Branstad says Cruz employed ‘unethical and unfair’ tactics Monday night (AUDIO)  —  Governor Terry Branstad is crediting Ted Cruz for running an “old-fashioned”, 99-county campaign that yielded victory in Monday night's Iowa Caucuses, but Branstad is joining the chorus criticizing Cruz for “questionable” campaign tactics.

What Hillary needs to hear  —  I hope this column provokes a strong reaction from my brothers and sisters in the Democratic establishment, against whom I dissent in large measure today despite my history of working for Democratic leaders in Congress.  —  I am breaking rank and going rogue …

Last Slide  —  Once again the world is laughing at Iowa.  Late-night comedians and social media mavens are having a field day with jokes about missing caucusgoers and coin flips.  —  That's fine.  We can take ribbing over our quirky process.  But what we can't stomach is even the whiff of impropriety or error.

Ben Carson slashes staff as funds dry up  —  CONCORD, N.H. — Ben Carson, the famed neurosurgeon whose bid for the Republican presidential nomination has struggled to keep pace with rivals, will cut more than 50 staff positions on Thursday as part of an overhaul and downsizing of his entire campaign.

Condoleezza Rice Aides, Colin Powell Also Got Classified Info on Personal Emails  —  The State Department's Inspector General has found classified information sent to the personal email accounts of former Secretary of State Colin Powell and the senior staff of former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, NBC News has learned.

Exclusive: George W. Bush cuts television ad backing his brother  —  Former President George W. Bush has cut a TV ad for the super PAC supporting his brother, marking the former president's most public political activity in the campaign to date.  —  “The first job of the president is to protect America.

This Is How Much the Koch Brothers Hate Donald Trump  —  There is one man standing in the way of the Koch brothers' plans to elect a free-market conservative to the White House in November.  His name is Donald J. Trump.  —  The Kochs, whose donor network is raising nearly $900 million …

Hair tourniquet?  Dad shares photo of baby's swollen toe to warn parents of common hazard … WICHITA, Kansas — A Kansas father has a warning for all parents after finding something strange on his infant daughter's foot.  —  He shared a photo on Facebook to warn other parents.

Effect of Removal of Planned Parenthood from the Texas Women's Health Program  —  BACKGROUND  —  Texas is one of several states that have barred Planned Parenthood affiliates from providing health care services with the use of public funds.  After the federal government refused to allow …

At Baltimore Mosque, Obama Crushes the Muslim Haters  —  The president's speech at that Baltimore mosque reassured a nervous population and struck just the right note—we're Muslim and American.  —  The two most powerful moments during President Obama's first visit to an American mosque on Wednesday didn't happen during his speech.

Obama to propose $10-a-barrel oil tax  —  President Barack Obama is about to unveil an ambitious plan for a “21st century clean transportation system.”  And he hopes to fund it with a tax on oil.  —  Obama aides told POLITICO that when he releases his final budget request next week …

The Great GOP Realignment  —  Ted Cruz and Donald Trump may herald an historic working-class Republican revolt against the party establishment.  —  JoshuaGreen  —  A few days before the Feb. 1 Iowa caucuses, Brad Martsching was barreling down a Pennsylvania highway, hoping to unload …

The political wars damage public perception of Supreme Court, Chief Justice Roberts says  —  BOSTON — Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. said late Wednesday that partisan extremism is damaging the public's perception of the role of the Supreme Court, recasting the justices as players in the political process rather than its referees.

Family finds spider crawling inside bag of salad  —  (Feb. 4, 2016) - You definitely don't want to see something crawling inside your bag of lettuce, but that's exactly what happened to an Australian family.  —  Zoe Perry posted a video of the creepy encounter to Woolworths' Facebook page with the following message:

West Virginia House passes right-to-work bill, after harsh debate  —  The state will likely become America's 26th state to not require workers to pay dues to the unions obligated to represent them.  —  The West Virginia State House narrowly passed a right-to-work bill on Thursday …

Sheldon Adelson tightens grip on Review-Journal  —  After a brief spell of normalcy seemed to return to the Las Vegas Review-Journal, all bets are now off.  —  A new publisher has appeared overnight at the paper, a new editor will be installed as soon as Friday, and, sources tell me …

Smirking drug CEO antagonizes lawmakers after pleading the Fifth  —  Embattled drug executive Martin Shkreli antagonized lawmakers on Thursday by smirking and posing for pictures during his first appearance on Capitol Hill even as he refused to answer questions about drug prices.