Charlie Hebdo attack: new hostage situation at Paris shop - live updates  — Second hostage situation as police evacuate area around Paris kosher shop  — Suspected Charlie Hebdo gunmen holed up in town north-east of capital  — Police linking killing of policewoman on Thursday to Charlie Hebdo attack

Yes, Free Community College Is Major, But Not Just For The Reason You Think  —  The Obama Administration made waves last night with its announcement of a proposal to make two years of community college free nationwide.  The idea is being called ambitious and a “potential game-changer.”  And it is.

EXCLUSIVE: Chris Christie Was Interrogated By Feds Over Bridge Scandal … Gov. Chris Christie, a potential presidential contender, was interrogated recently by federal investigators probing the 2013 lane-closure scandal that has threatened his political future, officials confirmed to ABC News.

Does Islam Mean Peace?  —  The NY Times boldly takes on the Big Question - is Islam inherently violent?  Their nuanced take will surprise no one, but it is interesting nonetheless.  And the recent speech by Egyptian President el-Sisi calling (yet again) for an Islamic reformation finally gets noticed by the Times:

House votes down ObamaCare's 30-hour workweek, 252-172  —  The House on Thursday in a 252-172 vote approved legislation that would waive fees on businesses that do not offer health insurance to employees working fewer than 40 hours per week.  —  The legislation - which has been at the center …

House to move on immigration next week  —  The House plans to vote next week on legislation that would defund President Obama's executive action on immigration.  —  Republicans also plan to include language rolling back a 2012 action Obama took that gave legal status to children brought to the United States as illegal immigrants.

Amnesty: Nigeria massacre deadliest in history of Boko Haram  —  2 photos  —  YOLA, Nigeria (AP) — Hundreds of bodies — too many to count — remain strewn in the bush in Nigeria from an Islamic extremist attack that Amnesty International suggested Friday is the “deadliest massacre” in the history of Boko Haram.

Apology: Error should not have happened  —  No reasonable excuse exists for the horrible mistake that occurred Thursday in The News-Enterprise.  By now, many of you have heard about it.  —  The paper reported on the front page in a paraphrased statement: “Hardin County Sheriff John Ward …

Bush Team Sets Bold Fundraising Goal: $100 Million in Three Months  —  Jeb Bush's allies are setting a fundraising goal of $100 million in the first three months of this year—including a whopping $25 million haul in Florida—in an effort to winnow the potential Republican presidential primary field …

Federal Appeals Court Appears Poised To Strike Down Three Southern States' Same-Sex Marriage Bans  —  After oral arguments about Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas' bans on marriages for same-sex couples, the 5th Circuit of Appeals looks likely to strike the laws down.

U.S. Liberals at Record 24%, but Still Trail Conservatives  —  Story Highlights  —  PRINCETON, N.J. — Conservatives continued to outnumber moderates and liberals in the U.S. population in 2014, as they have since 2009.  However, their 14-percentage-point edge over liberals last year …

Voodoo Time Machine  —  Many of us in the econ biz were wondering how the new leaders of Congress would respond to the sharp increase in American economic growth that, we now know, began last spring.  After years of insisting that President Obama is responsible for a weak economy …

The Left's Unpopular Populism  —  The debate between Democrats who want to play up populist themes (let's call them the Elizabeth Warren camp) and those who favor centrist ones (the Hillary Clinton crowd) ignores a major division among the various themes that carry the populist label.

Bangers v bullets  —  A gun is now more likely to kill you than a car is  —  ACCORDING to data gathered by the Centres for Disease Control (CDC), deaths caused by cars in America are in long-term decline.  Improved technology, tougher laws and less driving by young people have all led to safer streets and highways.