Obama, Democrats at odds before State of the Union address  —  Tensions between liberal Democrats and President Obama are bubbling up as the president heads to Capitol Hill on Tuesday to deliver his final State of the Union address to a restless ­Congress.

Quinnipiac poll: Sanders surges to retake lead in Iowa  —  Bernie Sanders leads Hillary Clinton in a major Iowa poll for the first time since September, the latest sign the Democratic primary race is tightening between the two candidates.  —  The Vermont senator wins 49 percent of likely caucusgoers …

Biden says Obama offered financial help amid son's illness  —  Washington (CNN)As his eldest son faced the prospect of resigning as Delaware's attorney general amid health concerns, Vice President Joe Biden received an offer that floored him: financial support from his boss, President Barack Obama.

Ted Cruz is not eligible to be president  —  Mary Brigid McManamon is a constitutional law professor at Widener University's Delaware Law School.  —  Donald Trump is actually right about something: Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Tex.) is not a natural-born citizen and therefore is not eligible to be president or vice president of the United States.

The Brutalism of Ted Cruz  —  In 1997, Michael Wayne Haley was arrested after stealing a calculator from Walmart.  This was a crime that merited a maximum two-year prison term.  But prosecutors incorrectly applied a habitual offender law.  Neither the judge nor the defense lawyer caught the error and Haley was sentenced to 16 years.

Whitesboro residents vote to keep controversial ‘racist’ village seal  —  The controversial Whitesboro village seal, which residents voted Monday night to keep.  (Provided photo)  —  Whitesboro residents voted Monday night to keep the village's controversial seal, rather than replace it with a new image.

Strong Unions, Strong Democracy  —  IF the questions that came up during oral argument in Friedrichs v. California Teachers Association on Monday are any guide, the ruling bloc of conservative justices appears ready to render a decision later this year that would significantly weaken public sector labor unions.

German police: It's an Arab rape game called Taharrush, and now it has come to Europe  —  After the NYE mass assaults against women in several European cities, the German Federal Criminal Police Office, BKA, now say that the Arab “rape game” Taharrush has established itself in Europe.

‘We told you so,’ Eastern Europe tells Germany  —  Leaders of Eastern European states opposed to Germany's open-door refugee policy have been quick to tell Germany ‘we told you so’ after the Cologne sexual assaults.  —  Influential politicians across Eastern Europe have pointed to the Cologne attacks …

EXCLUSIVE: Textbook sales leader says national Common Core education standards are ‘all about the money’ as teacher insists bureaucrats created a ‘new f**king system that f**king sucks to sell more books’  — Conservative muckraker group Project Veritas caught a textbook sales executive …

ISIS member behind deadly Istanbul blast, PM says  —  Read more about this story at CNN Turk.  —  Istanbul (CNN)The suicide bomber who killed at least nine foreigners on Tuesday in a popular central Istanbul tourist area belonged to ISIS, officials said — an attack that shows the group's nerve, reach and capacity for terror.

Sanders: Law enforcement should handle campus rape  —  Bernie Sanders called for all rape accusations on college campuses to be handled through law enforcement, a controversial stance that puts him at odds with many advocates.  —  Decrying rape and sexual assault on campuses as an “epidemic …

McCain: Cruz's eligibility needs ‘to be looked at’  —  Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) on Monday defended his previous comments raising questions about Sen. Ted Cruz's (R-Texas) eligibility to run for president, saying it needs to be examined.  —  “I assume he's eligible but all of these things need …

Bevin notifies feds he'll dismantle kynect  —  FRANKFORT, Ky. Following through on a campaign pledge, Gov. Matt Bevin has notified federal authorities he plans to dismantle kynect, Kentucky's health insurance exchange created under the Affordable Care Act.  —  The decision drew immediate fire …