Snowden Used Low-Cost Tool to Best N.S.A.  —  WASHINGTON — Intelligence officials investigating how Edward J. Snowden gained access to roughly 1.7 million of the country's most highly classified documents say they have determined that he used inexpensive and widely available software to …

IRAN SAYS WARSHIPS HEADED CLOSE TO US BORDERS  —  TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Iranian warships dispatched to the Atlantic Ocean will travel close to U.S. maritime borders for the first time, a senior Iranian naval commander said Saturday.  —  The commander of Iran's Northern Navy Fleet …

Is McConnell the new underdog?  —  Republicans are buoyant they can capture the Senate this year - but will Mitch McConnell still be there as majority leader?  —  A surprising survey out of Kentucky this week underscores that the Senate minority leader is truly running the race of his life …

10 Undeniable Facts About the Woody Allen Sexual-Abuse Allegation  —  This week, a number of commentators have published articles containing incorrect and irresponsible claims regarding the allegation of Woody Allen's having sexually abused his adopted daughter, Dylan Farrow.

Leaving Work Behind  —  IN 1930, in the darkening valley of the Great Depression, John Maynard Keynes wrote an essay on “Economic Possibilities for Our Grandchildren,” which foresaw a much happier future — one of growth, abundance and the steady decline of full-time work.

Feds to provide legal benefits, services to all in same-sex marriages  —  Utah state Sen. Jim Dabakis, left, and Stephen Justesen acknowledge the crowd after being married in Salt Lake City on Friday, December 20.  A federal judge struck down Utah's ban on same-sex marriage …

Sean Hannity selling Lloyd Harbor home for $3.6M  —  Talk show host Sean Hannity has put his waterfront home in Lloyd Harbor on the market for $3.6 million, says his listing agent.  —  The native Long Islander used to live in the four-bedroom, 5-1/2-bath house on the Long Island Sound; today, he lives in Centre Island.

Republicans seek access to Mitt Romney money machine  —  Now that Mitt Romney has categorically ruled himself out of the 2016 presidential race, the battle is on for the most enduring part of his legacy — his fundraising operation.  —  Romney teamed with the Republican National Committee …

Evidence Mounting that Walker Campaign Is at Center of Criminal Probe  —  Newly-unsealed court documents and media leaks add to a growing body of evidence that Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker's campaign is at the center of a wide-ranging secret probe into campaign finance violations during …

How Single Motherhood Hurts Kids  —  The last few weeks have brought an unusual convergence of voices from both the center and the left about a topic that is typically part of conservative rhetorical territory: poverty and single-parent families.  Just as some conservatives have started talking seriously …

NBC Edits Out IOC Anti-Discrimination Statement From Opening Ceremony  —  Russia's anti-gay laws have been a major focus in the lead-up to the Olympic Winter Games in Sochi, and during his address at today's opening ceremony IOC president Thomas Bach made a strong statement against “any form of discrimination” and in favor of tolerance.

Pete Sessions and the GOP's ‘immoral’ conservatism  —  “It is immoral.”  —  That was the judgment of Rep. Pete Sessions, a Texas Republican and committee chairman, on the House floor this week.  But the subject of his sermon wasn't the Assad regime in Syria or human trafficking.