‘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.’

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.

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.

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.

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 …

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.

Why Liberals Should Fear the Supreme Court in 2015  —  Obamacare, religious freedom, and same-sex marriage equality are all on the judicial agenda.  —  The Supreme Court is poised for a blockbuster year in 2015—and the list of high-profile cases could keep growing.

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 …

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 …

NSA Forced to Spell Out Violations After Suit  —  Heavily Redacted Reports Detail Violations of Individual Americans' Privacy  —  WASHINGTON—The National Security Agency, responding to a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit, has released heavily redacted reports detailing its employees' violations …

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.

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 …