‘DE BLASIO, OUR BACKS HAVE TURNED TO YOU’ Cold war between NYPD cops, de Blasio takes to skies over the Hudson  —  Ashley Chalmers, head of Jersey Shore Aerial Advertising, told the Daily News the people who paid for the airborne message ‘want to remain anonymous.’

The immigration strike team  —  Democrats are already plotting ways to boost Hispanic voter turnout in 2016.  —  After a midterm election in which declining Hispanic turnout cost Democrats dearly in close races, causing some leaders to question whether President Barack Obama made a mistake …

Dustin Diamond, actor who played “Screech” on “Saved by the Bell,” arrested in Ozaukee Co.  —  (CNN) — Police arrested Dustin Diamond, better known as “Screech” in the early 1990s sitcom, “Saved by the Bell,” early Friday, December 26th in a stabbing incident in Port Washington.

Clinton economic approach under scrutiny  —  WASHINGTON (AP) — If Hillary Rodham Clinton seeks the White House again, her message on the economy could be an important barometer as she courts fellow Democrats.  —  Members of her party are watching closely how the former secretary …

Wussy nation: Our view  —  From Ebola, to university controversies, to North Korea, why are so many so scared?  —  America has much to be cocky about.  It invented large-scale democracy and nurtured its growth around the world.  It vanquished fascism and communism, became the world's only superpower.

Dear GOP: Show, Don't Tell  —  Hey, Jeb, Ted, Rand, Marco, Bobby, Chris and the dozen or more others I'm forgetting, here's something to write on your bathroom mirror in 2015 and beyond: The “P” in POTUS stands for “President,” not “Pundit.”  —  I understand that the Seinfeldian faux-holiday Festivus …

Michael Brown memorial destroyed overnight  —  People hurriedly cleaned and rebuilt a memorial to Michael Brown in Ferguson, Mo., on Friday morning after they said a car intentionally destroyed it.  —  Flowers, signs and other mementos, left in remembrance of the 18-year-old who was killed …

The Steep Cost of America's High Incarceration Rate  —  About one of every 100 U.S. adults is in prison.  That's five to 10 times higher than in Western Europe.  —  One of us is a former Treasury secretary, the other directs a criminal-justice institute.  But we've reached the same conclusions.

‘Exodus’ Banned In Egypt & Morocco, May Face Struggle In Other Middle Eastern Countries  —  Ridley Scott's Exodus has been banned in Egypt after the country's head of censorship objected to the a number of “historical inaccuracies” in the epic Biblical tale.

Ten Investing Facts of Life  —  Motley Fool writer Morgan Housel recently came up with an impressive list of 122 investing aphorisms that distill the wisdom he has gleaned from years of writing about markets and the financial industry.  Most are either insights into human psychology or historical facts and figures.

The Fed's Needless Flirtation With Danger  —  Well-designed tax rules are a safe and effective alternative to quantitative easing.  —  This week's good economic news—consumer spending up sharply in November over October, and a surge in third-quarter GDP growth to a 5% annual rate …

Some States See Budgets at Risk as Oil Price Falls  —  HOUSTON — States dependent on oil and gas revenue are bracing for layoffs, slashing agency budgets and growing increasingly anxious about the ripple effect that falling oil prices may have on their local economies.