Obama mocks GOP hopefuls for CNBC snit  —  President Obama on Monday mocked Republican presidential candidates as thin-skinned for lashing out at CNBC over the network's handling of last week's primary debate.  —  “They say, 'when I talk to [Russian President Vladimir] Putin …

NBC/WSJ Poll: Carson Surges Into Lead of National GOP Race  —  Ben Carson has surged into the lead of the Republican presidential race, getting support from 29 percent of GOP primary voters, according to a brand-new NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll.  —  That's the highest percentage …

Illinois District Violated Transgender Student's Rights, U.S. Says  —  CHICAGO — Federal education authorities found on Monday that an Illinois school district had violated anti-discrimination laws when it did not allow a transgender student who identifies as a girl and participates in athletics …

U.S. Public Becoming Less Religious  —  Modest Drop in Overall Rates of Belief and Practice, but Religiously Affiliated Americans Are as Observant as Before  —  Is the American public becoming less religious?  Yes, at least by some key measures of what it means to be a religious person.

Ben Carson on Americans: “Many of Them Are Stupid.”  —  When retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson, the current GOP 2016 front-runner, campaigns, he routinely pitches “common sense solutions from We the People.”  But it seems the candidate who celebrates a cheerful and straightforward populism …

In Religious Arbitration, Scripture Is the Rule of Law  —  A few months before he took a toxic mix of drugs and died on a stranger's couch, Nicklaus Ellison wrote a letter to his little sister.  —  He asked for Jolly Ranchers, Starburst and Silly Bandz bracelets, some of the treats permitted …

Charles Koch Says He, Brother Largely Fail at Influence-Buying  —  “So far we're largely failures at it, as you can tell,” Republican mega-donor Charles Koch says in interview on MSNBC's “Morning Joe” when asked if he is buying political influence and if that is at odds with his desire to end so-called corporate welfare.

Franken gets serious about flipping Senate to Democrats  —  On a recent October afternoon, Democratic Sen. Al Franken mistakenly ambled toward the Mansfield Room, where the party in control — namely Republicans — meets weekly to hash out strategy.  —  “I keep thinking we're in the majority …

Hearts on Twitter  —  We hope you like what you see on Twitter and Vine today: hearts!  —  We are changing our star icon for favorites to a heart and we'll be calling them likes.  We want to make Twitter easier and more rewarding to use, and we know that at times the star could be confusing, especially to newcomers.

Migrant crisis pushing Germany towards ‘anarchy and civil war’ … Germany now is somewhere at the edge of anarchy and sliding towards civil war, or to become a banana republic without any government, says Hansjoerg Mueller of the Alternative for Germany party.

Ahmad Chalabi, Iraqi Politician Who Pushed for U.S. Invasion, Dies at 71  —  Ahmad Chalabi, the Iraqi politician who from exile helped persuade the United States to invade Iraq in 2003, and then unsuccessfully tried to attain power as his country was nearly torn apart by sectarian violence, died at his home in Baghdad on Tuesday.

6 Passengers Kicked Off Plane At LAX Accused Of Being Unruly Claim Discrimination  —  LOS ANGELES INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT (CBSLA.com) - Six passengers kicked off a Spirit Airlines plane at Los Angeles International Airport Monday night accused a flight attendant of discrimination.

Dashcam video undermines Texas prof's claim of racial profiling, says chief  —  A Texas journalism professor's explosive charge that police hassled her for “walking while black,” a claim lodged in a guest column in the state's biggest newspaper, doesn't square with the videotape, according to the police chief.

France, Paradise Lost  —  Paris — WHEN I moved to France 12 years ago, it was like arriving in an unfriendly paradise.  Sure, hardly anyone spoke to me.  But there was national paid maternity leave and free preschool.  Practically everyone seemed to agree on the need for strict gun laws, and access to birth control and abortion.

Spain terror alert: Three men ‘set to commit Charlie Hebdo attack’ arrested in dawn raids  —  POLICE in Spain say they have arrested three Moroccans who were ready to commit a Charlie Hebdo-style terror attack.  —  GETTY  —  Police in Spain have arrested three men suspected of wanting to carry out acts of terrorism

Top Republican says ObamaCare could ‘collapse’ this year  —  A top Senate Republican is predicting that ObamaCare could “collapse” this year.  —  Sen. John Barrasso (Wyo.), the No. 4 Senate Republican and a leading critic of the healthcare law, made the prediction one day after ObamaCare's new sign-up period began.

Small Donors Are Clicking More With Democrats Than Republicans  —  SOMERVILLE, Mass. — In an office here with all the trappings of a Silicon Valley tech firm, a band of mostly 20-something political junkies has built a formidable Democratic fund-raising machine that is fueling …