The Kochs put a price on 2016: $889 million  —  The Koch brothers' operation intends to spend $889 million in the run-up to the 2016 elections — an historic sum that in many ways would mark Charles and David Koch and their fellow conservative mega-donors as more powerful than the official Republican Party.

Gay Alabama Lawmaker Threatens To Expose Colleagues' Marital Infidelities  —  WASHINGTON — Alabama's only openly gay legislator is putting her anti-gay colleagues on notice: If they keep espousing family values rhetoric as a reason to oppose marriage equality, she'll start making their marital infidelities public.

Bernie Sanders flips the script with ‘deficits’ plan  —  Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) is flipping the script on the GOP with a seven-step plan to address national “deficits” through increases in spending.  —  Sanders, the ranking member of the Senate Budget Committee, said lawmakers must address deficits …

Hunkerin' down: Tens of millions brace for worst as historic blizzard pummels northeast  —  Tens of millions across the northeast and New England hunkered down Monday to ride out an historic blizzard, while power crews across the region anticipated massive outages amid hurricane-force winds and plunging temperatures.

Louie Gohmert: God Will Punish America For Obama's Tense Relationship With Netanyahu  —  Rep. Louie Gohmert warned President Obama last week that his “disdain” for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu may cause God to punish America, insisting that the president “would have that same disdain …

Pence state-run news outlet will compete with media  —  Gov. Mike Pence is starting a state-run taxpayer-funded news service that will provide pre-written news stories to Indiana news outlets, as well as sometimes break news about his administration, according to documents obtained by The Indianapolis Star.

U.S. Spies on Millions of Cars  —  DEA Uses License-Plate Readers to Build Database for Federal, Local Authorities  —  WASHINGTON—The Justice Department has been building a national database to track in real time the movement of vehicles around the U.S., a secret domestic intelligence-gathering program …

Supreme Court Rules Against Retirees in Health Benefits Case  —  Washington — The Supreme Court on Monday ruled that a chemical company may be able to cut the health benefits of its retired workers, unanimously reversing an appeals court ruling that said the benefits had vested for life.

Will the next attorney general stand for the rule of law?  —  On Wednesday, Loretta Lynch, the U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of New York, will raise her right hand in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee and swear to tell the whole truth to lawmakers during her nomination hearing for attorney general of the United States.

Lawmaker asks Colorado to pay for IUD program  —  Health experts call it a wildly successful poverty-fighting measure and a good return on investment.  —  Others are adamantly opposed to the idea that the state would provide long-acting contraception to low-income women.

Everybody Hates Chris Christie  —  We're a long way from knowing who will be the Republican nominee for president in 2016.  Early polling data, however, can give us a sense for who fits the profile of past nominees, and who doesn't.  —  Since 1980, two types of candidates …

Three teens charged in slaying of 14-year-old girl  —  Three Kansas City teenagers have been charged in the murder of a 14-year-old girl at a water park.  —  Issac M.  “Malik” Carter, 17, Ce-Antonyo D. Kennedy, 17, and Dominic “Nick” McDaniel, 18, have all been charged with first-degree murder and armed criminal

How “The Left's Best Chance in a Generation” Won Greece Over: A Guide  —  While liberal and left-wing Americans stare distastefully and apprehensively at their pitiful choices for next year's presidential election, Greek voters are celebrating the victory of Syriza, the young, pragmatic …

Deflategate fallout: NFL focusing on Patriots' locker-room attendant … PHOENIX — Deflategate has taken another twist.  —  FOX Sports has learned that the NFL has zeroed in on a New England Patriots locker-room attendant in connection with the scandal of improperly inflated footballs used …

How Big Is the GOP Presidential Field?  Bob Ehrlich Is Preparing to Run  —  The former Maryland governor is making trips to the early-voting GOP primary states, and discussing how to fund a campaign.  —  CONCORD—He's gotten very little attention since losing the governor's race in Maryland five years ago …

Sad Puppies 3: The Ensaddening.  —  It is that time of year again.  If you'd like to nominate good books, stories, and related works for the Hugos so that the biggest award in sci-fi/fantasy isn't just a Social Justice Warrior circle jerk, you need to get yourself a supporting membership to Sasquan before the end of January.