With New Charlie Hebdo Cover, News Value Should Have Prevailed  —  Readers responded passionately, and in large numbers, to my post last week about The Times's decision not to publish the now-famous Charlie Hebdo cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad.  (In fact, I've never had more comments on a post or column.)

Rand Paul announces campaign manager for likely 2016 campaign  —  Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) on Tuesday announced the hiring of a campaign manager for his likely 2016 presidential bid, part of an aggressive effort to build a national political team as the race for the White House heats up.

EXCLUSIVE: FBI says John Boehner's West Chester bartender planned to poison him  —  Feds: Man said he was Jesus, Boehner was the devil  —  DEER PARK, Ohio - Ebola, evil voices and the devil.  —  Those are just a few of the things a Butler County bartender cited as reasons …

DENVER AND THE WEST  —  FAMILY: LAKEWOOD CHURCH STOPS WOMAN'S FUNERAL BECAUSE SHE WAS GAY  —  LAKEWOOD — Hundreds of Vanessa Collier's friends and family gathered Saturday at New Hope Ministries, sitting before an open casket holding the woman they loved, when suddenly the minister overseeing her funeral stopped the service.

We Need Another Giant Protest  —  President Obama was criticized for failing to attend, or send a proper surrogate to, the giant antiterrorism march in Paris on Sunday.  That criticism was right.  But it is typical of American politics today that we focus on this and not what would have …

Romney crafting a rationale for 2016 run  —  Focus on poor, foreign policy

PBA's Patrick Lynch spurs yelling, shoving among cops over NYPD-City Hall feud  —  The Patrolmen's Benevolent Association was not so much on Tuesday as some cops shouted down Lynch regarding his demand that Mayor de Blasio apologize over comments related to race and police relations.

The Existential Necessity of Zionism After Paris: A COMMENTARY Editorial  —  I.  —  The jihadist siege of a kosher grocery store in eastern Paris on January 9 was not the beginning of a new threat to French Jews and the Jews of Europe.  Rather, it was the culmination of a decade of crisis.

Father and son turned away from “Muslim-free” Hot Springs gun range for being brown  —  When we reported last fall on a Hot Springs firing range that was declared a “Muslim free zone” by its owner, several blog commenters asked, “how will she know who's a Muslim?”

The new anti-Semitism: Majority of British Jews feel they have no future in UK, says new study  —  More than half of British Jewish people fear Jews have no future in the UK, according to a new study which also reveals that antisemitic sentiments are more prevalent than widely believed.

Romney Recycled  —  Mitt would have to explain why he'd be a better candidate now.  —  If Mitt Romney is the answer, what is the question?  We can think of a few worthy possibilities, though one that doesn't come immediately to mind is who would be the best Republican presidential nominee in 2016.

Armed customer stops restaurant robbery suspects in their tracks  —  A customer is being called a hero after pulling a gun on two armed robbers at a Houston restaurant.  —  CONNECT  —  HOUSTON, Texas — A customer is being called a hero after pulling a gun on two armed robbery suspects at a Houston restaurant.

Seattle dog's rush hour ride: on the bus, by herself, weekly  —  SEATTLE — Public transit in Seattle has gone to the dogs.  —  Commuters in Belltown report seeing a Black Labrador riding the bus alone in recent weeks.  The 2-year old has been spotted roaming the aisles …

Dieudonné arrested over Facebook post on Paris gunman  —  French comedian accused of justifying terrorism after linking attacker to tribute slogan by writing ‘I feel like Charlie Coulibaly’  —  Notorious French comedian Dieudonné M'bala M'bala has been arrested for being an …

Obama's approval rating ticks up in 2015  —  Shares -  —  President Obama's overall job approval rating has risen seven points since last October, although it still remains below 50 percent.  Forty-six percent of Americans now approve of the job the president is doing, while just as many disapprove.