Christie scandal: 5 things we don't know  —  Gov. Chris Christie (R-N.J.) may have exhausted reporters' inquiries into his administration's involvement in the closing of lanes on the country's most heavily-traveled bridge, but there are still many unanswered questions in the unfolding political saga.

The misuse of American might, and the price it pays  —  The United States no longer knows how to win wars, but it continues to start them.  —  “These days the United States absolves itself of any responsibility to finish wars that it starts,” writes Andrew J. Bacevich.  (Edel Rodriguez / For The Times / January 11, 2014)

Maryland officials were warned for a year of problems with online health-insurance site  —  More than a year before Maryland launched its health insurance exchange, senior state officials failed to heed warnings that no one was ultimately accountable for the $170 million project …

Keeping Public Buildings Free of Guns Proves Too Costly for Kansas Towns  —  WICHITA, Kan. — Reasoning that more guns mean greater safety, Kansas lawmakers voted last year to require cities and counties to make public buildings accessible to people legally carrying concealed weapons.

Democrats plead with Obama to abandon Social Security cut  —  Democratic senators are pleading with President Obama to abandon his proposal to trim Social Security benefits before it becomes a liability for them in the midterm elections.  —  The president proposed a new formula …

The Vicious Circle of Income Inequality  —  Almost every culture has some variation on the saying, “rags to rags in three generations.”  Whether it's “clogs to clogs” or “rice paddy to rice paddy,” the message is essentially the same: Starting with nothing, the first generation builds …

Rep. Darrell Issa's agenda in 2014: IRS, Benghazi and Fast and Furious  —  Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) in 2014 will pursue the IRS scandal, the deadly Benghazi attack and the botched Fast and Furious operation in what will likely be his last year as the House GOP's chief investigator.

Iran to start eliminating uranium stockpile January 20, White House says  —  (CNN) — Save the date: Iran has pledged to start eliminating some of its uranium stockpile on January 20, the White House said Sunday.  —  That gives an official start time for the six-month interim deal with Iran, which was first announced in November.

Ariel Sharon Never Changed  —  Shortly after the eruption of the second Palestinian intifada in 2000 — an uprising allegedly, though not actually, triggered by an infamous Ariel Sharon walkabout atop the Temple Mount in Jerusalem — I was visiting Sharon's ranch in southern Israel for the harvest holiday of Sukkot.