Opinion Savvy Poll Conducted for Augusta Chronicle, Morris News and FOX 5 Atlanta: Trumps Holds Substantial Lead in South Carolina; Battle for Second is Tight  —  An Opinion Savvy poll of likely South Carolina voters in next Saturday's Republican Primary there continues to show Donald Trump leading by a relatively wide margin.

DNC rolls back Obama ban on contributions from federal lobbyists  —  The Democratic National Committee has rolled back restrictions introduced by presidential candidate Barack Obama in 2008 that banned donations from federal lobbyists and political action committees.

911 calls detail horrific scene of machete attack at restaurant  —  Calls to 911 in a restaurant where a man wielding a machete injured four people described a chaotic scene.  Kids were dragged to safety.  Injuries to some victims were severe.  —  There were also stories of heroism from the incident.

Trump warns he has ‘standing to sue’ Cruz on eligibility  —  Donald Trump on Friday issued a warning to Ted Cruz, alleging that he has “standing to sue” the Texas senator over questions of his birth and constitutional eligibility to serve in the White House.

A Newport News woman wins big off of a scratch off that her friend didn't want  —  Newport News Va., — Lucille Harrelson won $100,000 off of a scratch off that her friend rejected.  —  Harrelson and some of her friends went to the store to buy some scratch offs.

First Nevada Poll In Weeks Shows Sanders Tied With Clinton  —  A Washington Free Beacon/TargetPoint Consulting poll released Friday shows between Democratic presidential candidates Hillary Clinton and Sen. Bernie Sander (I-VT) in Nevada.  It's the first poll conducted in the state this year.

Cruz campaign pulls ad over appearance by adult film actress  —  Ted Cruz's latest political ad turned out to be too hot for TV.  —  The Texas senator's campaign confirmed late Thursday that it had pulled a commercial hitting Florida Sen. Marco Rubio over illegal immigration …

Joe Scarborough-Donald Trump friendship increasing source of discomfort at NBC  —  Last November, MSNBC's Joe Scarborough sat on stage at the 92nd Street Y in New York and recounted the various times he had given Donald Trump political advice.  —  “I've actually called him up and said …

AFP EXCLUSIVE: Assad vows to retake whole country, warns could ‘take long time’  —  Damascus (AFP) - Syria's President Bashar al-Assad has vowed to retake the entire country but warned it could take a “long time,” in an exclusive interview with AFP that comes as international pressure grows for a ceasefire.

Inside The Most Important Supreme Court Case In Human History  —  The earth just had a terrible day in court.  —  Tuesday evening, the Supreme Court unexpectedly suspended the Obama administration's most aggressive effort to fight climate change in a 5-4 vote.

At Success Academy School, a Stumble in Math and a Teacher's Anger on Video  —  In the video, a first-grade class sits cross-legged in a circle on a brightly colored rug.  One of the girls has been asked to explain to the class how she solved a math problem, but she has gotten confused.

Clinton turned Sanders's attacks on her Wall Street ties into a game of chicken.  And she won.  —  The morning after a debate, it's natural to focus on the most dramatic moments.  But in the case of Thursday night's Clinton-Sanders showdown, the most significant exchange was arguably one that featured almost no drama.

John Bel Edwards says budget crisis threatens all of Louisiana — even LSU football  —  Gov. John Bel Edwards laid out a bleak scenario during a statewide television address Thursday night (Feb. 11). … Gov. John Bel Edwards laid out an absolute worst case scenario Thursday night (Feb. 11) …

Dr. Dre Filming Apple's First Scripted Television Series (Exclusive)  —  ‘Vital Signs,’ the technology giant's inaugural original, is described as a dark semi-autobiographical drama (featuring at least one orgy scene).  —  Apple is making its first original television show.

Jake Tapper's interview with the DNC Chair on superdelegates and the train wreck that followed  —  Just the other day we talked about the Democratic primary superdelegate situation and how it compares to the Republican Party's rules.  (The GOP scheme isn't a “pure” representation …

Revisionaries  —  How a group of Texas conservatives is rewriting your kids' textbooks.  —  Don McLeroy is a balding, paunchy man with a thick broom-handle mustache who lives in a rambling two-story brick home in a suburb near Bryan, Texas.  When he greeted me at the door one evening last October …

Philippe Reines rips Beltway media, Erik Wemple Blog for ‘hypocrisy’  —  Earlier this week, Gawker reporter J.K. Trotter highlighted a new set of documents exposing the inner workings of Beltway journalism.  Using documents procured through FOIA, Trotter showed how then-Atlantic contributing …

Jim Gilmore ends campaign for president  —  Former Virginia Gov. Jim Gilmore announced he is suspending his campaign for president.  —  “My campaign was intended to offer the gubernatorial experience, with the track record of a true conservative, experienced in national security, to unite the party.”

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 …

Pope arrives in Cuba for first-ever meeting with the Russian patriarch … Despite famine, religious wars, worldwide conflict and the spread of civilization, the heads of the Roman Catholic and the Russian Orthodox churches haven't spoken since the Great Schism of 1054 shattered Christendom …