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.)

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.

Bartender's Threat against John Boehner Thwarted  —  The FBI says an Ohio bartender planned to kill House Speaker John Boehner last October by poisoning his drink at a country club.  —  The question is: Would anyone have noticed?  Stories about Boehner's drinking have circulated for years.

House passes security funding bill blocking immigration actions  —  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. House Republicans drew a hard line against President Barack Obama's executive immigration initiatives, voting to block them as they passed a Department of Homeland Security spending bill on Wednesday.

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 …

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.

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.

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?”

Medicaid expansion in doubt — Obama says no need for King contingency plan — Bipartisan senators introduce medical device repeal bill  —  With help from Jennifer Haberkorn, Susan Levine and Rachana Pradhan  —  MEDICAID EXPANSION MAY CONTRACT — The Republican tide has swept Obamacare foes …

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.

JPMorgan CEO Dimon Says Banks ‘Under Assault’ by U.S. Regulators  —  Jamie Dimon, grappling with multibillion-dollar legal costs and rising capital requirements at JPMorgan Chase & Co. (JPM), lashed out at U.S. regulators for putting his bank “under assault.”

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.

Does free media have an obligation to Islam?  —  In the wake of the Paris terrorist attacks, both America's paper of record (The New York Times) and its network of record (CNN) have declined to show Charlie Hebdo's cartoons of the Islamic prophet Mohammed on the grounds that they might offend Muslims.

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.