Edward Snowden, after months of NSA revelations, says his mission's accomplished  —  MOSCOW — The familiar voice on the hotel room phone did not waste words.  —  “What time does your clock say, exactly?” he asked.  —  He checked the reply against his watch and described a place to meet.

Will An Appeals Court Stop Same-Sex Couples In Utah From Marrying On Christmas Eve?  —  With no decision from the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals at the end of the day Monday, more same-sex couples will be heading to clerks' offices Tuesday to get married.  —  Andrea Dahl (left) marries Coral Mangus …

Civil rights leaders call for Obama to withdraw Georgia judicial nominees  —  Civil rights leaders and members of the Georgia congressional delegation on Monday called on President Obama to withdraw his nominees for federal courts in the state over concerns about their views and lack of diversity.

The War on Terror's Jedi Mind Trick  —  National-security officials insist new violations of privacy are essential for keeping Americans safe from terror—but there's no evidence the programs have stopped any attacks.  —  A Republican-appointed judge and President Obama's own handpicked …

Last-minute surge of health law sign-ups  —  Federal healthcare officials push back a key enrollment deadline to Tuesday as a crush of consumers test the functioning of HealthCare.gov and Covered California.  —  At a Miami Enrollment Assistance Center on Monday, enrollment specialist Julienne Fontes …

Alan Turing gets royal pardon for ‘gross indecency’ - 61 years after he poisoned himself  —  He was the father of modern computing whose work on the Enigma code at Bletchley Park is said to have shortened the Second World War.  —  But he was also gay and in those less enlightened times …

The Battle Within the Democratic Party  —  Things are not going well for Democrats.  Riding high just weeks ago after Republicans shut down the government, the party now finds itself in a swoon: President Obama's ratings have hit an all-time low.  The implementation of healthcare reform remains a mess.

GOP should try again to delay Obamacare's individual mandate  —  OBAMACARE DEMOCRATIC PARTY HOUSE REPUBLICANS  —  Last July, after President Obama unilaterally delayed the Obamacare employer mandate for a year, House Republicans asked why the break should apply only to businesses.

The Legitimacy Problem  —  It's pretty clear that the implementation of Obamacare will set the tone for how Americans think about government for years to come.  There are two large questions to be settled, which you might call the questions of competence and coercion.

Teen Dies After Being Shot  — 14-Year-Old Girl Hospitalized With Gunshot Wound  —  The District Attorney's office will decide if a step-father will face charges.  —  Police say he shot and killed his 14 year old step daughter after he mistook her for burglar.

Upstart Groups Challenge Rove for G.O.P. Cash  —  A quiet but intense struggle over money and influence is roiling the Republican Party just as the 2014 election season is getting underway.  —  At least a dozen “super PACs” are setting up to back individual Republican candidates …

Chicago sandwich shop fires all its staff in an EMAIL just days before Christmas  — Director of operations Doug Besant said in the email the restaurant will likely close for a month as they reconcept the business into a burger joint  —  A Chicago sandwich shop has fired all its employees over email just days before Christmas.

W.H.: Obama enrolled in ACA  —  President Barack Obama has signed up for health insurance through an Affordable Care Act exchange, the White House said Monday.  —  In what an official acknowledged is a “symbolic” move since the president gets his medical care from the military …