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 …

Man shot with stun gun dies at border crossing  —  SAN DIEGO (AP) — San Diego police say a 40-year-old man died after a border inspector shot him with a stun gun at the nation's busiest crossing.  —  Police said Thursday that the man jumped over a counter and attacked an inspector …

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 …

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 …

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 …

Ready for Pope Francis  —  What better time than Christmas to turn our thoughts to Pope Francis, a voice for our generation and all generations who teaches, as all great faiths teach, that those who have the most should extend their hands to those who have the least and that those who have power should serve those who do not.

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.”

Rock stars amp up in digital music copyright war  —  Platforms like Spotify, Pandora have raised the stakes in debate as Congress moves toward a comprehensive look at reform.  —  There are a lot of policy meetings on Capitol Hill — and they pretty much never end in song.

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.

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.

On Christmas, Obama marks end of Afghan combat  —  KANEOHE BAY, Hawaii (AP) — President Barack Obama marked the end of more than a decade of combat in Afghanistan by paying tribute to America's military, telling troops on Christmas Day that their sacrifices have allowed for a more peaceful …

JetBlue offering police free flights to slain NYPD cops' funerals  —  Police officers watch over a makeshift memorial in remembrance of the two NYPD cops who were slain over the weekend.  —  JetBlue airlines said Wednesday it will be offering free flights to police officers from around …