Edward Snowden, Whistle-Blower  —  Seven months ago, the world began to learn the vast scope of the National Security Agency's reach into the lives of hundreds of millions of people in the United States and around the globe, as it collects information about their phone calls, their email messages …

The resurgent progressives  —  The reemergence of a Democratic left will be one of the major stories of 2014.  Moderates, don't be alarmed.  The return of a viable, vocal left will actually be good news for the political center.  —  For a long time, the American conversation …

“Duck Dynasty” launches its own line of guns  —  The family-owned business at the center of the hit TV show “Duck Dynasty” has launched its own line of guns.  —  The gunmaker Mossberg has teamed with Duck Commander, the company owned by “Duck Dynasty's” Robertson clan, to release nine different shotguns …

The price of political ignorance: More government  —  It was naughty of Winston Churchill to say, if he really did, that “the best argument against democracy is a five-minute conversation with the average voter.”  Nevertheless, many voters' paucity of information about politics and government …

Toronto Mayor Rob Ford files to run again  —  TORONTO — Toronto Mayor Rob Ford has put his name on the ballot to run for another term, defying repeated calls for him to step down after admitting he smoked crack “in a drunken stupor.”  —  Ford was the first candidate to show up at City Hall …

Manly Faces and Aggressive Men  —  The men featured are young.  Most are white.  Many have tousled hair, a couple sport grizzly beards, and a few are tattooed.  As a rule, the men are good-looking.  Their cheekbones would make Derek Zoolander proud, but the models are not sitting for their “Blue Steel” close-ups.

Boehner Is Said to Back Change on Immigration  —  WASHINGTON — Speaker John A. Boehner of Ohio has signaled he may embrace a series of limited changes to the nation's immigration laws in the coming months, giving advocates for change new hope that 2014 might be the year that a bitterly divided …

W.H. stands by birth-control rule  —  The Obama administration Wednesday said the Affordable Care Act contraceptive coverage regulations are fair - and they don't really hurt the Denver-based religious organization that got a temporary New Year's Eve reprieve from Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor.

World's climate warming faster than feared, scientists say  —  Scientists say the world's climate is warming faster than feared because previous predictions were too “optimistic” and overestimated the cooling impact of clouds  —  As the planet marked its fourth hottest year on record …

Men Are Obsolete  —  Five reasons we are definitely witnessing the end of men  —  How do I know men are finished?  I'll read you a quote that says it all: “Yes.  There have been times when I've been in a drunken stupor.”  Toronto's mayor, a shining example of modern manhood is what I would call …

Professor blames ‘southern white radicals’ for Obamacare debacle  —  A professor who teaches constitutional law courses at the City University of New York's John Jay College of Criminal Justice penned a Christmas Day essay blaming “southern White radicals” for the disastrous …

Bloomberg's Susan Goldberg Leaving For National Geographic  —  Bloomberg News executive editor Susan Goldberg told staff Thursday in an email that she is leaving the company to become executive editor at National Geographic.  —  Goldberg had previously overseen coverage of federal, state and local government out of Washington.

The Two Americas Will Be the Defining Trend of 2014  —  This morning, one of my editors suggested that I might comment on what I thought the big issues of the coming year are going to be.  When it comes to the things that will dominate political discussion, most of it we can't predict.

Claim: Obama Christmas gift goes astray  —  A woman from the Chicago suburbs says she got an unexpected surprise for Christmas: A present that appears to be from the Obama family to Sasha and Malia's godmother.  —  Alane Church told NBC's “Today” show on Thursday that her family received …

Americans Can Now Start Using Their New Obamacare Coverage  —  On Wednesday, nearly four years after President Obama signed the Affordable Care Act, the major provisions of the health law that serve to expand coverage to millions of Americans officially took effect.