Arrests plummet following execution of cops  —  It's not a slowdown — it's a virtual work stoppage.  —  NYPD traffic tickets and summonses for minor offenses have dropped off by a staggering 94 percent following the execution of two cops — as officers feel betrayed by the mayor and fear for their safety, The Post has learned.

Republicans Try to Fix Damage Scalise's 2002 Speech Could Do in 2016  —  WASHINGTON — House Republican leaders, poised for a celebratory takeover of Congress next week, instead found themselves scrambling Tuesday to defuse a racially charged controversy over one lawmaker's speech a decade ago to a white supremacist group.

Obama approval at highest in over a year  —  President Obama's approval rating is at its highest in over a year, according to new Gallup polling.  —  The latest three-day polling average, from Dec. 27-29, puts Obama's approval at 48 percent, the highest it has been since August 2013.

Toddler accidentally shoots Hayden Walmart shopper  —  HAYDEN, Idaho—Employees evacuated the Hayden Walmart on Tuesday following a shooting inside the store.  —  Authorities on the scene around 11:15 a.m. described the shooting as “accidental.”  —  A woman was shopping with four kids …

The Financial Consequences of Saying ‘Black,’ vs. ‘African American’  —  One hundred years ago, “Colored” was the typical way of referring to Americans of African descent.  Twenty years later, in the time of W.E.B. Du Bois, it was purposefully dropped to make way for “Negro.”

Woman sues hospital after having limbs amputated  —  A 59-year-old Baltimore city woman is alleging she had to have her arms and legs amputated after Johns Hopkins doctors failed to diagnose an infection in her uterus.  —  Joyce E. Ferguson claims she went to the emergency room …

Obama Adviser Jonathan Gruber In 2009: Obamacare Will NOT Be Affordable  —  President Obama's health care adviser Jonathan Gruber said that the Affordable Care Act would definitely not be affordable while he was writing the bill with the White House.  —  As Gruber continues to withhold documents …

Police fatally shoot suspect in Drexel Hill  —  Police fatally shot a 52-year-old man Tuesday afternoon in Drexel Hill after he attempted to run them down with his vehicle, said Upper Darby Police Superintendent Michael Chitwood.  —  Officers had been trying to arrest the man …

Edmonton mass murder: 6 adults, 2 children dead  —  ‘It is a tragic day for Edmonton,’ police Chief Rod Knecht tells news conference  —  Police have found nine people dead at three separate locations in Edmonton and Fort Saskatchewan, one by an apparent suicide.

Norse Investigation Focusing on a Small Group, Including Sony Ex-Employees  —  An investigation into the massive breach at Sony has focused on a group of at least six individuals that may have worked to compromise the company's networks, including at least one ex-employee who had the technical background …

U.S. border apprehensions of Mexicans fall to historic lows  —  For the first time on record, more non-Mexicans than Mexicans were apprehended at U.S. borders in 2014 by the Border Patrol, according to a Pew Research Center analysis of more than 60 years of Border Patrol data.

Boise police: Woman faces felony charges after punching officer in face  —  A 25-year-old Meridian woman who is accused of punching a police officer after trying to drive away in a stranger's car is facing two felony charges.  —  Andrea S. Espinosa was charged early Saturday morning …

McCain's big purge  —  The Arizona senator's team has been ridding the state's GOP apparatus of his tea party foes.  —  Nearly a year ago, tea party agitators in Arizona managed to get John McCain censured by his own state party.  Now, he's getting his revenge.

Palestinian statehood bid fails at UN Security Council as US, Australia vote against  —  The UN Security Council has failed to adopt the Arab coalition's bid calling for the creation of a Palestinian state and an end to Israeli “occupation”.  The US and Australia voted against the move with 5 abstentions.