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.

HHS offers help for people who miss Obamacare deadline  —  People who can't finish the online signup for Obamacare health insurance by midnight today because of website problems can seek extra time to finalize their application and still get covered by Jan. 1, according to a message posted on HealthCare.gov early this afternoon.

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 …

Give her the heave-ho, de Blasio  —  Enough!  —  If Mayor-elect Bill de Blasio has a lick of sense in his 6-foot-5 frame, he'll cast out of his incoming administration Lis Smith — the randy Democratic operative who's got a freaky fetish for the black knee socks and balding pate of married ex-Love Gov Eliot Spitzer.

Where's the Anti-War Left on Iran?  —  Democratic senators joined Ted Cruz to put new sanctions on Iran last week.  Liberals should make them pay.  —  The American left is very good at turning ferociously on politicians who start ill-advised wars.  In Lyndon Johnson's final years in office …

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.

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 …

VIDEO: Santa Claus shot with pellet gun at toy giveaway in Southeast  —  WASHINGTON (WJLA) - A man in a Santa Claus suit was shot in the back with a pellet gun Tuesday morning at a toy giveaway in Southeast.  —  According to an ABC7 photographer who was interviewing the victim at the time of the shooting …

Sarah Palin: I didn't read ‘Duck Dynasty’ interview  —  Turns out Sarah Palin, who has been one of Duck Dynasty's biggest defenders, hasn't actually read the GQ interview that includes cast member Phil Robertson's controversial comments on homosexuality and other subjects.

Kim Jong-un: North Korean leader ‘was very drunk’ when ordering executions  —  Source tells Japanese newspaper purge of Kim's powerful uncle Jang Song-thaek was inevitable after ‘surprising’ first deaths  —  The North Korean leader Kim Jong-un was “very drunk” when he ordered the recent execution …

‘Festivus’ writer grieves about Rand Paul  —  One of the writers of the famed “Festivus” episode of “Seinfeld” isn't too happy Sen. Rand Paul used the holiday to tweet a rant against Washington.  —  Airing his own grievance on Tuesday, writer Dan O'Keefe, took a swipe at the Republican senator from Kentucky.

Edward Snowden to broadcast Channel 4's alternative Christmas Day message  —  NSA whistleblower records message from Russia, filmed by Laura Poitras, warning of the dangers of a loss of privacy  —  Edward Snowden, the whistleblower who prompted a worldwide debate when he leaked a cache …

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.

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 …