Ruth Marcus, David Brooks, and Reefer Madness  —  Whoever's been drugging the tap water in the Acela, please just stop.  Your efforts have resulted in complementary columns in the Washington Post from Ruth Marcus and in the New York Times from David Brooks.  Unless ... did they come up with these columns all by themselves?

Kim Jong Un's executed uncle was eaten alive by 120 hungry dogs: report  —  Rodong Sinmun / Yonhap via Reuters, file  —  Kim Jone Un's uncle Jang Song Thaek is dragged into court by uniformed personnel prior to last month's execution.  —  By Eric Baculinao and Alexander Smith, NBC News

Rude and Crude: Why MSNBC keeps getting into trouble  —  Is there something in the water over at 30 Rock?  —  Whether you love or detest MSNBC, the network has had a rough few months, and I'm wondering whether a series of embarrassing episodes is more than a coincidence.

FACT SHEET: Strengthening the Federal Background Check System to Keep Guns out of Potentially Dangerous Hands  —  Today, the Administration is announcing two new executive actions that will help strengthen the federal background check system and keep guns out of the wrong hands.

Al-Qaeda force captures Fallujah amid rise in violence in Iraq  —  BEIRUT — A rejuvenated al-Qaeda force asserted control over the western Iraqi town of Fallujah on Friday, raising its flag over government buildings and declaring an Islamic state in one of the most crucial areas …

IMF paper warns of ‘savings tax’ and mass write-offs as West's debt hits 200-year high  —  Debt burdens in developed nations have become extreme by any historical measure and will require a wave of haircuts, warns IMF paper  —  Much of the Western world will require defaults …

Utah man fasting to stop same sex marriages  —  SALT LAKE CITY (ABC 4 Utah) - A Utah man is vowing to go without any food until the state stops allowing same sex marriages.  He claims if Utah wants to protect traditional marriage, it has an option it's not using, and he's fasting until it does it.

RAND PAUL TO LEAD CLASS-ACTION LAWSUIT AGAINST OBAMA OVER NSA SPYING  —  Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) is leading a class-action lawsuit with hundreds of thousands of Americans against President Barack Obama's National Security Agency (NSA) over its spying on the American people, Breitbart News has learned.

Bernie Sanders to NSA: Spying on Hill?  —  Sen. Bernie Sanders sent a letter Friday to the director of the National Security Agency asking if the agency is spying or has ever spied on members of Congress.  —  The Vermont independent said he was “deeply concerned” about the NSA's collection …

900 Rich People Won't Pay Into Social Security For The Rest Of The Year  —  While almost all working Americans will pay into Social Security through their paychecks throughout the year, the 900 wealthiest people in the country won't.  That's because the highest-earning 0.0001 percent of the U.S. …

Why the Senate Will Only Get More Polarized  —  As party-line voting between presidential and congressional races steadily increases, so will gridlock.  —  Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., (left) and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky.(Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

Access to Abortion Falling As States Pass Restrictions  —  A three-year surge in anti-abortion measures in more than half the states has altered the landscape for abortion access, with supporters and opponents agreeing that the new restrictions are shutting some clinics …

Lonegan says he'll run for Congress in South Jersey  —  Steve Lonegan, the Republican candidate for the United States Senate, is shown just after concession speech to his supporters on election night, Wednesday, Oct. 16, 2013 at the Bridgewater Manor.  (Saed Hindash/The Star-Ledger)

Snowden Lied About China Contacts  —  Snowden lied about his contacts with China.  Should he get clemency?  —  Yesterday, the New York Times urged the Obama administration to offer Edward Snowden “a plea bargain or some form of clemency.”  The paper called the former NSA contractor …

Doctor's Office Spends 2 Hours On Hold With Health Insurer For Patient's Surgery Authorization  —  CHICAGO (AP) — The new year brought relief to some Illinois patients newly insured under the nation's health care law.  Others still weren't sure whether they were covered …

Hospital agrees to let Jahi McMath family take girl  —  (01-03) 12:43 PST Oakland — Children's Hospital Oakland reached an agreement with the family of Jahi McMath on Friday that will allow a critical care team to enter the hospital to move the girl to an unspecified facility.

Obama's Job Approval Declined Steadily Throughout 2013  —  Budget battles, NSA revelations, and healthcare law rollout all contributed  —  PRINCETON, NJ — President Barack Obama wrapped up 2013 with an average 41% approval rating in December, unchanged from November.