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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

Spain premier announces modest minimum wage raise  —  Associated Press 1 hr ago  —  MADRID (AP) — Spain's prime minister has announced minimal increases to the minimum wage and for government-funded pensions and predicted the nation's economy will “take off” in 2015 following years of crushing financial pain.

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.

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 …

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.