Navy vet, 100, persuades protesters to let him speak: ‘Give me a chance’  —  U.S. Navy veteran Dario Raschio was all smiles Saturday as he awaited a special honor from U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden, who joined him at Portland Community College's Southeast Campus to present the 100-year-old with a handful of medals.

Texas Republican announces challenge to Boehner for Speaker in new Congress  —  Rep. Louis Gohmert (R-Texas) said Sunday that he will challenge John Boehner (R-Ohio) as Speaker in the new Congress.  —  “I'm putting my name out there today to be another candidate for Speaker,” Gohmert said on “Fox and Friends.”

Is Life Better in America's Red States?  —  THE new Congress that starts work this week is the latest reminder of America's stark political divisions: The parties in Washington are more polarized than they have been in decades, the partisanship gap between rural Republicans and urban Democrats has grown …

Pope Francis Names 15 New Cardinals From 14 Countries  —  VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Francis named 15 new cardinals Sunday, selecting them from 14 nations including far-flung corners of the world such as Tonga, New Zealand, Cape Verde and Myanmar to reflect the diversity of the church …

Stuart Scott dies at age of 49  —  Stuart Scott, a longtime anchor at ESPN, died Sunday morning at the age of 49.  —  Among the features of the new ESPN studio in Bristol is a wall of catchphrases made famous by on-air talent over the years.  An amazing nine of them belong to one man …

Presidents and the Economy  —  Suddenly, or so it seems, the U.S. economy is looking better.  Things have been looking up for a while, but at this point the signs of improvement — job gains, rapidly growing G.D.P., rising public confidence — are unmistakable.

Republican contest for 2016 race is heating up quickly  —  Boy, that escalated quickly.  —  Less than two months after the 2014 elections, the 2016 Republican presidential race is taking clear shape — with several major players moving quickly to carve out their own space (and maybe keep others from carving it up) in the contest.

Another Silent Protest of Mayor de Blasio as Officer Liu Is Laid to Rest  —  For the second time in just over a week, a river of pressed blue uniforms filled the streets of a New York City neighborhood on Sunday as law enforcement officers from across the country paid respects to a slain colleague.

Hedge fund founder, 70, shot dead by son, 30, in East Side apartment: cops  —  Thomas Gilbert Sr., founder of Wainscott Capital Partners, was found fatally wounded after an argument with his son, police said.  The son fled the scene, according to police.  —  A Wall St. whiz who headed …

How Sharpton gets paid to not cry ‘racism’ at corporations  —  Want to influence a casino bid?  Polish your corporate image?  Not be labeled a racist?  —  Then you need to pay Al Sharpton.  —  For more than a decade, corporations have shelled out thousands of dollars in donations …

Egypt's al-Sisi Makes Extraordinary Speech on Islam  —  Egypt's President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi made an extraordinary speech on New Year's Day to Cairo's Al-Azhar and the Awqaf Ministry calling for a long overdue virtual ecclesiastical revolution in Islam.  This is something no Western leader …

Allies Say Willingness to Talk to Anyone, Nearly His Undoing, Defines Scalise  —  WASHINGTON — Representative Steve Scalise of Louisiana has long been a politician of relentless outreach in service of relentless ambition.  —  “He builds relationships like no one I've ever seen,” …