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Until politicians in the U.S. are prepared to risk their own political scalp, stand up to the powerful gun lobby and even anger their own voting base to limit the general public's access to certain types of weapons, America will continue to drown in gun blood.

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It is strange to watch the Republican Presidential debates or hear the candidates describe our country. While there is hype in political rhetoric, now there are outright falsehoods being peddled as facts.

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When Republican leaders in Washington don't feel like governing, they attack women's health care and abortion rights.

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When I was entering my sophomore year, I piled up my schedule with everything there was. Not only was I taking a heavy course load, I was also in two shows, and trying to work outside of school. In addition, within the first couple of weeks, one of my good friends went through a major life trauma. I wanted to be there for her as much as possible.

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When I was growing up I had an unlikely pen pal in E.B. White, who passed away 30 years ago today. We were brought together in part by my own initiative, and in part by contingency -- through a coincidence of geography and a horse that shared his name.

No one should be made to feel like a 'freak show' in the emergency room.

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Notwithstanding his encounter with notorious, Kentucky county clerk Kim Davis, the pope's visit to the United States last week was a success, with millions turning out to get even a glimpse of him. But some had much better views than others.

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Though you might not know it from the incessant media coverage of his candidacy or his P.T. Barnum-ish self-glorification, there are plenty of pieces missing from his financial story that call into question both his skill as a dealmaker and his business acumen.

For Democrats, the sight of Biden in a crowd conjures a warmth the vice president clearly returns. But the central question is this: what, at its core, is the rationale for choosing Biden over Hillary Clinton?

In corporate America, 88 percent of men think women have at least as many opportunities to advance as men. Yet when you look at the actual data, women's odds of advancement are 15 percent lower than men's. Why don't men see it?

Today, you can do your bit for 3 of the 17 Global Goals for Sustainable Development. All you need is the Elbi app and a couple of minutes.

For the past several years, well-known hedge fund manager Jim Chanos of Kynikos Associates has been an outspoken China bear. He explains how he became concerned that the world's second largest economy is headed for trouble.

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We all know that I haven't gotten justice, but that doesn't mean that I'm not going to keep fighting for it. This struggle is much larger than me. We have seen our voting rights stripped right along with our humanity. And it is time that we join together to say, "Enough is enough. We want justice -- or else!"

Expect Twitter, Facebook, political blogs, editorial pages and our TV and radio talk shows to demand gun control. That happens every time there's a tragedy like this new one, and the talk always fades.

Daniel William McKnight

In late 2014, I was working as a hotel manager at a popular Manhattan property. It was a job highly regarded by many. But I hated it. I hated what I had given up in order to have that secure salary. So I did what any self-respecting person in my position would do: I quit and became a drug dealer.

Since my GOP friends don't seem to understand how an OB-GYN appointment actually works, let me explain: Planned Parenthood and other primary care providers offer life-saving breast cancer screenings.

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Oregon already has been producing high-quality marijuana for decades. Our market is valued at $1 billion a year. Now that legalization is happening, more of the marijuana sales are likely to occur on the legal market and the opportunity for growth is enormous.

The alarming thing - for those who live the church and know its social and institutional fabric - is the cynical and unscrupulous attempt to exploit the person of the pope in order to score a point in favor of the ideological opponents of the pope

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Since the American press largely ignored or downplayed the Pope's January 2015 Vatican visit with a transgender man from Spain, many Americans have nothing to counterbalance off the Pope's Kim Davis visit to understand that the pontiff's message is truly about the compassionate inclusion of all people.

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Jason Chaffetz Gets Owned by Cecile Richards; Carly Fiorina Caught Lying Again; Ted Cruz Makes Crazy Yalping Noises; Trevor Noah on The Daily Show; Bob's Russian Movers; and much more.

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The Bernie Sanders campaign has received a grand total of eight minutes of coverage -- one-fifth of Bush's time, or one-tenth of Clinton's time (one-twentieth, if you count the scandal coverage). Bernie got roughly the same amount of time as Chris Christie (polling below four percent).

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Reports say that there are more than 70,000 untested rape kits warehoused by 1,000 law enforcement agencies across the United States. The cause of the backlog must be addressed. There are innocents without defense. Victims without justice. Public safety at risk. It is a travesty.

Sheena Amin

I've realized that as our memory fades, photos become anchors to life events. I used photos to help fill in the blanks and to keep memories from evolving into happenings that didn't really happen. I started to live through the camera lens, and didn't enjoy the richness of the actual moment.

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While defunding Planned Parenthood won't make the slightest difference in my everyday life, it could dramatically impact already-marginalized women and negatively affect our economy. Here's why.

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Today, the Middle East is witnessing a large-scale population transfer, the third major one in the region over the last century. Religion and ethnicity play a significant role in the displacement. But ideology also has a hand in it.

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What if Edward Snowden is correct to believe that it's "completely ridiculous" to think Clinton's emails were safe? It's logical to assume that national security was jeopardized if Snowden and others feel Clinton was reckless with her intelligence protocol. We're then looking at a Bernie Sanders landslide victory in the Democratic primaries.

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If fealty to the goal of limited government -- strangling budgets to shrink government to the size it can fit and be drowned in a bathtub -- is the litmus test of Republican leadership, how do these caretakers of "government-designed-to-fail" protect the American people?

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We are gaining on this disease, and that's the good news for those who are impatient, like all of us who work every day to find the cures and help the people who need us.

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The world's most famous drummer, the man who gave The Beatles its "heartbeat," has also enjoyed an immensely successful career as a solo artist and band leader, releasing over two dozen original and live albums since 1970, the year the fab four officially called it quits.