House Democrats see new tactic to set agenda

House Democrats wrested control of the national spotlight Wednesday, leading a sit-in on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives, chanting over Speaker Paul Ryan, all for gun control -- one of the most intractable issue in Congress. And even with the sit-in's end Thursday afternoon -- without action on gun control -- the fight over the issue isn't over, Democrats say.

The Latest: House GOP says electronic devices still banned

In particular, leaders told rank-and-file lawmakers that they are barred from using electronic devices to display audio or video recordings of House proceedings or take pictures on the House floor. Democrats openly flaunted those rules throughout a sit-in that lasted until early Thursday.

FBI releases partial transcripts of calls with Orlando shooter

The FBI released a partial transcript Monday of conversations between gunman Omar Mateen and Orlando police during his deadly rampage at Pulse nightclub June 12, in which Mateen called himself an Islamic soldier and refused to cooperate with hostage negotiators. The transcript, which includes a 50-second phone conversation with police, sheds light on the deadliest mass shooting in modern American history.

The Camp Pendleton-based I Marine Expeditionary Force

Marines investigated for alleged threat to gay bars Social media post saying, "Coming to a gay bar near you," appeared to reference Orlando. Check out this story on lcsun-news.com: http://usat.ly/24VxFJK The Camp Pendleton-based I Marine Expeditionary Force is investigating two active-duty Marines after a social media post appeared to threaten gay bars in the wake of the gay nightclub shooting in Orlando on Sunday, June 12, 2016.

Orlando killer posted on Facebook during attack, raged of ‘filthy ways of the West’

Orlando gunman Omar Mateen apparently made a series of Facebook posts before and during his attack on a gay nightclub, raging against the "filthy ways of the west" and blaming the U.S. for the deaths of "innocent women and children," according to a Senate committee letter released Wednesday. The killer whose rampage left 49 people dead also searched for "Pulse Orlando" and "Shooting" online on the morning of the carnage Sunday and said on Facebook: "America and Russia stop bombing the Islamic state," according to the letter.

Discovery in Oregon standoff case immense: 6,000 hours of video, 250,000 pages of Facebook account info

As U.S. District Judge Anna J. Brown pushes ahead to begin selecting a jury on Sept. 7 for the federal conspiracy trial in the takeover of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge, defense lawyers have raised concerns about the volume of discovery they need to decipher, and their need to know more.

How Donald Trump, Hillary Clinton and Others Used Social Media to Reframe News of Orlando Shooting

As news updates rolled in about Sunday's shooting at Orlando's Pulse nightclub , politicians, public figures, activists and journalists took to Facebook and Twitter to send out unfiltered statements about the significance of the massacre. For prominent politicians in and seeking office, the shooting represented an obligation to comment as well as a challenge, as the tragedy touched on several highly charged issues and themes in the public sphere, including but not limited to: LGBTQ rights, homophobia, Islamophobia, gun control and terrorism.

Don’t let Diane Russell fool you

When accusations of using her PAC as a slush fund first arose in March, I wondered how Diane Russell would respond. After all, Russell- the current State Rep. for District 39 and candidate for the open State Senate seat for District 27- is known for her self-trumpeting style on social media, so I figured she would surely take to the Facebook and Twitter waves and vehemently defend herself against the potentially career ending findings.

Post-Bruner Upset, Keven Ellis is Cautiously Optimistic

When a reporter called him Tuesday night for comment on his unexpected Republican runoff victory over State Board of Education hopeful Mary Lou Bruner, the 45-year-old Lufkin school board president asked whether it was true. "I didn't want to be the one to call it," said the chiropractor and father of three, who declined to criticize Bruner, an East Texas Tea Party activist and retired schoolteacher who drew national attention for bizarre and bigoted social media posts.

The Latest: Winner in Texas education runoff thanks rival

Mary Lou Bruner's defeat Tuesday followed heightened attention over old Facebook posts in which she claimed President Barack Obama was gay prostitute and suggested that Democrats assassinated John F. Kennedy. The 69-year-old Bruner had fallen only two points shy in March of becoming the Republican nominee for one of 15 seats on the powerful Texas State Board of Education.

Facebook makes changes to avoid political bias

Facebook on Monday said it was making changes aimed at keeping political bias out of its "trending" stories list even though an internal investigation revealed no evidence it was happening. "Our investigation has revealed no evidence of systematic political bias in the selection or prominence of stories included in the Trending Topics feature," Facebook general counsel Colin Stretch said in a letter responding to a query from Republican US Senator John Thune, who chairs the commerce committee.

Facebook makes changes to ‘trending topics’ after review

Facebook says it is dropping its reliance on news outlets to help determine what gets posted as a "trending topic" on the giant social network following a backlash over a report saying it suppressed conservative views. Facebook's General Counsel Colin Stretch outlined this and other reforms in a 12-page letter sent Monday to Republican Sen. John Thune, chairman of the commerce committee, which oversees the Internet and consumer protections.

How Trump Could Change Social Media Foreverby Stephen L. MillerWhen…

Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube had millions of users, but they hadn't yet exploded - they were still transitioning away from being the exclusive online hangout of hipsters, celebrities, and college students. Obama's campaign was the first to realize, harness, and unleash their users' potential as an organized political machine.

Mark Zuckerberg Meets WIth Conservatives in Bid To End Facebook ‘Liberal Bias’ Controversy

Facebook Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg heard from more than a dozen U.S. conservative leaders on Wednesday and said he will work to build trust with users who believe the social network displays politically biased news content. After a closed-door meeting at the company's Silicon Valley headquarters, Zuckerberg defended his company's practices but acknowledged that many conservatives believe Facebook is politically liberal.