Good morning. Here are some of the headlines we're following this morning:
1. Feds Go After Bundys, Alleging '20 Years of Law Breaking'
A federal grand jury on Wednesday indicted Nevada rancher Cliven Bundy, his two sons and two other men in connection with a 2014 armed standoff, nearly two years after the confrontation that thrust them into the national spotlight. Read more in NEWS.
2. Obama to Make Historic Visit to Cuba: U.S. Official
The trip will mark an historic end to more than a half-century of official estrangement between the Cold War rivals. A senior administration official said details would be announced Thursday as part of a larger tour by Obama of Latin America. Plans for Obama's visit could also coincide with a trip by a Major League Baseball team, given the island's passion for the sport. Read more in NEWS.
3. Cruz Tops Trump in New National NBC News/Wall Street Journal Poll
In the poll, Cruz is the first choice of 28 percent of Republican primary voters, while Trump gets 26 percent. They're followed by Marco Rubio at 17 percent, John Kasich at 11 percent, Ben Carson at 10 percent and Jeb Bush at 4 percent. Read more in POLITICS.
4. Heavyweight Backs Apple in FBI Fight Over Cracking iPhone
Google's chief executive sided with rival Apple on Wednesday in its battle with a judge who ordered it to help the FBI access information on the encrypted iPhone used by one of the San Bernardino shooters. Read more in NEWS.
5. Stolen Radioactive Material Missing in ISIS-Ravaged Iraq
The material was contained in an industrial radiography device that vanished in November, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) told NBC News on Wednesday. Its disappearance has raised fears the material could fall into the hands of ISIS fighters who control parts of the country. Read more in NEWS.
6. Turkey Strikes Kurdish Rebels After Deadly Bombing
A Syrian national with links to Syrian Kurdish militia was the suicide bomber who killed at least 28 people in an attack targeting buses carrying military personnel, Turkey's prime minister said Thursday. Turkey's military said its jets retaliated by striking Kurdish rebel positions across the border in northern Iraq on Wednesday night. Read more in NEWS.
7. Testosterone Gel Gives Some Men Back Their Joy
Testosterone gel can help some men get back a little of their loving feelings, and helps them feel better in general, according to a new study published Wednesday. The effects are modest, and men didn’t objectively get any more vitality, although they felt like they did, the government-funded study found.
8. Vanessa Hudgens Under Federal Investigation for Vandalism
Actress Vanessa Hudgens and her boyfriend are under investigation for a social media post that has authorities wondering whether they defaced one of Arizona's protected red rocks. Hudgens on Monday posted a purported picture on her Instagram account — since removed — of a heart with the names "Austin + Vanessa" scratched into the face of a rock. Read more in POP CULTURE.
