Boehner ally: GOP challenges to Speaker ‘unprofessional’  —  Rep. Tom Cole (R-Okla.) called GOP challenges to Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) “pretty unprofessional and very disappointing” on Monday.  —  Cole, a close ally to Boehner, said the challenges aren't serious and blasted Republicans trying …

Privilege of ‘Arrest Without Incident’  —  The day after Christmas, a shooter terrorized the streets of a Chattanooga, Tenn., neighborhood.  According to the local newspaper, the shooter was “wearing body armor” and “firing multiple shots out her window at people and cars.”

The Bill  —  Steven Brill on how health-care reform went wrong.

2014 Was Hottest Year On Record Globally By Far, Reports Japan Meteorological Agency  —  The Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) has announced that 2014 was the hottest year in more than 120 years of record-keeping — by far.  NOAA is expected to make a similar call in a couple of weeks and so is NASA.

Jeb Bush on court-ordered gay marriages in Florida: “It ought to be a local decision”  —  As he considers a presidential run, Jeb Bush is not offering encouraging words about same-sex marriages coming to his home state.  —  “It ought be a local decision.  I mean, a state decision,” …

Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson says he didn't trust the Ohio Attorney General's Office to handle Tamir Rice investigation  —  Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson answers a question during an “open discussion” with media about the DOJ findings on police use of force, on Thursday, December 11, 2014.

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 …

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 …

The British People Must Now Take Control of the Establishment Paedophile Scandal  —  As Prince Andrew becomes the latest figure to be named in an establishment paedophile scandal, the British nation has woken up today to face, yet again, the uncomfortable possibility that they are governed …

The End of One Big Inflation and the Beginning of One Big Myth  —  I recently had a short back-and-forth with Noah Smith on the subject of Tom Sargent's article “The Ends of Four Big Inflations,” in which I called it “terrible history and questionable economics.”

Huckabee's challenge in 2016: Growing a national campaign from the grass roots  —  If Mike Huckabee is going to make a serious run for the Republican presidential nomination, he will have to do something he was unable to do in 2008: raise millions of dollars and build a sprawling national campaign …

Kelley Paul to discuss new book  —  Kelley Paul, wife of U.S. Sen. Rand Paul, will speak this week to women's groups across the state - including stops in southcentral Kentucky - about her new book, “True and Constant Friends.”  —  The book will be published in April.

The Obama-McConnell Dance Begins  —  The new Senate leader says he'll seek commonground, but it won't be easy, given Obama's ‘view of America.’  —  President Obama invited Mitch McConnell , soon to become Senate majority leader, to the White House on Dec. 3.  At Mr. McConnell's insistence, they met one-on-one.

Pope Francis Names New Cardinals  —  Pope Francis named his second group of new cardinals on Sunday, including 15 who will be eligible to elect the pope's successor after his death or resignation.  Many are from developing countries, reflecting the Roman Catholic Church's growth in Asia and Africa.

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.