There are lots of reasons to believe the November elections should be great for the Republican Party: Midterms are generally kind to the out-of-power party, the president's party almost always loses seats in year six of an administration, the 2014 map is favorable to Republicans, and President Obama's approval ratings are pretty low. Republicans even have reasonable hopes for a really big "wave" election, like every election since 2006, minus 2012.

But if the Republicans are going to ride an anti-Democratic wave to big pickups in the House and Senate, there are scant signs of it now, says Nate Cohn at The New York Times.

The race for the Senate, at least right now, is stable. There aren't many polls asking whether voters would prefer Democrats or Republicans to control Congress, but the Democrats appear to maintain a slight edge among registered voters. Democratic incumbents in red Republican states, who would be all but doomed in a Republican wave, appear doggedly competitive in places where Mitt Romney won by as much as 24 points in 2012.... The light-blue Democratic states and purple presidential battleground states, like Colorado, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, and New Hampshire, all seem to be heading toward tight races or Democratic wins, as one would expect in a fairly neutral year. [New York Times]

None of that means Republicans will have a bad year, or even that they won't win control of the Senate in a non-wave election. In fact, there weren't clear signs of a wave election in 2006, 2008, or 2010 until after this point in the election cycle, Cohn writes. "But as July turns to August, the GOP is now on the clock.... Every day that goes by without a shift toward the GOP increases the odds that there will not be a wave at all."

At the AIPAC annual meeting on Monday, National Security Adviser Susan Rice said that a bad nuclear deal with Iran is worse than no deal. Her remarks to the pro-Israel lobbying group took place a day before Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will give an address to Congress against U.S. nuclear talks with Iran. Rice also said that the U.S. approach to Iran is to "distrust, but verify," and any deal must "cut off any pathway for Iran to develop a nuclear weapon," The Associated Press reports.

A new study from Stanford University says that climate change driven by humans is behind the drought in California, which is affecting 98 percent of the state.

The two main weather conditions that lead to drought — higher than average temperatures and tiny amounts of rain and snow — are occurring at the same time because of climate change, the study shows. Researchers also found that the worst droughts in the state's history happened when it was dry and warm, and global warming is increasing the chance that those weather patterns will take place at the same time, USA Today reports. The study's leader, Noah Diffenbaugh, said having dry years that are also warm would not happen without human influence, like burning fossil fuels.

Not everyone agrees with the Stanford study, which appeared in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Scientist Martin Hoerling with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said that most of the warm temperatures have been caused by a ridge of high pressure in the atmosphere that minimized rain and snow, and those natural weather patterns were the main cause of the drought.

You just can't keep Spider-Man down. Just three years after Sony launched The Amazing Spider-Man series — itself a reboot of Sam Raimi's Spider-Man trilogy — Marvel and Sony have entered talks with Drew Goddard, the writer/director behind The Cabin in the Woods, to re-reboot the superhero franchise.

Under the terms of a deal between Sony and Marvel, the new Spider-Man will be introduced in a movie set in Marvel's Cinematic Universe, which includes movies like The Avengers, The Guardians of the Galaxy, and the upcoming Ant-Man. The Hollywood Reporter adds that the studio is actively looking for a lead actor to take on the role of Spider-Man, with a story likely set during the webslinger's high school years.

Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry was killed in a gun fight on the Mexican border in 2010 by gang members who were using weapons later determined to have originated from the Justice Department's botched "Fast and Furious" gun running operation. Today, Fox News reports, a statue at the renamed Brian Terry Patrol Station in Bisbee, Arizona, reminds Americans of Terry's sacrifice.

The statue depicts Brian carrying one of his BordTac team members on his shoulders. His cousin, Robert Heyer, said at the unveiling that the likeness "represents everything good about Brian, his strength, his determination, his attention to detail, his love for the Border Patrol, and his love for his fellow agents."

Since his death, Terry's family established the Brian Terry Foundation in honor of the fallen agent to assist fellow border agents and their families financially and to offer emotional support.

The Healthy Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010, promoted as part of first lady Michelle Obama's "Let's Move!" initiative against childhood obesity, has been the subject of much criticism since its unappetizing meals debuted in public schools across the country. It even spawned its own hashtag, #ThanksMichelleObama, which took Twitter by storm.

Public school kids protesting the strict standards have found an ally in Sen. John Hoeven (R-N.D.), who has proposed the "Healthy School Meals Flexibility Act" aimed at giving schools more flexibility in complying with the USDA's regulations.

The Hill reports that Hoeven's bill would "allow schools to revert back to 2012 standards," when the USDA's requirements for acceptable amounts of sodium and whole grains were much more lenient. Hoeven made similar strides in 2012 when he succeeded in persuading the USDA to alter some of its limits regarding grains, starches, and protein.

The Hill also notes the expense of the Healthy Hungry-Free Kids Act: Complying with the requirements will cost districts $1.2 billion in additional food and labor expenses this year, with more than half of schools predicting a budgetary loss, and only 18 percent expecting to break even.

A new report from the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) has found that antipsychotic drugs are overprescribed for older men and women with dementia, and the drugs could contribute to earlier deaths.

The GAO report, published Monday, found that roughly one-third of older adults with dementia who lived in nursing homes in 2012 were prescribed antipsychotics. Fourteen percent of older adults with dementia who didn't live in nursing homes in 2012 were also prescribed antipsychotic drugs. The GAO used data from Medicare's prescription drug program to reach its conclusions.

As Time notes, the use of antipsychotic drugs may increase the risk of death for dementia patients. In the report, the GAO encouraged the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to "expand its outreach and educational efforts" toward reducing antipsychotic use among older adults and educating caregivers who work outside of nursing homes. The GAO recommended the HHS work to lower antipsychotic use in patients outside of nursing homes, as well as those who reside in them, and according to the report, HHS "concurred with this recommendation."

Los Angeles police fatally shot a homeless man Sunday after the man "forcibly grabbed" an officer's gun, according to LAPD Chief Charlie Beck.

Offering an update Monday on the fatal shooting, Beck said forensic evidence — including an examination of the officer's gun, and a review of footage captured by police body cameras — was "indicative of a struggle over the weapon." However, Beck would not comment on whether the altercation justified the use of deadly force, saying only that an investigation was underway.

"This is an extreme tragedy," he said.

Already finished with House of Cards season 3? Never fear — Netflix has plenty of new shows on the horizon. Today, the streaming service announced the premiere dates for three new shows (and one returning favorite):

- Between (May), a sci-fi drama about a small town beset by a mysterious disease that kills everyone over the age of 21

- Sense8 (June 5), a sci-fi drama about eight strangers who suddenly develop an inexplicable mental link

- Orange is the New Black (June 12), the third season of the acclaimed dramedy about a women's prison

- Wet Hot American Summer (July 17), a sitcom prequel to the cultishly beloved movie of the same name

The new shows will join a roster of already announced 2015 programs that includes Bloodline (March 20), Daredevil (April 10), and Grace & Frankie (May 8). Set your binge-watching calendars accordingly.

It's time to step up your fruit game, and we don't mean honing those Fruit Ninja skills. According to Time, the healthiest foods to eat are fruits. Specifically bananas, which top the list with their potassium goodness and mood-lifting properties. They're also one of the few foods that boast all six major vitamin groups, including vitamin B6, which scientists say makes you smarter. 

Unsurprisingly, the rest of the list of 50 largely consists of vegetables and proteins. But never fear, a healthy life isn't an entirely ascetic life: Red wine clocks at No. 50. Read the full list at Time.

Jumping out of a plane flying thousands of feet in the air seems scary enough. But one unfortunate skydiver had an even more terrifying time when he suffered a seizure during freefall. 

Christopher Jones was skydiving from 12,000 feet in Australia when he was suddenly stricken with a seizure and lost consciousness for 30 seconds. Thankfully, Jones' instructor was able to pull his ripcord around 4,000 feet, and Jones regained consciousness at 3,000 feet and safely landed on the ground. In the video captured by Jones' instructor's helmet cam, Jones can be seen beginning to seize around the 1:15 mark.

"Part of our training is to look after students," Jones' instructor Sheldon McFarlane told The Guardian. He added that if he hadn't been able to reach Jones, his parachute would have automatically deployed. Watch the video of what Jones called the scariest moment of his life, below. —Meghan DeMaria