DNC: Sanders campaign improperly accessed Clinton voter data  —  Officials with the Democratic National Committee have accused the presidential campaign of Sen. Bernie Sanders of improperly accessing confidential voter information gathered by the rival campaign of Hillary Clinton, according to several party officials.

Putin praises ‘bright and talented’ Trump  —  (CNN)Donald Trump has said that he would “get along very well” with Russian President Vladimir Putin.  —  The feeling is apparently mutual.  —  Putin offered high praise for the billionaire businessman-turned-Republican presidential front-runner …

The Electoral College Challenge  —  One of the fundamental errors of analysis that Republican strategists made in 2012 was their presumption that African-American voters would be less enthusiastic about reelecting Barack Obama than they had been about electing him in the first place.

Ryan and Pelosi corral votes as $1.1T funding bill speeds to floor  —  The House is poised to pass a bipartisan $1.1 trillion bill to fund the government, with GOP and Democratic whip teams going into overdrive to boost their numbers before the Friday morning vote.

Immigration Fuels Cruz-Rubio Republican Clash  —  More than any other issue, immigration is driving the rivalry between Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz, presidential rivals focusing on the divisive topic in their closing messages to Republican voters before the sprint to the Iowa caucuses.

Neighbor of San Bernardino Attackers Faces Terrorism Charges  —  LOS ANGELES — Enrique Marquez, who bought the assault rifles used in the massacre in San Bernardino, Calif., that left 14 people dead, was arrested and charged Thursday with conspiring to conduct two terrorism attacks in 2011 and 2012.

Augusta County schools closed Friday after parental outrage over Arabic assignment  —  AUGUSTA COUNTY, Va. — Augusta County schools and all administrative offices are closing Friday December 18, after parental objections to a controversial high school geography assignment involving Arabic.

Vilified for drug pricing, CEO Shkreli busted for securities fraud  —  Martin Shkreli, the boyish pharmaceutical entrepreneur who caused a public uproar after he drastically raised the price of a life-saving prescription drug, was arrested on Thursday for engaging in what U.S. prosecutors …

Bad blood: Reid-McConnell relationship hits new low  —  Harry Reid and Mitch McConnell sat down for a rare face-to-face meeting on the last day of November.  The agenda was straightforward — plotting out the legislative agenda for the end of the year — but what transpired has pushed …

DHS official: ‘Apples and oranges’ to use no-fly list for guns  —  A top official at the Department of Homeland Security on Thursday appeared to break with the White House's call for Congress to ban people on the federal no-fly list from buying guns.  —  “I believe it would be apples and oranges” …

Humans Are Slamming Into Driverless Cars and Exposing a Key Flaw  —  Accident rates are twice as high as for regular vehicles  —  Most mishaps are fender benders caused by inattentive drivers  —  The self-driving car, that cutting-edge creation that's supposed to lead to a world without accidents …

Fighting for Full Equality for LGBT People  —  Thanks to the hard work of generations of LGBT advocates and activists who fought to make it possible, our country won a landmark victory this past June when the Supreme Court recognized that in America, under our Constitution, LGBT couples …

Sadness, shame and blame at Yale over First Amendment repeal video  —  Members of the Yale University community on Thursday responded with a mix of embarrassment, sadness and literal disbelief to a viral video showing students there freely signing a petition that calls for the repeal of the First Amendment.

The Election and the Death Throes of White Male Power  —  The rage on the main stage of the debate is just a mirror to what is brewing across the country in the face of extraordinary change.  —  4.5k  —  4k  —  Pin It  —  On Monday night, protesters interrupted a Donald Trump rally …

Mike Huckabee cuts salaries of senior staff  —  Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee's presidential campaign, struggling with its low standing in the polls and underwhelming fundraising, slashed the salaries of senior staffers amid the departure of its top communications aide.