Cruz booed after not endorsing Trump in RNC speech Read Story Patrick Svitek, The Texas Tribune

JULY 20: Sen. Ted Cruz delivers a speech on the third day of the Republican National Convention on July 20, 2016 at the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio. CLEVELAND - Ted Cruz, in a highly anticipated speech at the Republican National Convention, offered no direct support for presidential nominee Donald Trump, setting off a furious reaction as he told delegates to vote their conscience in November.

Absent during protests, Baton Rouge mayor is more visible

Baton Rouge Mayor Kip Holden listens during a news conference regarding the shooting of police officers in Baton Rouge, La., Monday, July 18, 2016. Multiple police officers were killed and wounded Sunday morning in a shooting near a gas station in Baton Rouge, less than two weeks after a black man was shot and killed by police in the city, sparking nightly protests across the city.

Trump, Clinton Told Can’t Win White House Without Black Vote

Civil rights activists frustrated by police slayings of blacks across the nation are looking to flex their voting power to push for reforms. The continued alarm over how police treat black men has been a major focus of the five-day NAACP national convention that was wrapping up Wednesday for thousands of participants in Cincinnati.

And then there were two? Hillary Clinton appears to have narrowed down choices for running mate

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack and Senator Timothy Kaine of Virginia have emerged as the leading candidates among a longer list of finalists Hillary Clinton is considering to be her vice-presidential running mate, according to interviews with multiple Democrats with knowledge of her deliberations. Although her list is not limited to those two, Clinton has spoken highly of both in recent days to friends and advisers as she closes in on an announcement that could come as soon as Friday.

Obama tapes television ad for Murphy’s Senate campaign

U.S. Rep. Patrick Murphy of Florida will begin airing his first Senate campaign television ad, a 30-second spot featuring President Barack Obama . Obama says Murphy is a strong progressive who stands up to the gun lobby and supports social security and protecting women's right to an abortion.

The Anti-Cop President

Any hopes that the nation's first black president could uplift the nation's black underclass went up in smoke Sunday when Barack Obama doubled down on his blaming of America's police for the recent cop massacres that amount, as Heather Mac Donald rightly says, to a war on cops. I argued two decades ago in The Dream and the Nightmare that changes in elite culture during the 1960s had a catastrophic effect on the most disadvantaged Americans in ghetto neighborhoods.

Failed Turkey coup attempt poisons relations with US

The failed coup attempt in Turkey and President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's firm crackdown on the alleged plotters have aggravated ties between Washington and Ankara, already poisoned by the war in Syria and human rights issues. Although they are NATO allies and officially partners in the fight against the Islamic State group, the United States and Turkey have seen their relations take an icy turn in recent months.

The Michelle Obama Speech Melania Trump Is Accused of Cribbing

Donald Trump's campaign chairman, Paul Manafort, denied allegations that the former model and Trump's third wife lifted Monday night's speech from the first lady's, saying such an act would be "crazy." "There's no cribbing of Michelle Obama's speech," Manafort told Chris Cuomo on CNN's "New Day."

Obama, Erdogan discuss status of cleric Gulen in call

WASHINGTON: President Barack Obama and Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan discussed the status of U.S.-based cleric Fethullah Gulen, blamed by Turkish authorities for masterminding a recent failed coup, during a call on Tuesday, the White House said. The Turkish government has filed material in electronic form about Gulen with the U.S. government, which has been waiting for a formal extradition request, White House spokesman Josh Earnest said.

Safety, security take stage in Pennsylvania’s US Senate race

Public safety issues including terrorism, illegal immigration and gun violence are shaping Pennsylvania'a closely watched U.S. Senate race. Republican incumbent Pat Toomey and his Democratic challenger Katie McGinty also are striving to show unity with police in response to the killings of officers in Dallas and Baton Rouge.

Obama to police: Thanks for serving, ‘we have your backs’

President Barack Obama says the nation will get through the recent killings of police officers with the "love and empathy of public servants" like the ones who were targeted in recent days. In an open letter to the nation's law enforcement officers, Obama said overcoming will also require resilience, the grace of loved ones and the good will of activists.

Striking Similarities: Passages from Melania Trump’s convention…

Melania Trump's speech Monday to the Republican National Convention has come under fire as it appears that two of the passages are strikingly similar to the speech first lady Michelle Obama gave in 2008 at the Democratic National Convention. The passages in question focus on lessons that Melania Trump, the wife of presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, said she learned from her parents and the relevance of their lessons in her experience as a mother.

Melania Trump ignites GOP convention after gloom, turmoil

By JULIE PACE and ALAN FRAM Associated Press CLEVELAND - After a harsh primary, Republicans kicked off Donald Trump's general election campaign with a warm and personal validation from his wife, Melania Trump, who emotionally assured GOP convention delegates and voters across the country that the brash candidate has the character and determination to unite a divided nation "If you want someone to fight for you and your country, I can assure you, he is the guy," Mrs. Trump told delegates in her highest profile appearance of the presidential campaign. But her well-received address was marred by two passages with similarities to a speech first lady Michelle Obama delivered at the 2008 Democratic convention.

Some Melania Trump speech lines mirror Michelle Obama speech

CLEVELAND >> Melania Trump's well-received speech Monday to the Republican National Convention contained two passages that match nearly word-for-word the speech that first lady Michelle Obama delivered in 2008 at the Democratic National Convention. The passages in question focus on lessons that Mrs. Trump, the wife of presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, said she learned from her parents and the relevance of their lessons in her experience as a mother.

Melania Trump speech paints a ‘kind and fair’ Donald Trump

Melania Trump's star turn at the Republican National Convention Monday night captivated a GOP crowd that had rarely heard from her through months of her husband's tumultuous 2016 White House campaign. Her speech also drew attention after the discovery that two passages of her remarks matched nearly word-for-word the speech that first lady Michelle Obama delivered in 2008 at the Democratic National Convention.

Media coverage highlights of GOP’s first night

It's a far different experience watching an hour of coverage on the ABC, CBS or NBC broadcast networks or the almost unlimited amount of time on the cable networks or PBS. Melania Trump's speech about her husband was the centerpiece of the 10 p.m. hour when the broadcasters were on the air, and it consumed much of their attention.