Obama's Republican  —  How a conservative Mormon became the biggest Republican Cuba advocate.  —  It all started when Arizona Sen. Jeff Flake found himself in a dark park in Havana trying to score some ice cream.  —  Flake, a devout Mormon, doesn't drink or smoke, so instead of puffing …

President Obama's ‘betrayal’ of Cuban democrats  —  PRESIDENT OBAMA said he decided to normalize relations with Cuba because “we can do more to support the Cuban people and promote our values through engagement.”  So it's important to know the reaction of those Cubans who have put their lives …

Politician ‘follows’ porn star, says Twitter account was hacked  —  Steve Bellone said his Twitter account was hacked after his “followers” list included Duke porn star Belle Knox.  —  Honestly, my Twitter account was hacked!  —  A Suffolk County politician pulled a move …

Why single payer died in Vermont  —  Vermont was supposed to be the beacon for a single-payer health care system in America.  But now its plans are in ruins, and its onetime champion Gov. Peter Shumlin may have set back the cause.  —  Advocates of a “Medicare for all” …

How to Tell Whether Obama Did the Right Thing on Cuba  —  On my most recent visit to Cuba this past March, I brought my family with me, because I wanted my children to see what Cuba looked like before everything changed.  I didn't realize quite how quickly that change would come.

Paul slams Rubio as ‘isolationist’ on Cuba  —  Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) is hitting back against Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) on Cuba in a preview of a possible debate between two presidential hopefuls.  —  In a series of tweets at Rubio on Friday afternoon, Paul called the Florida senator an …

Sean Penn on Sony Pulling “The Interview”: This Sends ISIS an “Invitation”  —  In an email to Mother Jones, the actor says if the US, China, Russia, and UN don't react strongly, global culture will be “very different.”  —  Actor and activist Sean Penn, no surprise, has some thoughts …

North Korea says it's not involved in Sony hack; proposes joint probe with US  —  North Korea says it can prove it is not behind the massive Sony Pictures cyberattack that has led to several e-mail leaks, threats on movie theaters and the cancellation of the release of the movie “The Interview.”

Operation Revenge  —  President Obama is back in his campaign comfort zone: Smiting his political enemies.  —  Two senior White House staffers stumbled out of the Fairmont Hotel in Chicago into the boozy, early-morning aftermath of President Obama's Nov. 6, 2012, reelection victory and ran smack into a sober reporter.

Democratic techies' divided loyalties  —  Ex-Obama hands split between Clinton, rivals.  —  Scores of the Democratic techies who helped Barack Obama defeat Hillary Clinton for the 2008 presidential nomination are now seeking alternatives to Clinton in 2016.

US releases four Gitmo prisoners to Afghanistan  —  The Pentagon on Saturday announced that it had transferred four detainees from the Guantanamo Bay prison facility back to their home country of Afghanistan.  —  The Defense Department said all four men had been “unanimously approved for transfer” …

Obama Unbound  —  There may not be a lightness to his step, a lilt in his voice or a bit of jauntiness returned to his manner.  The office ages everyone prematurely, and makes spontaneity all but impossible.  But President Obama is acting like a man who's been given the political equivalent of a testosterone boost.

Some witnesses lied to Michael Brown grand jury, McCulloch says.  So why have them testify?  —  Certain witnesses who spoke before the grand jury investigating the Aug. 9 shooting of Michael Brown told obvious lies under oath, St. Louis Prosecuting Attorney Robert McCulloch said Friday.

Women rule Obama presser  —  President Barack Obama took eight questions at his end of the year press conference on Friday: all from women, none from television reporters.  —  The first question went to POLITICO's Carrie Budoff Brown, followed by Bloomberg BNA's Cheryl Bolen …