack Obama invited James Taylor to perform at his inauguration.

McCain: Obama a directly responsiblea for Orlando shooting

Republican Sen. John McCain said Thursday that President Barack Obama is “directly responsible” for the mass shooting in Orlando, Florida, because of the rise of the Islamic State group on the president's watch. But he later issued a statement saying that he “misspoke.” “I did not mean to imply that the president was personally responsible.

Terror and the election: What does it mean?

Rainbow flags are held up in front of the White House during a vigil in Washington, D.C., after the worst mass shooting in U.S. history at a gay nightclub in Orlando, Fla., on June 12. Photo by Joshua Roberts/Reuters In an election year that has already passed the abnormal and entered the zone of the surreal, the June 12 terror attack in Orlando, Fla., throws even more uncertainty into the mix. What does it mean for the election? Can we say anything with confidence in a season that has turned predictions upside down? Presidential elections normally feature a battle between two competing visions of government's role - one more liberal, the other more conservative.

Major GOP Super-PAC Donor Won’t Bankroll Trump

A hedge funder who has been one of the biggest sources of super-PAC cash for the GOP appears uninterested in helping Donald Trump. In June 2012, hedge fund manager Paul Singer cut a $1 million check to the organizers of the Republican National Convention in Tampa.

Save benefits promised to coal miners

When President Harry S. Truman was personally negotiating with labor leader John L. Lewis to avert an economically crippling coal strike in 1946, the miners' top priority was not higher wages or more vacation but to improve the deplorable state of health care in the coalfields. They succeeded when Truman signed an agreement promising lifelong health and retirement benefits, paid for by a royalty on coal production.

Obama Democrats Exploit Orlando Shooting for Political Gain

It comes as no surprise that Barack Obama jumped on Omar Mateen's mass shooting in Orlando the way any self-respecting ghoul jumps on a fresh corpse to aid Hillary Clinton's campaign. A real leader would have called out this act of militant "Islamic" terrorism as an act of war against the United States, but Obama chose instead to promote a political agenda .

Donald Trump can revoke press passes, but it won’t change the coverage

Donald Trump has spent much of his presidential campaign lashing out at the press, and it looks like he has a new target. On Monday, Trump said he's revoking The Washington Post's press credentials after the outlet published a story titled "Donald Trump seems to connect President Obama to Orlando shooting."

Coal Firm to Pay Obama Mentor $435,000 to Fight Climate Plan

Peabody Energy Corp. is set to pay President Barack Obama's Harvard Law School mentor $435,000 this year to help the bankrupt coal producer challenge the administration's signature environmental law. The payments to Laurence Tribe, a constitutional law expert and legal icon -- spanning May to December this year -- were disclosed in a legal filing tied to Peabody's bankruptcy proceedings.

Romney loyalists ponder future with Trump

Donald Trump can be an effective president, and he's going to win with you or without you, Republican Chairman Reince Priebus told several hundred of the party's top donors and strategists Saturday. Trump is setting a dangerous example for Americans by promoting 'trickle-down racism,' and the party must look beyond this presidential election to find its future, the 2012 nominee Mitt Romney told the same group later that morning.

Romney loyalists ponder a future with Trump

Donald Trump can be an effective president, and he's going to win with you or without you, Republican Chairman Reince Priebus told several hundred of the party's top donors and strategists Saturday. Trump is setting a dangerous example for Americans by promoting "trickle-down racism," and the party must look beyond this presidential election to find its future, the 2012 nominee Mitt Romney told the same group later that morning.

Sanders’ stay in race hinders Clinton efforts to unify party to win White House?

U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders' refusal to quit the race even after Hillary Clinton won the Democratic nomination could hurt Clinton's efforts to unify the party to win the presidential election, experts said. Clinton earlier this week finally grabbed the number of delegates needed to officially win.

AP Interview: Billionaire Koch Fed up With Politics as Usual

Billionaire Charles Koch, one of America's most influential conservative donors, said he is fed up with the vitriol of the presidential race and will air national TV ads that call on citizens to work together to fix a "rigged" economy that leaves behind the poor. Koch, in a telephone interview with The Associated Press, described Republican Donald Trump and Democrat Hillary Clinton as part of personality politics at its worst.