effelarr/FlickrSen. Rand Paul took top honors in the Conservative Political Action Conference's straw poll, seen as something of a barometer of GOP support for potential presidential candidates, with 25.7 percent of the vote. Second place went to Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker (21.4 percent), followed by Sen. Ted Cruz (11.5 percent), Ben Carson (11.4 percent), and Jeb Bush (8.3); each of the other 11 names got under 5 percent each.
Los Angeles police fatally shot a homeless man in a downtown L.A. homeless encampment Sunday; the incident was caught on video by a bystander, but some of the action is unclear. A witness toldThe Los Angeles Times that the man had reached for an officer's weapon.
Across the country, the ranks of private police—citizens who are allowed to carry guns, display badges, and make arrests—are swelling.
