Sharpening Contradictions: Why al-Qaeda attacked Satirists in Paris  —  The horrific murder of the editor, cartoonists and other staff of the irreverent satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo, along with two policemen, by terrorists in Paris was in my view a strategic strike, aiming at polarizing the French and European public.

Why the Republican Congress's First Act Was to Declare War on Math  —  Budget nerds stood between them and their cherished tax cuts.  —  Shares  —  The first substantive act of the new, all-Republican Congress was a telling one: House and Senate leaders, now in partisan accord and able …

Chris Christie's Chances Are Overrated  —  The Washington Post's Chris Cillizza has New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie as the second most likely Republican presidential nominee after Rand Paul.  University of Virginia political scientist Larry Sabato lists Christie as one of the top four candidates …

Exclusive: Bill Cosby Co-Star Tony Winner Phylicia Rashad Speaks Out for First Time, Defends Her Friend  —  EXCLUSIVE It was just happenstance: I ran into Tony winner Phylicia Rashad today at Paramount's super elegant lunch for the movie “Selma” at the Metropolitan Club.

Sen. Warren Blasts GOP Social Security Scheme  —  Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) is outraged by House Republicans' move to block a routine Social Security budgeting move to use as a bargaining chip in future entitlement reform negotiations.  —  On social media platforms Warren, in very clear terms …

Boehner Takes His Revenge on Republicans Opposing Him for Speaker  —  (Bloomberg) — John Boehner dished out a little payback, kicking two House Republicans off the influential Rules Committee and stopping a third from sponsoring a bill after they voted against his re-election for speaker.

In U.S., Uninsured Rate Sinks to 12.9%  —  Story Highlights  —  WASHINGTON, D.C. — The uninsured rate among U.S. adults for the fourth quarter of 2014 averaged 12.9%.  This is down slightly from 13.4% in the third quarter of 2014 and down significantly from 17.1% a year ago.

Jeb to come clean  —  Bush is willing to release decade of tax returns, associates say.  —  Getty  —  As he lays the groundwork for a likely presidential campaign, Jeb Bush is prepared to make an early disclosure of a decade or more of personal tax returns, according to people close to the former Florida governor.

ISIS Is Losing Its Greatest Weapon: Momentum  —  There was a time when the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria appeared unstoppable.  In September and October, as the jihadist group captured territory through a major offensive in Iraq's Anbar province, culminating in the fall of the town of Hit on October 13 …