Chris Christie Endorses Donald Trump and Calls Marco Rubio ‘Desperate’  —  Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey endorsed Donald J. Trump on Friday, a major turn in a wild race and one that gives the New York businessman a significant boost as he heads into the pivotal “Super Tuesday” contests.

Trump's 12 Years of Audits ‘Very Unusual,’ Ex-IRS Agent Says  —  Agency's review doesn't preclude him from releasing returns  —  Pressure could mount as GOP rivals plan their own releases  —  Donald Trump's disclosure that his tax returns have been under review by the Internal Revenue Service …

Melissa Harris-Perry Walks Off Her MSNBC Show After Pre-Emptions  —  Melissa Harris-Perry said she was refusing to go on the MSNBC show she hosts this Saturday, following several weeks of pre-emptions and what she described as a loss of editorial control.  —  In an email sent to people …

Teacher files lawsuit, saying 13-year-old student beat, bullied her … LOVELAND, Colo. — A Colorado teacher is speaking out after she says she was beaten and bullied by her own student, and prohibited by her superiors from reporting the abuse.  —  “I was told that was my job …

Donald Trump: We're going to ‘open up’ libel laws  —  Donald Trump said on Friday he plans to change libel laws in the United States so that he can have an easier time suing news organizations.  —  During a rally in Fort Worth, Texas, Trump began his usual tirade against newspapers …

Pony leads California police on a wild unicorn chase  —  Escaped ‘unicorn’ sends officers on a wild chase  —  (CNN)A fairy-tale photo shoot turned into an episode of “COPS” when a “unicorn” made a break for it.  —  Wednesday night, Juliette, a white pony adorned with a fake horn …

What Do We Call Options Worse Than “Nuclear?”  —  Remember when the Democrats' move in 2012 to partially curtail the use of the Senate filibuster was called the “nuclear option?”  I fear the blogosphere will soon be tasked to generate hyperbolic epithets yet more cataclysmic.

Donors ask GOP consulting firm to research independent presidential bid  —  Conservative donors have engaged a major GOP consulting firm in Florida to research the feasibility of mounting a late, independent run for president amid growing fears that Donald Trump could win the Republican nomination.

Twilight of the Apparatchiks  —  Lack of self-awareness can be fatal.  The haplessness of the Republican establishment in the face of Trumpism is a case in point.  —  As many have noted, it's remarkable how shocked — shocked! — that establishment has been at the success of Donald Trump's racist, xenophobic campaign.

U.S. Economy Grew at 1% Rate in Fourth Quarter  —  WASHINGTON — The U.S. economy's slowdown in the final three months of 2015 wasn't quite as bad as initially thought.  —  The gross domestic product, the broadest measure of economic health, grew at an annual rate of 1 percent in the fourth quarter …

Scalia Took Dozens of Trips Funded by Private Sponsors  —  WASHINGTON — Antonin Scalia was the longest-tenured justice on the current Supreme Court and the country's most prominent constitutionalist.  But another quality also set him apart: Among the court's members, he was the most frequent traveler …

Man Slashed On Subway In Midtown; Latest Crime Stats Reveal Disturbing Trend Across NYC  —  NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) — A man was slashed on the subway Friday morning in Midtown — in an incident that's part of a disturbing trend across the city, both above and underground.

Top Snyder aides urged going back to Detroit water  —  The city of Flint, Snyder's top legal aide wrote in October 2014, “should try to get back on the Detroit system as a stopgap ASAP before this thing gets too far out of control.”  —  Two of Gov. Rick Snyder's top lawyers privately advocated moving …

Poll finds Sanders & Clinton backers twice as racist as Rubio supporters: David Mastio  —  The rest of the story about that goofy YouGov survey that found Trump voters were fans of slavery  —  Bernie Sanders supporters are 50% more likely than Hillary Clinton supporters to disapprove …

Kansas Gunman Got Court Warning Just Before Attack  —  NEWTON, Kan. — A gunman who killed three people and injured more than a dozen at a Kansas manufacturing plant worked at that factory, and had been served with a restraining order just 90 minutes before he began his shooting spree, the county sheriff said Friday.

‘Soldiers of Allah’ to counter Soldiers of Odin in Norway  —  People with known ties to the Oslo Islamist scene claim to have created the group ‘Soldiers of Allah’ (Jundullaah) to counter the controversial Soldiers of Odin group now patrolling Norwegian streets.

Iran election: Counting starts after high turnout  —  Polls have closed in Iran's first election since a deal with world powers over the country's nuclear programme and the lifting of sanctions.  —  Voting was extended three times as crowds reportedly flocked to polling stations.  Turnout was said to be high.