Appeals Court Rules NSA Phone Program Not Authorized by Patriot Act  —  ACLU lawsuit argued the data collection should be stopped because it violates Americans' privacy rights  —  A federal appeals court ruled Thursday the National Security Agency's controversial collection of millions …

Release Detail  —  What Trouble?  Clinton Has Early Lock On Iowa Caucus, Quinnipiac University Poll Finds; Sanders, Biden Are Only Dems Over 3%  —  Sample and Methodology detail  —  With 60 percent of the vote among Iowa likely Democratic Caucus participants, former Secretary …

Nick Kristof is not Smarter than an 8th Grader  —  This is a post by Eugene Stern, originally posted on his blog sensemadehere.wordpress.com.  —  About a week ago, Nick Kristof published this op-ed in the New York Times.  Entitled Are You Smarter than an 8th Grader, the piece discusses …

It's time to change the Iowa Straw Poll  —  Much has changed since 1979 and sometimes cherished traditions—like the Iowa GOP Straw Poll—must change too.  What is supposed to be a fun opportunity for Iowans and presidential candidates has turned into a high-stress and expensive endeavor.

How Britain's Election Has Stumped the Betting Markets  —  British voters are heading to the polls Thursday, and it looks as if it's going to be a nail-biter.  Political prediction markets suggest that it's basically a 50-50 bet as to whether the Conservative prime minister, David Cameron …

Dorian Johnson, figure in Michael Brown case, arrested in St. Louis  —  ST. LOUIS  • Dorian Johnson, the man who was with Michael Brown when Brown was fatally shot by a Ferguson police officer last summer, has been arrested on suspicion of drug charges and resisting arrest, a St. Louis police source said Wednesday.

Heh: Carly Fiorina answers Seth Meyers question about domain snafu by buying SethMeyers.org  —  Carly Fiorina, who just jumped into the race for the presidency Monday, has spent the week coolly sitting for interviews and cleverly parrying jabs from reporters and critics.

Cruz: Iran legislation is a ‘bad bill’  —  Presidential hopeful Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) on Wednesday slammed legislation that would allow Congress to review and vote on a final Iran nuclear deal, calling the proposal a “bad bill.”  —  “I agree that it is of paramount important to give Congress …

Chris Christie faces another blow  —  His “biggest” achievement, state pension reform, is likely to be dismantled by New Jersey courts.  —  Chris Christie's signature achievement as New Jersey governor may be going up in smoke.  —  The potential presidential candidate has said his …

Sources: Baltimore police investigation doesn't support some of prosecution's charges  —  Baltimore (CNN)The Baltimore police investigation into the death of Freddie Gray doesn't support some of the charges, including the most serious, filed by the Baltimore City State's Attorney …

Clinton Takes the Lead on Immigration  —  With her speech on immigration in Las Vegas on Tuesday, Hillary Rodham Clinton took a large step forward, up front and to the left of President Obama.  That is a good place to be for a presidential candidate who proposes to get the stalled debate moving again …

Mystery Planes in the Skies Above Baltimore  —  In Baltimore, Maryland, where law enforcement officials ought to be doing their utmost to win back the trust of brutalized residents who perceive a conspiracy against them, a shadowy police tactic is stoking more dark suspicions.

Clinton Foundation's Missteps Point to Broader Problem  —  On the surface, the uproar over foreign contributions to the Clinton Foundation while Hillary Rodham Clinton was secretary of State looks like another example of the Clintons behaving badly.  But the problem goes beyond the Clintons and could tar Republicans as well.

Bush leads, Rubio up, Christie down in new WMUR poll  —  Tightly packed field continues with 9 months to go  —  Nine months is an eternity in politics, particularly in late-deciding New Hampshire.  And so not surprisingly, the Republican presidential primary field remains crowded with no true frontrunner …

This isn't 1968.  Baltimore isn't Watts.  And Hillary Clinton isn't Michael Dukakis.  —  I wish I could introduce Richard Cohen and Lloyd Green to Antonio Morgan.  Cohen of course is my Washington Post colleague and columnist.  Green is a former Justice Dept. official and former opposition research counsel for the Republican Party.

16 people who are hot for McDonald's new Hamburglar  —  McDonald's brought back its iconic Hamburglar mascot on Wednesday, and much to Twitter's delight, he's actually pretty smokin'.  —  The beefed up new Hamburglar has folks fanning themselves over his slick new trench coat …

Bank robbery suspect Instagrams crime video, robbery note  —  VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (WAVY) — A man accused of robbing the TowneBank on Constitution Drive Monday afternoon posted videos of the robbery on social media, as well as a picture of the note he handed a teller.

How can our future Mars colonies be free of sexism and racism?  —  The white, male European conquerors of the New World and 19th-century American pioneers of Manifest Destiny still colour the space age, so is it a myth that we'll turn nice on Mars?  —  We're going to Mars - eventually.

Mike Huckabee: If trade agreement passes, workers would ‘take it in the backside’  —  In an MSNBC interview, 2016 Republican presidential candidate and ordained Baptist minister Mike Huckabee used some salty language to argue against fast-tracking the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade agreement.

What Pamela Geller Advocates Is Not Free Speech  —  Qasim Rashid is an attorney, author of EXTREMIST, and national spokesperson for the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community USA.  —  Repeated demonization can inspire violence  —  There's an important history behind America's free speech laws …