Turkey ‘shoots down Russian warplane on Syria border’  —  The Turkish military has reportedly shot down a Russian military aircraft on the border with Syria.  —  Russia's defence ministry said an Su-24 had crashed on Syrian territory after being hit by fire from the ground.

Five people shot near Black Lives Matter protest site  —  Injured are hospitalized after gunfire erupts near Black Lives Matter camp.  —  Video (02:18) : Protesters said at least two gunman opened fire just outside of the Plymouth Ave. encampment.  —  TEXT SIZE

Chicago police Officer Jason Van Dyke charged in shooting death of Laquan McDonald  —  Photos: Follow developments in the 2014 fatal police shooting of Laquan McDonald, 17, by Officer Jason Van Dyke, above.  —  A veteran Chicago police officer has been charged with first-degree murder …

Trump: ‘Many people jumped and I witnessed it’ on 9/11  —  Columbus, Ohio (CNN)Donald Trump said Monday that he witnessed people jumping out of the Twin Towers on 9/11 from the view in his apartment.  —  “Many people jumped and I witnessed it, I watched that.

Cruz surges in Iowa  —  Ted Cruz, buoyed by tea party support and the backing of much of the conservative wing of the Republican Party, has surged to a virtual tie with Donald Trump in Iowa, generating the kind of momentum his team thinks will carry him deep into primary season.

Mr. Trump's Applause Lies  —  America has just lived through another presidential campaign week dominated by Donald Trump's racist lies.  Here's a partial list of false statements: The United States is about to take in 250,000 Syrian refugees; African-Americans are responsible for most white homicides …

You're Doing It Wrong: Stuffing  —  The Newly Unearthed Faulkner Play Suggests That Faulkner Maybe Actually Hated Women  —  The Simpsons Pays Tribute to Paris (via Hamilton)  —  How to Make a Pie That Looks Like Pumpkin but Will Satisfy Every Pumpkin-Hater

Worldwide Travel Alert  —  The State Department alerts U.S. citizens to possible risks of travel due to increased terrorist threats.  —  Current information suggests that ISIL (aka Da'esh), al-Qa'ida, Boko Haram, and other terrorist groups continue to plan terrorist attacks in multiple regions.

Bernie Sanders is the Most Popular Senator in America  —  Sen. Bernie Sanders, the Vermont independent running for the Democratic presidential nomination, has eschewed party labels during his decades-long political career.  And voters in his home state love him for it.

Princeton Students Fight Back  —  A group of sensible Princeton students is standing up to the mob, and demanding that Princeton's president Eisgruber do the same.  The whole statement deserves to be seen:  —  The Legislative Committee of the Princeton Open Campus Coalition has sent the following letter to President Eisgruber:

In Renovation of Golf Club, Donald Trump Also Dressed Up History  —  STERLING, Va. — When Donald J. Trump bought a fixer-upper golf club on Lowes Island here for $13 million in 2009, he poured millions more into reconfiguring its two courses.  He angered conservationists by chopping …