From the Wire

Unsavory Twists in Mississippi's GOP Primary Grabbing Headlines Among Eight Races This TuesdayWASHINGTON (AP) — Strange, unsavory twists in Mississippi's Senate Republican race are grabbing the most attention of Tuesday's primary elections in eight states.
Cochran Campaigns Calmly Amid Senate-Race Photo ScandalHATTIESBURG, Miss. (AP) — U.S. Sen. Thad Cochran is in the fight of his political life in a brutal, too-personal Republican primary that has drawn his bedridden wife into the melee and resulted in criminal charges against some of his …
U.S. Trades Gitmo Detainees to Free American Solider from Taliban After Five Years of CaptivityWASHINGTON (AP) — The only American soldier held prisoner in Afghanistan has been freed by the Taliban in exchange for the release of five Afghan detainees from the U.S. prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, Obama administration officials said Saturday.
3 Indicted on Conspiracy Charges in Prison RiotThree people have been indicted on federal charges of conspiracy to commit murder related to a deadly prison riot in Mississippi.
Medicare Coverage Ban on Sex-Change Surgery LiftedTransgender people receiving Medicare may no longer be automatically denied coverage for sex reassignment surgeries, a U.S. Department of Health and Services review board ruled Friday in a groundbreaking decision that recognizes the procedures as a medically necessary and effective …
Shinseki Resigns Amid Veterans' Health Care IssuesVeterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki resigned Friday after publicly apologizing for systemic problems plaguing the agency's health care system.
Elon Musk Unveils Spacecraft to Ferry AstronautsA company that has flown unmanned capsules to the Space Station unveiled a spacecraft Thursday designed to ferry up to seven astronauts to low-Earth orbit that SpaceX founder Elon Musk says will lower the cost of going to space.
Texas' Top Prosecutor: Drug Source Can Be SecretTexas can keep secret the name of its supplier for its execution drugs, the state attorney general determined after law enforcement argued that suppliers face serious danger.
Obama Plans 'Serious Conversation' With ShinsekiPresident Barack Obama said Friday he plans to have a "serious conversation" with Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki about whether he can stay in his job as the agency head apologized publicly for systemic problems plaguing the veterans' health care …
Meal Programs Expand Summer Nutrition for KidsA federal government-backed nutrition program seeks to provide two million meals to Mississippi schoolchildren this summer.
White House Touts Energy Policies as Rules LoomSetting the stage for upcoming restrictions on coal-fired power plants, the Obama administration is making a concerted effort to cast its energy policy as an economic success that is creating jobs, securing the nation against international upheavals and shifting energy …
House Democrats' Campaign Arm Reserves $44M in AdsHouse Democrats are ready to empty their deep pockets for television ads in their uphill climb to overtake Republicans as the majority party.
Maya Angelou, the Nation's Wise WomanMaya Angelou walked into a meeting of civil rights leaders discussing affirmative action back in the 1990s, looked around, and put them all in their place with a single, astute observation.
Head of Miss. Environmental Agency to ResignTrudy Fisher, Mississippi's chief environmental regulator, will resign her post at the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality at the end of the summer.
Sender of Ricin Letters Sentenced on State ChargesA Mississippi man sentenced who sent letters dusted with the poison ricin to President Barack Obama and other officials has been sentenced to 20 years in prison on unrelated state charges of fondling three martial arts students.