Cruz defends his 2013 immigration proposal: 'It's called “calling their bluff"'  —  LAS VEGAS — Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Tex.) defended his role in the 2013 immigration battles Thursday, telling reporters at a rally here that the Republican “establishment” was misleading people about why he introduced …

Trump calls ‘highly respected’ Putin's comments a ‘great honor’  —  Donald Trump said on Thursday it was a “great honor” to be complimented by “highly respected” Russian President Vladimir Putin.  —  “It is always a great honor to be so nicely complimented by a man so highly respected within …

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.

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.

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.

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 …

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.

FBI arrests Turing Pharmaceuticals CEO Martin Shkreli: Witness  —  Turing's Martin Shkreli arrested by FBI  —  CNBC's Meg Tirrell reports the latest details on the arrest of Turing Pharma CEO Martin Shkreli.  —  Martin Shkreli, a lightning rod for growing outrage over soaring prescription drug prices …

Massachusetts Court: Catholic School Can't Refuse To Hire Married Gay Man  —  via Fontbonne Academy website / Via fontbonneacademy.org  —  WASHINGTON — A state court in Massachusetts has ruled that a Catholic preparatory school violated the state's antidiscrimination law when it rescinded …

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 …

Former House Speaker Dennis Hastert recovering from stroke  —  Former House Speaker Dennis Hastert, who's awaiting sentencing after pleading guilty in a federal hush money case, suffered a stroke and has been hospitalized for about six weeks, his lawyer said Thursday.

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 …

GOP Operative Launches Super PAC to Sully Donald Trump's Rivals  —  Republican operative Roger Stone, who says he is no longer working for Donald Trump but continues to back his presidential campaign, is launching a super PAC to attack leading rivals, particularly Florida Sen. Marco Rubio.

FBI: Harrisburg teen planned to carry out attack on US soil  —  HARRISBURG, Pa. (WHTM) - A Harrisburg teen has been arrested and charged in connection to conspiring and assisting persons seeking to travel to and fight for ISIS.  —  Thursday, The U.S. Department of Justice announced the arrest …

Gaffney's ‘Summit’ in Nevada a Nonstop Procession of Extremism, Conspiracism — and Candidates  —  The Center for Security Policy puts a veneer of normalcy on a daylong program of fearmongering and conspiracy, even as it's being courted by GOP presidential candidates.

As lawmakers clash over refugees, Syrian immigration quietly tops 100,000 since 2012  —  A proposal to admit 10,000 Syrian refugees to the United States has ignited a bitter debate in Washington, but more than 10 times that number of people from the embattled country have quietly come to America since 2012 …

Can we stop pretending that Republicans care about the deficit now?  —  Congress is about to pass a package that will keep the government operating through next September.  And in order to sweeten the deal for conservative Republicans who would rather not spend money to have the government operate …

Parents Question Choice To Sing ‘Allahu Akbar’ At Holiday Concert  —  BLAINE, Minn. (WCCO) — Some parents in the Anoka-Hennepin School District are questioning a choir teacher's decision to use a song about Ramadan performed in Arabic at a holiday concert.  —  At Thursday night's concert …