What People Tell the Candidates on Twitter

With foreign policy taking on renewed importance in the race for the White House, Republican candidates will appear on the same stage Thursday as they seek to prove their bona fides to serve as commander-in-chief. The gathering, hosted by the Republican Jewish Coalition, will feature all 14 remaining aspirants speaking for 30 minutes each, including a Q&A period with the group’s executive director Matt Brooks, who intends to press them on their strategies to fight ISIS and confront Iran. The hawkish group has assembled a powerful cohort of supporters and donors who will also be in attendance, providing an opportunity for candidates to audition for support. The back-to-back nature of the cattle-call will provide the clearest contrast yet between the candidates’ abilities and policy prescriptions, favoring those who are better versed in the subject.

Speaker Paul Ryan will deliver an address outlining his vision for the future of the GOP under his leadership at the Library of Congress before an invited group of supporters, donors, members of Congress and the press. The speech highlights his increased comfort in a job he at first seemed unwilling to accept. Ryan will attempt to lay out his governing philosophy, arguing that the party won’t simply oppose President Obama anymore, but will put forward ideas of its own.

Wednesday’s mass shooting in California has again injected the gun control debate into the 2016 election, but not how you’d think. Democrats are using the issue as a purity test—who can be tougher on guns—while Republicans are in lock-step against as they use the issue as a cudgel against Democrats. And Hillary Clinton‘s focus on gun control in her 2016 campaign stands at odds with her positions in 2008, when she was running against the more liberal Obama. Now the issue is taking center stage, revealing a shift in Clinton’s campaign strategy as she seeks to remake the Obama coalition, rather than expand on the one that almost got her the nomination eight years ago.

Donald Trump holds off on releasing his medical records. The Ben Carson campaign drama intensifies. And what Twitter has to say back to the candidates

Here are your must-reads:

Must Reads

Why Republicans Changed Their Minds on School Accountability
TIME’s Haley Sweetland Edwards on the GOP’s about-face on No Child Left Behind

What Twitter Has to Say Back to the Candidates
An exclusive look at the unsolicited advice presidential contenders receive from TIME’s Chris Wilson and Pratheek Rebala

Lethality or Leaflets: The Strange Killing Rules in the ISIS Campaign
TIME’s Mark Thompson on two episodes that raise questions about who dies, and why

Top Fundraiser Quits Ben Carson’s Campaign Amid Internal Strife
Sock heir sought and failed to shake up leadership in Republican candidate’s camp [Wall Street Journal]

‘Misguided Missile’: A GOP Strategist’s Private Advice on a Trump Nomination
Official working on Senate campaigns advises tapping Trump’s tactics, tone and look — but not getting too close [Washington Post]

Clinton Makes Gun Control a Defining Cause
Eight years after shying away from the firearms issue, the Democratic front-runner takes a more forceful stance [Politico]

Sound Off

“We’re fighting a very politically correct war. The other thing with the terrorists, you have to take out their families … They say they don’t care about their lives. You have to take out their families.” — Donald Trump Wednesday on how he’d take on ISIS

“Even if he won’t sign them into law, we will put out specific proposals and give the people a real choice.” — An excerpt from Speaker Paul Ryan’s prepared remarks for his policy address Thursday

Bits and Bites

Black Pastor Explains Why He Supports Trump at Virginia Rally [TIME]

GOP Presidential Candidates to Assemble With Top Donors [Wall Street Journal]

Donald Trump Says Ted Cruz Will Have To Start Attacking Him [TIME]

Trump Withholds Medical Records [Politico]

Christie Super PAC Launches Ad off Union Leader Endorsement [YouTube]

New Breaches Revealed in Report That Says Secret Service Is ‘in Crisis’ [Washington Post]

National Political Groups Ran More Ads in State Races This Year [Center for Public Integrity]

War of Words Between Trump, Kasich PAC [Boston Globe]

Dick Cheney’s Eternal Likeness to Be Unveiled in Senate’s Halls [New York Times]

Hillary Clinton Calls for Federal Inquiry of Chicago Police Tactics [Chicago Tribune]

Trump Says He Plans to Visit Israel to Meet With Netanyahu [Washington Post]

Another Claim That Video Backs Donald Trump’s Assertion of Mass 9/11 Celebrations Is Debunked [New York Times]