Edward Snowden, after months of NSA revelations, says his mission's accomplished  —  MOSCOW — The familiar voice on the hotel room phone did not waste words.  —  “What time does your clock say, exactly?” he asked.  —  He checked the reply against his watch and described a place to meet.

The Legitimacy Problem  —  It's pretty clear that the implementation of Obamacare will set the tone for how Americans think about government for years to come.  There are two large questions to be settled, which you might call the questions of competence and coercion.

California health exchange tops 400,000 enrolled prior to deadline  —  Californians wait to sign up for health insurance at a recent enrollment fair in Sacramento as part of the federal healthcare law.  (Rich Pedroncelli / Associated Press)  —  California's health insurance exchange …

The War on Terror's Jedi Mind Trick  —  National-security officials insist new violations of privacy are essential for keeping Americans safe from terror—but there's no evidence the programs have stopped any attacks.  —  A Republican-appointed judge and President Obama's own handpicked …

Civil rights leaders call for Obama to withdraw Georgia judicial nominees  —  Civil rights leaders and members of the Georgia congressional delegation on Monday called on President Obama to withdraw his nominees for federal courts in the state over concerns about their views and lack of diversity.

Alan Turing gets royal pardon for ‘gross indecency’ - 61 years after he poisoned himself  —  He was the father of modern computing whose work on the Enigma code at Bletchley Park is said to have shortened the Second World War.  —  But he was also gay and in those less enlightened times …

The Battle Within the Democratic Party  —  Things are not going well for Democrats.  Riding high just weeks ago after Republicans shut down the government, the party now finds itself in a swoon: President Obama's ratings have hit an all-time low.  The implementation of healthcare reform remains a mess.

Will An Appeals Court Stop Same-Sex Couples In Utah From Marrying On Christmas Eve?  —  With no decision from the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals at the end of the day Monday, more same-sex couples will be heading to clerks' offices Tuesday to get married.  —  Andrea Dahl (left) marries Coral Mangus …

Army: Don't say Christmas  —  Don't say Christmas.  —  That's the message that was conveyed to a group of soldiers at Camp Shelby by an equal opportunity officer from the Defense Equal Opportunity Management Institute, according to a soldier who attended a recent briefing.

Teen Dies After Being Shot  — 14-Year-Old Girl Hospitalized With Gunshot Wound  —  The District Attorney's office will decide if a step-father will face charges.  —  Police say he shot and killed his 14 year old step daughter after he mistook her for burglar.

Chicago sandwich shop fires all its staff in an EMAIL just days before Christmas  — Director of operations Doug Besant said in the email the restaurant will likely close for a month as they reconcept the business into a burger joint  —  A Chicago sandwich shop has fired all its employees over email just days before Christmas.

It's a Very Merry Christmas for Washington Insiders  —  Last year, while writing about the corrupt and self-serving behavior at the IRS, I came up with a theorem that explains day-to-day behavior in Washington.  —  Simply stated, government is a racket that benefits the D.C. political elite …

Is Mark Warner seeing dangerous numbers?  —  I couldn't help noting that Mark Warner, the Democratic senior senator from Virginia, was one of the six Democratic senators calling for “hardship exemptions” for people finding Obamacare insurance policies too expensive, and also one of the 13 Democratic senators …