CBS News poll: Trump maintains commanding lead over GOP field  —  Donald Trump (35 percent) continues to hold a commanding lead over the rest of the field, with a 17 point lead over his closest rival, Texas Senator Ted Cruz (18 percent).  John Kasich (11 percent) has now risen to a virtual third-place tie with Marco Rubio (12 percent).

The Republicans' Scalia Hysteria  —  A half-century ago, the brilliant British comedy troupe Beyond the Fringe produced “The End of the World,” a skit in which a group of cultists gather atop a mountain to greet the Apocalypse, prophesied for that very day.  “Now is the end!” they chant.

MSNBC's Town Hall With Donald Trump Was Disgraceful  —  The media's coverage of Trump has been soft, insufficient, and without substance.  —  Is Donald Trump in trouble?  After facing hostile questions from Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski Wednesday night—they comprehensively laid out his flip-flops …

Apple Unlocked iPhones for the Feds 70 Times Before  —  A 2015 court case shows that the tech giant has been willing to play ball with the government before—and is only stopping now because it might “tarnish the Apple brand.”  —  Apple CEO Tim Cook declared on Wednesday that his company …

Obama ‘Hope’ designer endorses Sanders  —  Artist and activist Shepard Fairey, who designed the iconic “Hope” poster during then-Sen. Barack Obama's 2008 presidential campaign, is backing Democratic presidential hopeful Bernie Sanders.  —  “I'm supporting Bernie Sanders …

DeRay Mckesson, civil rights leaders to meet with Obama  —  DeRay Mckesson … DeRay Mckesson, the prominent activist and late entrant into Baltimore's mayoral race, will meet with President Barack Obama and civil rights leaders at the White House on Thursday for an event honoring Black History Month.

Pope Francis Rips Capitalism, American Immigration Policy at Mexican Border  —  Pope Francis, apparently desperate to reach out to the Catholic Church's growing base in Latin America, spent the day slapping Americans in the face from across the US-Mexico border.

'Don't f-k with me': Hear Kanye's uncensored ‘SNL’ meltdown  —  Kanye West blasted Taylor Swift as a “fake ass” and called NBC staffers “white m—  s” during his epic meltdown backstage at “Saturday Night Live.  In an audio clip exclusively obtained by Page Six, Kanye can be heard repeatedly yelling at …

Freed Gitmo detainee, ex-bin Laden aide cements place as top jihadist in videos  —  When Ibrahim al Qosi was released from Guantanamo Bay in 2012, a lawyer for the former Usama bin Laden aide said he looked forward to living a life of peace in his native Sudan.

A Crank of the Far Right?  —  I have been vaguely aware of Milo Yiannopoulos for a while.  He is a gay Brit who works for Breitbart News.  Lately he has been embroiled in controversy on Twitter and on college campuses, but I hadn't paid enough attention to know what the fuss was about.

Few fiscal, monetary policy moves left to fight global growth slowdown, Moody's warns  —  Risks have not yet crystallized: Moody's  —  Colin Ellis, chief credit officer for EMEA at Moody's, says economic risks are building up around the world.  —  Risks to global growth have increased since November …

Hollywood hospital pays $17,000 in bitcoins to hackers who took control of computers  —  The Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center in 2004.  The hospital was recently the target of a ransomware extortion plot in which hackers seized control its computer systems and then demanded that directors pay in bitcoin to regain access.