The Lead: Texas Republican Sen. Ted Cruz officially announced he’s running for president this morning at Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia, the Christian college founded by the Rev. Jerry Falwell.

“It is the time for truth. It is the time for liberty. It is the time to reclaim the Constitution of the United States,” Cruz said.

Cruz is a pro-gun “limited government” conservative. “I believe in the power of millions of courageous conservatives rising up,” he said.

There are 589 days until election day, 2016.

While Cruz is the first Republican to declare, he will be far from the last. Waiting in the wings are former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker as well as Senate Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul and Florida’s Marco Rubio.

There’s been some doubt about whether Cruz qualifies as a “natural born citizen” eligible to run for president because he was born in Canada. His father was born in Cuba and his mother is American so some legal opinions say he is “natural born” by virtue of his American mother. But he also had Canadian citizenship at birth as well.

Permawar: The Islamic State posted an online hit list of 100 American military personnel, including their names and addresses. The ISIS message said it made the list available so “lone wolf” assassins could act. The Pentagon is not confirming the accuracy of the information, which may have been developed through newspaper articles and public mentions of military people involved with attacks on ISIS.

The Supremes: The Supreme Court today heard arguments on a case about whether the State of Texas was wrong to reject a specialty license plate featuring the Confederate flag. The Sons of Confederate Veterans claims it’s a matter of free speech to remember and honor the soldiers who fought to preserve the Confederacy, and the slavery it defended. The state rejected the plate in part because it was a symbol of slavery. The ACLU is defending the Sons, its representative saying, “Texas cannot pick and choose the plates it approves on ideological grounds.”

Sweet Briar Sours: The NY Times reports that students and alumni are making a desperate effort to save Sweet Briar College from closure, but the school’s president says there’s no way to hit the numbers needed to stay open. Sweet Briar is one of a dwindling number of women’s colleges and at $47,000 its tuition is nearly $20,000 less than some of the most elite schools. About a third of colleges with budgets of $100 million or less are running in the red.

The Obit Page: The first prime minister of Singapore, Lee Kuan Yew, has died at age 91. As the leader of Singapore from 1965 to 1990, the rather autocratic Lee is credited with bringing the country out of its colonial era and molding it into a prosperous modern country.

March Madness: Wichita State … The Shockers … knocked off number two seed Kansas yesterday in the third round of the Midwest Region. Score: 78-65. Wichita moves on to the Midwest semifinal against the number three seed Notre Dame. The tournament is down to its final 16 contenders.

Just Coffee: The Starbucks coffee chain ended its “Race Together” campaign to promote discussions about race after only seven days. The company was criticized and ridiculed for having its baristas write the slogan on coffee cups. Starbucks boss Howard Schultz said in an internal memo, “While there has been criticism of the initiative — and I know this hasn’t been easy for any of you — let me assure you that we didn’t expect universal praise.”

Righteous Stuff: A Colorado study of legal weed reveals what’s been known for a long time. Today’s marijuana is not what they smoked at Woodstock. Forty years ago the levels of THC, the active ingredient, were 10 percent or less. Today the average is nearly 19 percent, with some buds reaching 30 percent.

What researchers also found among 600 samples was that they contained barely trace amounts of the cannabidiol, or CBD, compound that makes medical marijuana “medical,” controlling depression, anxiety and pain. But with THC at 30 percent, no one seems to care.

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