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 …

The Cavaliers Should Have Thought A Little Harder About This Promo  —  During last night's playoff game against the Chicago Bulls, the Cleveland Cavaliers showed the video below, which was removed from the team's Vimeo page this morning, on the in-arena jumbotron.

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 …

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 …

Woman claims Verizon Wireless gave her a heart attack  —  Angela Hawkins called Verizon Wireless last year to straighten out a problem with her bill.  —  The grandmother of four hoped to talk to a helpful customer service representative.  —  Instead, according to a lawsuit …

The Price of Nice Nails  —  Manicurists are routinely underpaid and exploited, and endure ethnic bias and other abuse, The New York Times has found.  —  The women begin to arrive just before 8 a.m., every day and without fail, until there are thickets of young Asian and Hispanic women …

Stephen Colbert funds $800,000 in grants for South Carolina public school teachers  —  Stephen Colbert spoke to S.C. Supt.  Molly Spearman at Alexander Elementary School to announce he, along with ScanSource and Share Fair Nation, would fund all 1,000 classroom projects South Carolina teachers asked for on DonorsChoose.org.

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.

McDonald's was there for me when no one else was  —  Before stardom, James Franco was just a fast-food employee eating fries straight from the hopper.  —  McDonald's sales have slumped.  Maybe the public wants healthier food.  Maybe there's too much competition.  Maybe people aren't into the chipotle barbecue snack wrap.

THIS WEEK'S COVER: INSIDE QUENTIN TARANTINO'S BLOODY, BRUTAL NEW WESTERN THE HATEFUL EIGHT  —  Somebody's dying today—you can hear it in Samuel L. Jackson's voice.  On a soundstage in Hollywood this April, the actor who plays Major Marquis Warren in Quentin Tarantino's The Hateful Eight …

Piers Morgan Causes Mika Brzezinski To Roll Off ‘Morning Joe’ Set (VIDEO)  —  Former CNN personality Piers Morgan's opinions led to an Irish exit from co-host Mika Brzezinski on the set of MSNBC's “Morning Joe” on Thursday morning.  —  The moment came during a segment about paid paternity leave …

One of Jeb Bush's top advisers on Israel: George W. Bush  —  When asked this week at an exclusive Manhattan gathering about who advises him on U.S.-Israel policy, Jeb Bush surprised many of the 50-plus attendees by naming his brother, former president George W. Bush, as his most influential counselor.

Revealed: Four Clinton Foundation Trustees Charged or Convicted of Financial Crimes  —  Shocking revelations show that at least four Clinton Foundation board of directors have either been charged or convicted of financial crimes, including bribery and fraud.

Exposure to ideologically diverse news and opinion on Facebook  —  1Facebook, Menlo Park, CA 94025, USA.  —  2School of Information, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.  —  ↵† These authors contributed equally to this work.  —  Exposure to news, opinion …

The media's real role in 2016  —  Let's be honest with ourselves for a second: This is Hillary Clinton's election to lose.  —  On Nov. 8, 2016, Clinton will start — start — with a minimum 247 of the 270 electoral votes she needs to win.  If you give her Colorado and Virginia …

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 …

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.

Iran bill nears finish line after Sen. Vitter drops objection  —  Senate leaders reached an agreement to finish legislation allowing Congress to review and potentially reject a nuclear deal with Iran on Thursday afternoon as senators looked to put an end to acrimonious floor debate.

IRS promoted employees who cheated on their taxes, audit finds … The IRS refused to fire most of its own employees found to be cheating on their taxes — and in some cases even quickly turned around and promoted them within the year, according to an audit released Wednesday.