Sony and Mr. Kim's Thugs  —  Sony Pictures pulled the movie “The Interview” after large theater chains said they would not show it, fearing threats of violence to their customers and employees by hackers believed to be working for the North Korean government.

Obama's heavy lift on Cuba  —  The White House strategy to defeat the anti-Castro bloc in Congress involves a coordinated push to sell President Barack Obama's new Cuba policy to big business, human rights groups, lawmakers and Cubans themselves.  —  Obama and senior officials across multiple agencies …

GOP goes on K Street hiring spree  —  Lobbyists can come home again.  —  As Republicans take control of Congress, they are bringing in veteran influence peddlers to help them run the show.  Nearly a dozen veteran K Streeters have been named as top staffers to GOP leaders or on key committees …

A Model Senator  —  “In any election,” Tom Coburn often says, “you should vote for the candidate who will give up the most if they win.”  All things being equal, we should prefer politicians who have accomplished something in their lives beyond government work—and who are willing to sacrifice it …

Sexist Comment by Austin Police Officer: Isolated Incident or Part of Broader Culture?  —  Update (2:19 p.m.): Officer Andrew Petrowski officially retired from the Austin Police Department on Friday, Dec. 12 after learning KUT would air his comments this week.

For U.S. businesses and tourists, opportunities abound in Cuba  —  In the wake of President Obama's historic decision to mend diplomatic ties with Cuba, U.S. businesses and potential tourists scrambled to figure out what new opportunities will be available on the island and to position themselves at the head of the line.

The Unidentified Queen of Torture  —  For the past eight months, there has been a furious battle raging behind closed doors at the White House, the C.I.A., and in Congress.  The question has been whether the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence would be allowed to use pseudonyms as a means …

U.S. airstrikes kill 3 top ISIS leaders  —  Washington (CNN) — U.S. airstrikes have killed two top-level and one mid-level ISIS leader, a senior U.S. military official tells CNN.  —  Haji Mutazz was Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi's deputy in Iraq; Abd al Basit was his military emir in Iraq; and Radwan Talib was his Mosul emir.

Democrats to Colbert: Thanks For Your Help!  —  I have never seen Stephen Colbert's show on Comedy Central, but I take it that it consists of an endless series of anti-Republican “jokes.”  If asked, would Colbert admit to being a loyal Democratic Party foot soldier, or would he claim …

Carly Fiorina Hiring for Presidential Campaign  —  Despite her improving political skills, the California businesswoman would be an underdog in a likely all-male GOP field.  —  Carly Fiorina is laying the groundwork for what one ally says is an “imminent” presidential campaign—one that could launch as early as next month.

Clinically dead pregnant woman being kept alive by hospital  —  Life support machine being used to protect unborn baby  —  A PREGNANT woman who is clinically brain-dead is being kept on a life support machine in hospital to keep her baby alive, the Irish Independent can reveal.  — Google

Should the government rate our colleges?  —  Should the federal government be in the business of rating colleges?  And can it do them right?  —  That's been a question ever since the summer of 2013, when President Obama announced the Department of Education's new plan to score American colleges …

‘Governor, This Is Barack Obama, Formerly Of Somerville.’ … For the past eight years, Deval Patrick has joined Jim Braude and Margery Eagan on the radio each month to field calls from listeners.  On Thursday, he joined the hosts of Boston Public Radio for the final time as governor of Massachusetts.