As 2016 race begins, GOP faces its Palin problem  —  DES MOINES — As a chance to evaluate possible 2016 Republican presidential candidates, the Freedom Summit here in Des Moines was a solid success.  Several potential candidates — Scott Walker, Ted Cruz, Chris Christie, and a few others …

Former Fox Station Employee Shoots Himself Outside News Corporation Building  —  A former employee of a Fox station in Texas shot and killed himself outside the front doors of the News Corporation building shortly before 9 a.m. Monday, a law-enforcement official said.

Chris Christie Joins Crowded GOP Fight for Donors  —  PAC Is Clearest Sign Yet That New Jersey Governor Is Running for 2016 Nomination  —  New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and his supporters have formed a political-action committee ahead of a likely bid for president, adding a third …

Rand Paul on Possible Mitt Romney Run: ‘No, No, No, No’ … As recently as October, Ann Romney was poo-pooing the notion of a third Mitt Romney candidacy.  After two failed presidential bids, in 2008 and 2012, she and her husband had “moved on,” she told ABC News.

Endlessly slapped by ObamaCare  —  “I'm sorry sir,” the polite Healthcare.gov customer-service agent said.  “There's nothing I can do.  You're either going to have to enroll in Medicaid or you're going to have to pay the full health-insurance rate.”  —  “The rate you quoted earlier?”  I asked.

Democratic Congressman: A Lot Of Strong GOP Support For Israel “Has To Do With Fundraising”  —  “You know, I'm a Jewish member of Congress, I'm a strong supporter of Israel, but my first obligation is to the Constitution of the United States, not to the Constitution of Israel.”  —  w.soundcloud.com

17-Year-Old Girl Shot Dead By Three Cops At Texas Police Station  —  CREDIT: Kristiana Coignard, Courtesy of Heather Robertson  —  On Thursday, 17-year-old Kristiana Coignard was shot dead by three police officers in the lobby of the Longview Police Department.

Charles Blow: At Yale, the Police Detained My Son  —  Saturday evening, I got a call that no parent wants to get.  It was my son calling from college — he's a third-year student at Yale.  He had been accosted by a campus police officer, at gunpoint!  —  This is how my son remembers it:

Inside Hillary Clinton's 2016 plan  —  New campaign takes shape, with ‘big-tent mentality’ and ‘good cop’ for press.  —  Not only is she running, but we have a very good idea of what it will look like.  —  Hillary Clinton is in the final stages of planning a presidential campaign …

READ MORE Barack Obama|  Barack Obama Chews Gum  —  NEW DELHI: In an ungainly sight, cameras caught US President Brack Obama chewing gum during the Republic Day parade on Monday.  —  In the picture captured by cameras and posted on Twitter by some users, Obama was spotted removing …

Ending Greece's Nightmare  —  Alexis Tsipras, leader of the left-wing Syriza coalition, is about to become prime minister of Greece.  He will be the first European leader elected on an explicit promise to challenge the austerity policies that have prevailed since 2010.

Media moves: Ioffe, Fuller, Bruenig  —  Three moves of note so far this Monday:  — Julia Ioffe, a former senior editor of The New Republic, has signed on with The New York Times Magazine as a contributing writer.  She'll mainly cover international issues, and will also write for the magazine's new website.

Snow forces House to cancel Monday votes  —  And action on a border security bill has been postponed for the entire week.  —  The House has canceled its vote series Monday evening due to the winter storm bearing down on the East Coast.  —  This was already slated to be a short week in Washington.

So I'm running for Governor of Kentucky in 2015 DIT - Drew  —  Hey everyone.  I'm running for Governor of Kentucky in 2015.  —  Here's the tl;dr version:  —  I am not a politician  —  I'm going to win by not playing the game  —  Why I'm doing this  —  A friend of mine inspired me to take the shot.

CIA Iran leak jury signals impasse  —  A federal court jury mulling an array of leak-related charges against former CIA Officer Jeffrey Sterling signaled Monday that it is having difficulty agreeing on some of the 10 felony counts in the case.  —  The jury began deliberating in Alexandria …