Top Carson staffers resign  —  Ben Carson's top aides have resigned, casting the retired neurosurgeon's campaign into chaos just a month before the Iowa caucuses.  —  Carson's campaign manager Barry Bennett and communications director Doug Watts announced Thursday they will leave the team.

Donald Trump's Strongest Supporters: A Certain Kind of Democrat  —  Donald Trump holds a dominant position in national polls in no small part because he is extremely strong among people on the periphery of the Republican coalition.  —  He is strongest among Republicans who are less affluent …

Obama set to unveil curbs on gun sellers  —  President Barack Obama's bid to assert himself in his final year will begin with long-awaited executive actions on gun control, expected to be released next week, shortly after he returns to Washington.  —  The White House is putting finishing touches …

Holding public officials accountable with Twitter and Politwoops  —  At our Flight conference in October, our CEO Jack Dorsey spoke about Twitter's responsibilities to developers and users in the areas of government transparency: … Today we're pleased to announce that we have come …

The Consequences of California's Top-Two Primary  —  In 2009, Abel Maldonado, then a state senator, brought the top-two open primary to California.  The change allowed the two leading finishers in a primary to proceed to the general election regardless of party affiliation.

How Rubio helped his ex-con brother-in-law acquire a real estate license  —  When Marco Rubio was majority whip of the Florida House of Representatives, he used his official position to urge state regulators to grant a real estate license to his brother-in-law, a convicted cocaine trafficker …

Additional steps to help keep your personal information secure  —  We're committed to helping our users keep their personal information secure and private.  A key part of our work is identifying and preventing unauthorized access to your Microsoft Account (including Outlook.com email and OneDrive) by anyone other than you.

New Obama vacation costs uncovered; They now exceed $70 million  —  As Barack, Michelle, Malia and Sasha Obama, family, friends, pets and staff enjoy their half-month-long Hawaiian vacation, the Secret Service finally complied with a court order to release some Obama vacation expenses from two years ago.

Jeb Bush on Tamir Rice: ‘The process worked’  —  Lexington, South Carolina (CNN)GOP presidential hopeful Jeb Bush, weighing in on the decision not to indict police officers in last year's shooting of Tamir Rice, said a grand jury has made a decision and that “the process worked.”

DENVER AND THE WEST  —  MUSLIM WORKERS IN FORT MORGAN FIRED OVER PRAYER DISPUTE WALKOUT  —  A Somali worker cuts and moves on the line as he trims beef in the manufacturing department at Cargill Meat Solutions in Fort Morgan, Colo. (Joe Amon, Denver Post file)

Coachella Lands Two Big Reunions: Guns N' Roses and LCD Soundsystem  —  Living up to its tradition as the premier forum for rock ‘n’ roll reunions, the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival will host at least two of them in 2016: Guns N' Roses — a gigantic get — and LCD Soundsystem.

What You Need to Know About “The Big Short”  —  One of the most intriguing movies I've seen in a long time is The Big Short.  It's about the housing bubble and what we now call the Great Recession, based on Michael Lewis's bestselling book “The Big Short: Inside the Doomsday Machine.”

Fight breaks out at Newark anti-violence rally (PHOTOS)  —  NEWARK — A skirmish broke out between rival activists on the steps of City Hall Wednesday during what had been intended as a demonstration against violence in Newark.  —  Police were called to the scene after a small crowd began arguing …

Benghazi Soldier: ‘God And The Service Go Hand-in-Hand’  —  “Faith teaches you how to live with courage, how to live with honor, gives you something to strive for,” said.  U.S. Army Ranger Kris “Tanto” Paronto.  “To me, that's the American spirit.”  —  On September 11, 2012, terrorists attacked the U.S. Embassy in Benghazi, Libya.

Mexican marijuana farmers see profits tumble as U.S. loosens laws  —  This farmer in western Mexico says he began growing marijuana when he was a teenager.  He says this will be his last crop.  (Deborah Bonello / For The Times)  —  He started growing marijuana as a teenager …

State Dept. to miss target in Clinton email release  —  The State Department said on Thursday that it will fall short of its court-ordered goal to release by the end of the year 43,000 pages of Hillary Clinton's emails, blaming holiday-related difficulties and the volume of documents staffers had to review.

Speaking Fees Meet Politics for Clintons  —  Former president spoke to groups with issues before State Department  —  At Hillary Clinton's confirmation hearing for secretary of state, she promised she would take “extraordinary steps...to avoid even the appearance of a conflict of interest.”

Crowdfunded ‘Star Trek’ Movie Draws Lawsuit from Paramount, CBS  —  ‘Axanar’ aims to be a professional-quality prequel and has raised more than $1 million.  —  For decades, Paramount and CBS have tolerated and even encouraged fans of the Star Trek franchise to use their imagination at will …