Halperin interview of Ted Cruz was painful  —  SAN DIEGO — Imagine the following pep talk that a young Ted Cruz might have gotten from his father, Rafael, about 35 years ago.  —  “My son, I was tortured in a jail cell in Cuba, but I managed to come to the United States and build a life so that you could live your dreams.

Anti-government resistance now the beating heart of GOP  —  Some folks thought it was “inflammatory.”  Some said it was “irresponsible,” others, “absurd,” still others, “disappointing.”  —  Those are some of the words affronted conservatives used in emails last month to describe my column …

Handgun Found In Prisoner's ‘Butt Cheeks’ During Search  —  2.3 K  —  A prisoner in New Jersey was caught with a handgun hidden in his “butt cheeks.”  —  According to reports, 21-year-old Darquan Lee was brought to a Bridgeton, New Jersey, police station on Friday after being arrested on a contempt of court warrant.

How Hillary Is Winning  —  AS fleetly as Hillary Clinton vacuums up the money, she piles up the paradoxes.  —  She showed fatal weaknesses the last time she chased the presidency and her inevitability evaporated like a California puddle, but she's somehow inevitable all over again.  Invincible, even.

Obama Pushes Skeptical Legislators Hard on Pacific Trade Deal  —  WASHINGTON — President Obama's most aggressive and sustained legislative push since the Affordable Care Act faces a crucial first test this week, when a divided Senate considers a bill that would grant him accelerated power …

Chris Christie: ‘Global warming is real’  —  New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie broke slightly with many of the announced and potential Republican presidential candidates, saying that climate change is real and that humans contribute to it.  —  “I think global warming is real.

Election may set U.K. on path to a split, isolation  —  LONDON — After unexpected political charisma and cunning propelled him to another term as Britain's prime minister, David Cameron will now need every ounce of those skills to avoid going down in history with an altogether different title: founding father of Little England.

New Hampshire Poll: Republican Field Tightens, Hillary Clinton Still Out in Front Among Democrats  —  There's no clear Republican front-runner in the New Hampshire presidential nominating contest, while Hillary Clinton retains an overwhelming advantage among Democrats in the Granite State's first-in-the-nation primary.

Suspects named in slaying of two Hattiesburg officers  —  Two Hattiesburg police officers were killed in the line of duty Saturday night after a routine traffic stop.  —  Forrest County Coroner Butch Benedict confirmed the deaths but did not release their names.  He said he was still waiting to locate family members.

Nine Georgia Deputies Fired Over Death Of Student Matthew Ajibade  —  Nine sheriff's deputies in Georgia were fired on Friday over the New Year's Day death of a black inmate who had been placed in restraints, officials said.  —  The dismissals come amid a series of killings by police …