A&E Welcomes Phil Robertson Back to ‘Duck Dynasty’  —  Less than two weeks after his anti-gay remarks prompted an “indefinite hiatus” for the reality patriarch — and a strong fan backlash — the network says he will remain on the series.  —  Phil Robertson, “Duck Dynasty”

It's Over  —  Since the Supreme Court ruling in June, the writing has been on the wall for exclusion of marriage rights to gay and lesbian couples in the United States.  Since June the number of states with marriage equality has jumped from 12 to 18.  But last week's lower Court decisions …

N.S.A. Phone Surveillance Is Lawful, Federal Judge Rules  —  WASHINGTON — A federal judge in New York on Friday ruled that the National Security Agency's program that is systematically keeping phone records of all Americans is lawful, creating a conflict among lower courts and increasing …

Hundreds of teens trash mall in wild flash mob  —  Hundreds of teenagers stormed and trashed a Brooklyn mall in a wild flash mob that forced the shopping center to close its doors during day-after Christmas sales, sources said on Friday.  —  More than 400 crazed teens grabbed and smashed jars of candy …

New York Soon to Trail Florida in Population  —  ALBANY — New York, whose status as the most populous state has long been ceded, will soon fall behind Florida into fourth place, a long-anticipated drop that is rife with symbolism and that could carry potentially serious economic consequences in coming years.

Moguls Rent South Dakota Addresses to Dodge Taxes Forever  —  Pierce H. McDowell III, president of South Dakota Trust Co., in his office in Sioux Falls.  The newspaper clipping is from March 1934, when a notorious gang robbed the local Security National Bank.  McDowell's grandfather worked as a trust officer at the bank.

Obamacare's Pajama Boy: ‘I am a liberal f***’  —  Ethan Krupp, the little man who played “Pajama Boy” in a widely mocked Obamacare ad, once characterized himself as a “liberal f**k.”  —  Krupp, an Organizing for Action (OFA) content writer who became the face of progressive America while wearing …

Unreturned library books can mean jail time  —  AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Call it throwing the book at the bookworms.  —  A Texas man who was arrested for failing to return an overdue library book ignited an online flurry of snarky comments and headlines about the Lone Star State extending its tough-on-crime bravado to books.

What's Next?  First, Let Me Say Thanks  —  There is a fundamental optimism that is wired into the DNA of America and its true capital - New York City.  We are a place that people come to improve their condition.  And once here we are unified by a common aspiration - to leave our kids a place better than the one we found.

Obama's year of missteps  —  President Obama might want to forget all about 2013.  —  In his second inaugural address in January, the president laid out a confident, liberal vision.  As the year ends, none of his objectives have come to pass, his approval ratings are at historic lows …

Independent voice needed, Larry Pressler says  —  Is South Dakota ready for a comeback from Larry Pressler?  —  Turned out of the Senate after three terms by Tim Johnson in 1996, Pressler will run for the same seat 18 years later.  —  “Today, I am announcing that I am running for the United States Senate …

Mass., Vt. halt payments to firm behind health sites  —  WASHINGTON — Even as President Obama's health insurance website limps to recovery, at least two states that used the same contractor and are still plagued with malfunctions — Massachusetts and Vermont — are taking preliminary steps to recoup taxpayer dollars.