CBS/NYT Poll: Ben Carson edges out Donald Trump  —  Ben Carson has surpassed Donald Trump and now narrowly leads the Republican field in the race for the nomination in the latest national CBS News/New York Times Poll.  —  Twenty-six percent of Republican primary voters back Carson, giving him a four-point edge over Trump (22 percent).

Morning Plum: A temporary outbreak of sanity in Washington  —  Late last night, Congressional leaders and the White House reached a big deal to avert default and keep the government funded.  Now it has to be sold to members of Congress in both parties, and conservatives are already revolting.

Donald Trump Explains Drop in Polls: They're ‘Not Very Scientific’  —  Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump explained on MSNBC's Morning Joe that the reason rival Ben Carson had surpassed him in recent polls was because they weren't “scientific.”  —  “I want to ask about once and for all your relationship with polls.

Conservatives already trashing new budget deal  —  <p>The ink isn't even dry on a tentative two-year budget agreement, but conservatives in Congress are already pouncing. </p><p>GOP leaders from both ends of the Capitol met privately with their rank-and-file Monday evening to outline …

Video shows confrontation between Spring Valley student and school resource officer  —  Spring Valley High School officials and Richland County sheriff's deputies are investigating after a video supposedly taken at the high school shows a confrontation between a female student and the school's resource officer.