Dirty Politics: Witnessing Firsthand It's Always Heartbreaking, Never Surprising  —  Thank heavens Donald Trump opened so many eyes to the lies, corruption and total lack of accountability that come so naturally to the permanent political class.  And Sen. Ted Cruz was spot on when he once noted that …

Rand Paul drops out of White House race  —  Rand Paul dropped out of the 2016 president race on Wednesday, short on cash and support, two days after finishing with under 5 percent in the Iowa caucuses — less than one quarter of the support his father had drawn four years earlier.

Hillary Clinton Blasts Donald Trump: ‘We Were Not Friends’  —  Hillary Clinton may have been all-smiles-for-the-camera at Donald Trump's 2005 wedding.  But ask her today if, after Trump has made her husband's past infidelity a 2016 campaign issue, she could ever be friendly with the billionaire businessman again, Clinton is blunt.

Jeb Bush, an Also-Ran in Iowa, May Be Pivotal in New Hampshire  —  MANCHESTER, N.H. — In the crowded New Hampshire primary, no candidate may shape the direction of the Republican presidential campaign more than the man who finished sixth in Iowa: Jeb Bush.  —  With Senator Ted Cruz of Texas …

Ted Cruz Is A ‘Natural Born Citizen,’ Board Of Election Finds  —  “Further discussion on this issue is unnecessary.”  —  Legal Affairs Reporter, The Huffington Post  —  On the same day he won the Republican Iowa caucus, Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas got a favorable decision from the Illinois Board of Elections …

CDC: Young women should avoid alcohol unless using birth control  —  Women of childbearing age should avoid alcohol unless they're using contraception, federal health officials said Tuesday, in a move to reduce the number of babies born with fetal alcohol syndrome.

N.F.L. Great Ken Stabler Had Brain Disease C.T.E. … Shortly before he died last July, the former N.F.L. quarterback Ken Stabler was rushed away by doctors, desperate to save him, in a Mississippi hospital.  His longtime partner followed the scrum to the elevator, holding his hand.

Goldman Sachs Says It May Be Forced to Fundamentally Question How Capitalism Is Working  —  The profit margins debate could lead to an unsettling conclusion.  —  One of the most heated debates among investors is the question of whether corporate profit margins can maintain their elevated level …

Donald Trump nominated for Nobel Peace Prize  —  Republican presidential hopeful Donald Trump is reportedly in the running to receive the 2016 Nobel Peace Prize.  —  Mr. Trump, who has attracted international backlash over his controversial rhetoric and call to ban Muslims from entering the U.S. …

Trump On Iowa: I Only Recently Learned What ‘Ground Game’ Means!  (VIDEO)  —  Donald Trump on Wednesday morning acknowledged that his campaign may have needed a more robust operation in Iowa, noting that he only recently learned what the term “ground game” means.

Of Teachers and Students  —  I don't know if he was there to kill me.  —  Monday night I was sitting in a hotel lobby in downtown Des Moines with my back to a wall of windows, my eyes fixed on the TV, my attention wholly focused on early caucus results.  I didn't notice until …

Obama to rebut GOP Muslim rhetoric in first U.S. mosque visit  —  (CNN)Seeking to rebut what he views as perilous election-year bombast about Muslims, President Barack Obama heads Wednesday to a mosque in Baltimore, his first visit to such a site in the United States.

Mr. Cuomo's Housing Wrecking Ball  —  Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who should be using his power to make New York City more hospitable to working-class and middle-class families, has instead slipped a little poison into his executive budget that could cripple the city's ambitious efforts to build affordable housing.