Bloomberg Politics Poll: Nearly Two-Thirds of Likely GOP Primary Voters Back Trump's Muslim Ban  —  More than a third say it makes them more likely to vote for him, according to an online PulsePoll conducted by Purple Strategies on Tuesday.  —  McCormickJohn

Scalia: Affirmative Action Sends Blacks To Schools Too Advanced For Them  —  In the oral arguments Wednesday for a Supreme Court affirmative action case, Justice Antonin Scalia—a well known critic of affirmative action—suggested that the policy was hurting minority students by sending …

Trump Proves That Liberals Have Been Right All Along  —  The left nailed the pathology of the conservative movement years ago.  The Donald is just making that impossible to deny.  —  If you've been following Donald Trump's presidential candidacy and his effect on the Republican primary closely …

San Bernardino Suspects Spoke of Attacks in 2013, F.B.I. Says  —  WASHINGTON — The F.B.I. director, James B. Comey, said Wednesday that the couple who waged a shooting rampage in San Bernardino, Calif., last week had been talking of an attack as far back as two years ago …

Gun rights groups to stage mock mass shooting at UT  —  Gun rights groups say they will conduct a mock mass shooting this weekend at the University of Texas campus as they try to end gun-free zones.  —  The Open Carry Walk and Crisis Performance Event will involve actors “shot” …

The Polls May Be Underestimating Trump's Support  —  Donald Trump's persistent lead in the GOP presidential-preference polls has been a great source of confusion for the chattering classes.  But Trump is actually just the latest manifestation of a more global trend: Data suggests the appeal …

Scientific Evidence Doesn't Support Global Warming, Sen. Ted Cruz Says  —  There's a huge partisan divide on the issue of global warming in the U.S. Steve Inskeep talks to the Texas senator and GOP presidential candidate about his views on climate change.  —  STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

Why I Caved on Guns When I Ran for Governor of Texas  —  I am a lifelong Democrat.  I proudly boast an “F” rating from the NRA.  And, yet during my 2014 gubernatorial campaign in Texas, I supported the open carry of handguns in my state.  —  It is a position that haunts me.

“I. Will.  Never.  Leave.  This.  Race.”  —  Donald Trump came down the stairs, stopped in the middle of the clubhouse restaurant, thrust his arms out and proclaimed: “How great is this?”  —  It was his way of saying hello and also a declaration of how America's boss planned to try to own the room …

Clinton intervened for firm after request to son-in-law  —  WASHINGTON (AP) — As secretary of state, Hillary Clinton intervened in a request forwarded by her son-in-law on behalf of a deep-sea mining firm to meet with her or other State Department officials after one of the firm's investors …

Know Your Fascist Dictators  —  As long as we're on to the subject of fascist dictators and Donald Trump is now being compared to Adolf Hitler in major urban newspapers, I thought I should speak up on behalf of fascist dictator Benito Mussolini as the true proto-Trump.  —  Mussolini wasn't just a fascist dictator.

Carter Banned Iranians from Coming to US During Hostage Crisis  —  Trump is a monster, a madman and a vile racist.  He's just like Hitler.  Or Jimmy Carter.  —  During the Iranian hostage crisis, Carter issued a number of orders to put pressure on Iran.  Among these, Iranians were banned …

Who's a ‘Gifted Rap Artist,’ Who Loves Jalapeños and Who Went to See Adele on Date Night: Democrats and Republicans' Guilty Pleasures Revealed  —  You've seen them at rallies and state fairs across the country, on your television set during intense debates, on Twitter …

Poll: Donald Trump nearly doubles lead in New Hampshire  —  Washington (CNN)Donald Trump has a growing lead among likely primary voters in New Hampshire, and both he and Marco Rubio have gained ground in the state since September, according to a new CNN/WMUR poll conducted by the University of New Hampshire Survey Center.

Press Briefing by Press Secretary Josh Earnest, 12/8/15  —  MR. EARNEST: Good afternoon, everybody.  Nice to see you all.  Before we get started, I actually wanted to follow up on one piece of business from yesterday.  I was asked at the end of the briefing — Francesca …