Houston, We Have a Problem  —  National Review was asked by the RNC to partner in the GOP debates.  We agreed.  Our initial partner was NBC, with whom we were to help moderate the pre-Super Tuesday debate, originally to be held on February 26 in Houston, then suspended by the RNC in retribution …

Suffolk University Poll Shows Sanders Leading Clinton in NH Democratic Primary  —  With the New Hampshire primary three weeks away, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders leads former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton by 9 points, according to a Suffolk University poll of likely voters in the Granite State Democratic primary.

A G.O.P. Majority in New Hampshire Pipes Up: We're Not for Donald Trump  —  BROOKLINE, N.H. — Jeanne Cleveland, a retired teacher, pursed her lips sourly at the mention of his name and tried to summarize her distaste in diplomatic terms.  —  “I think he's arrogant,” she said.  “I think he's rude.

Ted Cruz Forgets To Sign Up For Health Insurance, Blames Obamacare  —  GOP presidential candidate Ted Cruz says his family is no longer covered by health insurance, and he thinks it's all Obamacare's fault.  —  “I'll tell you, you know who one of those millions of Americans is who's lost their health care because of Obamacare?

Inside the Carson campaign meltdown  —  On Thanksgiving night, Ben Carson sat in a chartered plane on a Baltimore airport tarmac surrounded by his wife and campaign advisers.  The destination: Jordan.  —  A secret mission to the Middle East, his team hoped, would help reestablish …

Oscars 2016: Charlotte Rampling says diversity row is ‘racist to white people’  —  The British actor, who is nominated for the best actress award, says black actors may not have been good enough to make the list of Oscar nominees  —  Oscar nominee Charlotte Rampling has claimed the current campaign …

In Word and Deed, Christie's Ambitions Shrink at Home Amid White House Bid  —  Gov. Chris Christie's return to New Jersey was swift and efficient: He flew to his home state on Monday night after a campaign trip to Iowa.  The next day, he sliced through a towering pile of legislation awaiting his signature …

Flint lead crisis getting a tad overdone: David Mastio  —  Before hitting the panic button, remember we are winning the war on lead poisoning  —  Now that the leaching of poisonous lead into the tap water of Flint, Mich., has been declared a national emergency, it might be time to dial back the panic just a notch (or two).

U.S. Payment of $1.7 Billion to Iran Raises Questions of Ransom  —  Wiring of disputed money to Tehran coincided with departure of plane carrying 3 Americans  —  A deal that sent $1.7 billion in U.S. funds to Iran, announced alongside the freeing of five Americans from Iranian jails …

The Seven Signs You're in a Cult … November 2, 2012, was a beautiful Friday in Kansas City—clear and cool and sunny.  I had spent the afternoon reading in the library at an unaccredited college affiliated with the International House of Prayer, an evangelical Christian organization commonly referred …

Jeb Bush Says It's “Not Appropriate” For Palin To Blame Obama For Son's Actions  —  “It's a national tragedy, all of us I think have a responsibility to roll up our sleeves — I don't think blaming the president is appropriate.”  —  Don Emmert / AFP / Getty Images  —  w.soundcloud.com

Disbarred attorney pleads not guilty to 1973 Barrington Township murder  —  A disbarred former Northwest suburban attorney on Friday pleaded not guilty to charges he murdered his wife in 1973, less than a month after their marriage.  —  Donnie Rudd, 73, is accused of murdering 19-year-old …