'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.

Clinton to Sanders at debate: Get real  —  MILWAUKEE — A low-key debate turned fiery at the very end on Thursday night as Hillary Clinton unleashed a series of points to try and paint Bernie Sanders as opposed to President Barack Obama — a tack that Sanders forcefully rebutted.

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.

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 …

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 …

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 …

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.

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.

Hillary Clinton's Congressional Black Caucus PAC Endorsement Approved By Board Awash in Lobbyists  —  The Congressional Black Caucus PAC announced its endorsement of Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign on Thursday, a move that is being widely interpreted as a sign of her deep support from the African American community.

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?

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.

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.