Ted Cruz does it again  —  And the GOP pile on begins.  —  AP Photo  —  Sen. Kelly Ayotte returned home to New Hampshire Friday, planning to see “The Nutcracker” with her daughter this weekend.  —  But there was an unexpected conflict: Texas Sen. Ted Cruz.  —  Story Continued Below

Police: Man shot during traffic stop in southwest Houston  —  Two police officers opened fire on an apparently unarmed man during a traffic stop in southwest Houston Friday night, allegedly shooting him three times for not following commands.  —  HPD officers pulled over the car the man …

Cosby to media: Stay neutral despite rape allegations  —  Bill Cosby declined yet again to discuss the growing list of rape and sexual abuse allegations against him.  —  Bill Cosby broke his silence Friday, albeit briefly, to lecture the media on remaining “neutral” and to say that his wife is standing by him.

Abundance Without Attachment  —  “CHRISTMAS is at our throats again.”  —  That was the cheery yuletide greeting favored by the late English playwright Noël Coward, commemorating the holiday after which he was named.  Less contrarian were the words of President Calvin Coolidge …

Jeb Bush, Chris Christie and the 2016 Presidential Campaign  —  AS brothers who governed large states at the same time, each Bush was bound to be defined in terms of the other.  George was the impulsive one who'd stumbled and then swaggered toward success.  Jeb was the cogitator, the toiler.

Another Day Another Religious Gaffe By Scott Walker  —  Chinese proverb, religious verse, it's all the same to Scott Walker, the preacher's son.  —  Just a couple of days ago, Scott Walker became a national laughingstock when it was reported that he signed a letter to a constituent with “Thanks again and Molotov.”

Carr: Moonbats defend fable not the facts  —  Photo by:  —  WHO NEEDS THE TRUTH?:  Dan Rather had to explain CBS' fake story about President Bush 10 years ago.  The Phi Kappa Psi fraternity house at the University of Virginia has since suspended operations after Rolling Stone ran an article alleging a gang rape at the house.

Families of Newtown, Connecticut, massacre victims plan lawsuits  —  Reuters 1 hr ago  —  NEWTOWN, Conn. (Reuters) - Parents of almost half the young children killed by a gunman at an elementary school in Newtown, Connecticut, two years ago on Sunday have taken initial steps toward filing lawsuits tied …

Don't yell at terrorist suspects, soldiers told  —  Army chiefs warn interrogations are being hampered by go-softly rules  —  British soldiers have “lost their capability” to interrogate terrorist insurgents because of strict new rules on questioning that even ban shouting in captives' ears, military chiefs have warned.

University of Maryland sorority girl celebrates 21st birthday with offensive cake inscribed with ‘suck a n—a d—k’  —  A Delta Gamma member posted a photo of the 21st birthday cake wreck, which was stacked with wine and beer bottles and featured the words 'suck a n—a d …

Torture report is about us, not enemies, and we must enact reform  —  On Tuesday, a five-year review of the CIA's detention and interrogation program was finally made public, drawing back the curtains on a very dark period of American history.  The purpose of making this report public is simple …