GOP learns lessons from Sam Brownback's tax scare  —  Republicans once idolized the tax-cutting superstar; now they look askance at him.  —  Ohio Gov. John Kasich will roll out “responsible” tax plans that protect against revenue gaps.  Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker and Arizona's …

Tidings of Comfort  —  Maybe I'm just projecting, but Christmas seemed unusually subdued this year.  The malls seemed less crowded than usual, the people glummer.  There was even less Muzak in the air.  And, in a way, that's not surprising: All year Americans have been bombarded …

Critics hate ‘The Interview’  —  Movie critics say the controversy surrounding “The Interview” is much more interesting than the movie itself  —  The movie is scoring just a 50 percent positive review from critics on the Rotten Tomatoes website.  —  It's fairing even more poorly with top critics …

The Islamic State is failing at being a state  —  GAZIANTEP, Turkey — The Islamic State's vaunted exercise in state-building appears to be crumbling as living conditions deteriorate across the territories under its control, exposing the shortcomings of a group that devotes most of its energies …

Eric Garner's daughter posts address of cop at his death  —  One of Eric Garner's daughters marked Christmas Day by spreading personal information about an NYPD cop who was present during the chokehold death of her father — outraging officers still reeling from last weekend's execution-style slayings of two policemen in Brooklyn.

U.S. Spy Agency Reports Improper Surveillance of Americans  —  The National Security Agency today released reports on intelligence collection that may have violated the law or U.S. policy over more than a decade, including unauthorized surveillance of Americans' overseas communications.

Woman kicked off plane, arrested in Seattle  —  SEATTLE —  A New York woman was arrested in Seattle after she tried to make herself more comfortable on her flight to Alaska.  —  She's now suing United Airlines after she spent days in jail because she says the flight attendants blew the situation out of proportion.

Religion Without God  —  THIS Christmas our family will go to church.  The service is held in a beautiful old church in the charming town of Walpole, N.H., just over the border from Vermont.  The Lord's Prayer hangs on the wall behind the sanctuary.  A lectern rises above the nave to let the pastor look down on his flock.

Team Rubio: Jeb won't push us out of 2016 presidential race  —  Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) is planning to take a more active role on the national political stage next month, undeterred by his former mentor Jeb Bush's moves toward running for president.  —  Republican strategists predicted months ago …

JetBlue offers to fly police to NYPD officer funerals  —  Shares -  —  JetBlue Airways (JBLU) is offering free flights to two officers from any U.S. law enforcement agency who wish to attend the funerals of slain New York City policemen Wenjian Liu and Rafael Ramos.

Race and the race  —  The GOP's 2016 slate may be its most diverse ever, but don't expect the candidates to talk much about it.  —  Bobby Jindal is Indian-American, but you'll never hear him describe himself that way.  Marco Rubio insists he's an “American of Hispanic descent.”

Mega Rich Overwhelmingly Donated to Democrats in 2014  —  Democrats bagged the bulk of big dollar donations in the 2014 midterm elections according to an analysis by the Associated Press.  —  Out of the $128 million spent by the top 10 individual donors to outside groups, Democrats hauled in $91 million or 71% of donations.

Driver Wanted for Obama Motorcade.  Novice Welcome.  —  SAN FRANCISCO — Shortly after President Obama landed here one fall day for fund-raisers, his motorcade pulled out of the airport and raced at 80 miles per hour down an empty freeway to his hotel in the city.

SANDERS: I'LL DECIDE ON PRESIDENTIAL RUN BY MARCH  —  BURLINGTON, Vt. (AP) — Vermont independent Sen. Bernie Sanders says he'll decide by March whether to launch a 2016 presidential campaign and, if so, whether he'll seek the Democratic nomination.  Either way, Sanders says he wouldn't run just to nudge the debate to the left.