Democratic Presidential Debate: 5 Moments That Mattered  —  In the final Democratic debate before the Nevada caucuses, Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders faced off at a pivotal moment in the race for the Democratic nomination.  —  After a sweeping loss in the New Hampshire primary earlier this week …

'You didn't hear this from me, but. . .': Why South Carolina primary politics are so dirty.  —  COLUMBIA, S.C. — Here's a story, the gist of which will sound familiar to anyone living in South Carolina: Natalie Barrett, a 53-year-old schoolteacher from Westminster, got a robo-call earlier this month and ended up furious.

Cruz Campaign Removes Ad Featuring Softcore Porn Star  —  Amy Lindsay has appeared in films such as Erotic Confessions, Carnal Wishes, Secrets of a Chambermaid, and Insatiable Desires.  “Had the campaign known of her full filmography, we obviously would not have let her appear in the ad,” a Cruz campaign spokesman told BuzzFeed News.

Hillary has big dreams, too  —  Hillary Clinton should respond to the results of the New Hampshire primary by finding her voice and sharing her dreams, as she did in her closing case to Granite State voters when she asked them to imagine the America that can be if we aspire to the great deeds …

Petraeus doubts Syria can be put back together again  —  Retired Army Gen. David Petraeus expressed doubt in a recent interview with The Hill that Syria can be pieced back together after a nearly five-year civil war.  —  “Can Syria actually be put back together again?

QUESTIONS GROW OVER BANKS AS PROFIT WARNINGS PILE UP  —  PARIS (AP) — Questions are growing over the financial health of banks, particularly in Europe and the U.S., as they face a toxic mix of low economic growth, bad loans and squeezed earnings.  —  France's Societe Generale became Thursday …

Trump mocks Jeb Bush for bringing brother on campaign trail  —  Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump is mocking rival Jeb Bush for bringing his brother, former President George W. Bush, to help campaign.  —  “Don't fall asleep when I mention the name,” Trump said …

CNN's Jake Tapper Calls Anti-Trump Headlines ‘Very Height of Elitism’  —  “I think journalistically, to not take Donald Trump seriously is a mistake,” Tapper tells TheWrap  —  CNN's Jake Tapper is not impressed with Huffington Post and New York Daily News headlines mocking Donald Trump.

Suspect Killed After Attacking Multiple People With Machete In Columbus Restaurant  —  Tylar Bacome  —  Police have shot and killed a suspect after he attacked multiple people at a restaurant in northeast Columbus with a machete.  —  The incident happened at the Nazareth Restaurant on N. Hamilton Road.

Tempers flare at IRS hearing  —  A heated argument erupted Thursday at a hearing on the IRS, with Democrats and Republicans trading charges about the work of the Oversight Committee.  —  Two Democrats on the panel accused their GOP colleagues of repeatedly holding hearings on the IRS for political reasons.

Poll: Wins Push Trump, Sanders to New Heights  —  After winning New Hampshire's presidential primaries by wide margins, New York real estate magnate Donald Trump and Sen. Bernie Sanders are soaring to new heights among their respective party's voters, a new Morning Consult poll finds …

Cruz app data collection helps campaign read minds of voters  —  WASHINGTON (AP) — Protecting the privacy of law-abiding citizens from the government is a pillar of Ted Cruz's Republican presidential candidacy, but his campaign is testing the limits of siphoning personal data from supporters.

Silicon Valley's year: ‘amazing’ but with ‘perils’  —  2016 Silicon Valley Index finds phenomenal economic growth but questions if it will last  —  Joint Venture Silicon Valley's annual economic study found that 2015 was a year of record-breaking growth and prosperity …

Obama creates 3 new national monuments to protect 1.8 million acres of California desert  —  President Obama designated three new national monuments in the California desert Thursday, expanding federal protection to 1.8 million acres of landscapes that have retained their natural beauty despite decades …