Berkeley officer kills suspect who pulled gun; police say victim was ‘known’ to police  —  A Berkeley police officer fired at least three shots at a suspect who pulled a gun on him, the St. Louis County Police chief said at a Wednesday morning news conference.

5 takeaways from Jeb Bush emails  —  Washington (CNN) — A trove of emails from former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush's time in Tallahassee reveal a hands-on chief executive who was a prolific Blackberry user.  —  Bush, who is considering a 2016 presidential run, planned on releasing the tens of thousands of emails next month.

George H.W. Bush rushed to the hospital … Former President George H.W. Bush was hospitalized on Tuesday after experiencing what a spokesman called a “shortness of breath.”  —  Bush, 90, was taken by ambulance to Houston Methodist Hospital Tuesday evening as a precaution.

CNN/ORC Poll: Obama ends year on an upswing  —  ‘Pals’: The Obama-Biden partnership  —  Honolulu (CNN) — Improving views of the economy have helped hike President Barack Obama's approval rating to a 20-month high, a new CNN/ORC poll showed Tuesday, as markets climbed to record levels at news of an economy in overdrive.

Sen. Elizabeth Warren blasts FDA proposal on gay sex  —  Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) took to Twitter on Tuesday to criticize the FDA's proposed new policy on blood donations from gay men, saying that while the recommendation is a “step forward” it is still “discriminatory.”

Inquiry Into I.R.S. Lapses Shows No Links to White House  —  WASHINGTON — An 18-month congressional investigation into the Internal Revenue Service's mistreatment of conservative political groups seeking tax exemptions failed to show coordination between agency officials and political operatives …

Seeking U.S. funds, Somali clan retains D.C. lawyer  —  A Somali clan has found its man in Washington — in hopes of securing U.S. funds.  —  The Habr Gidr clan suffered significant civilian losses during a U.S. military operation in the Somali capital of Mogadishu in July 1993 …

Marco Rubio's Old-School Cuba Policy  —  Marco Rubio titled his autobiography American Son.  The book, whose cover shows the 43-year-old senator without a tie, is meant to convey youth.  But it actually explains why, when it comes to Cuba policy, Rubio's views are so old.

Immigration lawsuit thrown out  —  President Barack Obama's executive actions on immigration survived their first major court test Tuesday, when a federal judge tossed out a lawsuit claiming the president exceeded his constitutional power.  —  U.S. District Judge Beryl Howell dismissed …

Palace 9 Will Show The Interview  —  Merrill Jarvis III, co-owner of several Burlington-area theaters, has just announced that he will screen The Interview at the Palace 9 in South Burlington starting on December 31.  —  Last week, Sony Pictures cancelled the planned Christmas release …

Obama continues vacation golf tradition  —  President Obama is back on the golf course on Tuesday, continuing a tradition that's part of his annual Christmas vacation to Hawaii.  —  He arrived on Tuesday morning at the golf course at Marine Corps Base Hawaii, according to a pool report.

Op-Ed Governors may not have edge in 2016 presidential race  —  In 1947, U.S. historian Wilfred E. Binkley took stock of the 13 men who had been president since the end of the Civil War and reached a stark conclusion: Governorship was “a training school for successful presidents.”

Judge bails thug who posted this threat against cops  —  Judge Laura Johnson (left) released Devon Coley (right) without bail after he made death threats against the NYPD on Facebook.  —  A Brooklyn judge cut loose a gang member who had posted online threats to gun down cops in the hours …

IS captures Jordanian pilot after plane downed over Syria  —  Serene Assir  —  Beirut (AFP) - The Islamic State group captured a Jordanian pilot on Wednesday after his warplane from the US-led coalition was reportedly shot down while on a mission against the jihadists over northern Syria.

The Monsters Who Screamed for Dead Cops  —  Evidence from photos, video, social-media posts and interviews suggests it was a single group, desperate to ‘turn up the anger’ at otherwise-peaceful protests.  —  A little over a week ago, a group of people marched down the streets of Manhattan and called for police to be killed.

Communists Are Behind the Anti-Police Protests In New York  —  Beginning way back in 2002, we wrote about International A.N.S.W.E.R., a Communist organization that was founded in September 2001 and that organized substantial antiwar demonstrations during the Bush administration.