FDNY abandons firehouse next to police station targeted in gang threat  —  New York's Bravest deserted the city's Finest on Wednesday — abandoning a Brooklyn firehouse next-door to a police station that's the target of a threat involving the notorious “Black Guerilla Family” gang.

Can GOP shatter ‘Obama coalition’ in 2016?  —  ATLANTA (AP) — Republicans crowed in 2004 that freshly re-elected President George W. Bush had established a “permanent governing majority” for the GOP.  Eight years later, Democrats were touting the enduring power of the “Obama coalition” to keep their party in the White House.

Israeli serviceman shoots 5yo Palestinian in the face (GRAPHIC IMAGES)  —  Israeli police have fired a rubber bullet at a five-year-old Palestinian boy's face as he was getting out of a school bus on his way home, the child's family told Palestinian media.  He sustained a skull fracture under his eye.

Lawmakers promise to help strapped oil-patch towns  —  BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — Relief could be on the horizon for strapped public services in the Northern Plains' booming oil patch, as elected leaders in Montana and North Dakota move to steer more money into the region during the states' upcoming legislative sessions.

Raid on Peru village by uncontacted tribe may be related to climate change  —  A Peruvian official said climate change has triggered temperature drops which may have disrupted the uncontacted tribe  —  Climate change may be forcing increasingly large groups of uncontacted tribes out of Peru's Amazon …

Father asks Islamic State to treat captured pilot son as ‘guest’  —  (Reuters) - The father of a Jordanian pilot captured by Islamic State fighters after his plane crashed in Syria said he did not consider his son a hostage and called on his captors to treat him as a “guest”.

Passenger tossed after flipping out over staff's ‘Merry Christmas’  —  Bah, humbug!  —  A passenger was tossed off a plane at La Guardia Airport on Tuesday after flipping out — because airline workers wished him a merry Christmas.  —  The man was waiting to board American Airlines Flight 1140 …

Oh come all ye faithful?  —  Obama rarely seen in church, but advisers say his beliefs remain strong.  —  President Barack Obama rarely goes to church and has spent just one Christmas morning of his presidency in the pews.  —  But that's not for lack of faith, members of his small circle of religious confidants say.

Pope likely to address year of conflicts in Christmas message  —  Sarah Benhaida, Jean-Louis de la Vaissière  —  Vatican City (AFP) - Pope Francis will celebrate Christmas on Thursday by sending the world's 1.2 billion Catholics and millions of others his traditional “urbi et orbi” …

That time Obama wore a tiara  —  Sporting a tiara in a photo posted Wednesday, President Barack Obama seems to have broken his own rule of “you don't put stuff on your head if you're president.”  —  But that's the power of the Girl Scouts.  —  Story Continued Below

GOP unveils proposal to require ‘dynamic’ scoring on major bills  —  House GOP leaders late Tuesday introduced a proposed rules change that would require the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) to apply “dynamic” scoring to major pieces of legislation in the next Congress.

When Asked To Sort ‘Girls’ And ‘Boys’ Gifts, Obama Destroys Toy Gender Stereotypes (VIDEO)  —  President and Michelle Obama were sorting toys into ‘girls’ and ‘boys’ bins for the Marine's Toys for Tots program earlier this month when the President tackled toy-gender stereotypes in true Obama fashion.

Obama tees off in Hawaii with Malaysian leader  —  KANEOHE BAY, Hawaii (AP) — President Barack Obama is adding a new player to his golf foursome: Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak.  —  The two leaders are hitting the links on a cloudy but warm afternoon in Hawaii at a Marine Corps base near the home Obama is renting.

CDC reports potential Ebola exposure in Atlanta lab  —  One scientist may have been exposed to the Ebola virus and as many as a dozen others are being assessed for potential exposure at a lab of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, agency officials said Wednesday.