Report: Two killed in Belgian anti-terror operation  —  Video shows anti-terror raid in Belgium 01:40  —  Story highlights  —  (CNN)[Breaking news update, 2:32 p.m.]  —  The group that Belgian authorities confronted Thursday was about to carry out major terrorist attacks in Belgium imminently …

Why Ava DuVernay's ‘Selma’ Oscar Snub Matters  —  The Oscar nominations were announced this morning.  There will be plenty of analysis regarding good surprises and bad surprises, and I may dip my toes in later today.  But the most egregious omission is the sadly not-entirely-surprising absence …

Joni Ernst to Deliver Republican Response to the State of the Union  —  Senator Joni Ernst of Iowa will be delivering the Republican response to the State of the Union Address, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell announced today in a press conference.  —  The State of the Union is scheduled for next week.

U.S. Easing Decades-Old Restrictions on Travel to Cuba  —  WASHINGTON — The United States government on Friday will begin making it easier for Americans to travel to Cuba than it has been for more than half a century, opening the door to a new era of contact between neighbors …

Pope on Charlie Hebdo: There are limits to free expression  —  Associated Press 2 hrs ago  —  ABOARD THE PAPAL PLANE (AP) — Pope Francis said Thursday there are limits to freedom of expression, especially when it insults or ridicules someone's faith.  —  Francis spoke about the Paris terror attacks …

The Supreme Court Is Likely To Set Up The Same-Sex Marriage Showdown On Friday  —  A guide.  —  Getty Images/Alex Wong  —  This will be the second time the justices have considered whether to take any of the cases out of Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio, and/or Tennessee.

Of course it is Islam  —  It is settled: The Paris terror attacks had almost nothing to do with Islam.  —  If there is any doubt about this, consider that on the one hand, you have the chilling new tape of the Charlie Hebdo attackers declaring, “We have avenged the Prophet Muhammad,” …

Does the Democratic Party Have a Future?  —  When Republicans lose an election, the response from the press is immediate and overwhelming: Republicans need to move to the left and be more like Democrats.  But somehow, when the Democrats' power slips away over a series of election cycles, the message is quite different.

Parents investigated for neglect after letting kids walk home alone  —  It was a one-mile walk home from a Silver Spring park on Georgia Avenue on a Saturday afternoon.  But what the parents saw as a moment of independence for their 10-year-old son and 6-year-old daughter, they say authorities viewed much differently.

Dick Pope: ‘I have been called a lot worse’  —  Dick Pope is not going to let an already infamous name miscue detract from his Oscar nomination celebration.  —  The cinematographer for Mr. Turner made international news after Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Science President Cheryl Boone …

The Rise in Health Care Coverage and Affordability Since Health Reform Took Effect  —  Findings from the Commonwealth Fund Biennial Health Insurance Survey, 2014  —  Overview  —  New results from the Commonwealth Fund Biennial Health Insurance Survey, 2014, indicate that the Affordable …

CHRISTIE'S MATH PROBLEM: Seeking same donors as Jeb, Mitt — COLIN REED to Romney - WHITE HOUSE CATCHES UP WITH COUNTRY, rewires State of the Union — LIESL HICKEY to Teneo  —  By Mike Allen (mallen@politico.com; @mikeallen), with Daniel Lippman (dlippman@politico.com; @dlippman)  —  Good Thursday morning.

Minutes highlight Scalise efforts to kill resolution apologizing for slavery  —  The minutes from a 1996 Louisiana House committee meeting show the efforts that then-state Rep. Steve Scalise took to water down — and try to kill — a resolution apologizing for the role slavery played in the state's history.

Public's Policy Priorities Reflect Changing Conditions at Home and Abroad  —  Fewer Cite Economy; More Prioritize a Stronger Military  —  As views of the economy improve and terrorist threats persist, the public's policy priorities have changed: For the first time in five years …

Protesters snarl morning commute on I-93 near Boston  —  MILTON — Protesters who said they were trying to call attention to racial oppression blocked traffic heading to Boston on Interstate 93 north and south of the city Thursday morning.  The actions surprised police, snarled the commute for thousands …

Tom Steyer looks good in his own Senate 2016 poll  —  Hedge fund billionaire and environmental activist Tom Steyer said Tuesday he's considering whether to run for California's U.S. Senate seat in 2016, but apparently he's been mulling this for a while: A polling memo shows he commissioned a survey on his chances in mid-December.