A letter to our daughter  —  Your mother and I don't yet have the words to describe the hope you give us for the future.  Your new life is full of promise, and we hope you will be happy and healthy so you can explore it fully.  You've already given us a reason to reflect on the world we hope you live in.

Photo of birthday cake decorated at Meijer goes viral for good reasons … GAINES TOWNSHIP, Mich. — A picture of a cake decorated at the Gaines Township Meijer is making the rounds on social media as people learn the story behind who created it.  —  Over the weekend, Lisa Aldrich posted a photo of a cake she purchased at Meijer.

For Robert Dear, Religion and Rage Before Planned Parenthood Attack  —  CHARLESTON, S.C. — The man she had married professed to be deeply religious.  But after more than seven years with Robert L. Dear Jr., Barbara Micheau had come to see life with him as a kind of hell on earth.

Jeb on VP pick: I think she will be a great partner … Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush hinted on Tuesday that he is considering a female running mate in 2016.  —  “Should I be elected president, I would have my vice president — I think she will be a great partner,” the Republican White House hopeful said in Waterloo, Iowa.

Chelgren is running for Congress  —  Iowa State Senator Mark Chelgren of Ottumwa has announced his intentions to seek the Republican nomination for Iowa's Second Congressional District.  —  Chelgren is in his second term in the State Senate, and when he ran for that office, he was hoping to change the State system.

Donald Trump is a bigot and a racist  —  Let's not mince words: Donald Trump is a bigot and a racist.  —  Some will think this an outrageous label to apply to the frontrunner for a major party's presidential nomination.  Ordinarily, I would agree that name-calling is part of what's wrong with our politics.

Ben Carson tumbles in national poll  —  Ben Carson took a tumble in the latest national poll, falling six points from last month in the Quinnipiac University survey, after weathering heavy criticism for his lack of foreign policy expertise and scrutiny about his personal tale of redemption.

Yahoo Board to Weigh Sale of Internet Business  —  Board to discuss whether to proceed with a plan to spin off its investment in Alibaba, find a buyer for its core business, or both, sources said  —  Yahoo Inc. 's board is planning a series of meetings this week to consider selling off …

Man charged for murdering Ferguson woman after Facebook meeting  —  FERGUSON, MO (KTVI) - A man has been charged with shooting a Ferguson single mother, Sharae Bradford, 25, last Saturday.  Stassie Greer, 20, of Jennings has been charged with 1st degree murder, 1st degree robbery, and two counts of armed criminal action.

Former intel chief says WH worried over re-elect ‘narrative’  —  Washington (CNN)President Barack Obama's former top military intelligence official said Tuesday that the White House ignored reports prefacing the rise of ISIS in 2011 and 2012 because they did not fit their re-election “narrative.”

Red Sox, David Price reach deal that is largest ever for a pitcher  —  The Red Sox are taking no shortcuts with their rotation this time.  According to a source briefed on the negotiations, they agreed on Tuesday on a seven-year, $217 million contract with lefthander David Price.

The GOP at breaking point  —  The biggest political story of 2015 will also be the biggest political story of 2016: The Republican base has divorced the Republican establishment.  —  The rupture has paralyzed Congress and polarized voters, both inside and outside GOP ranks.

U.S. Embassies Are Obsessed With Warren Buffett's Chocolate  —  Since 2010, American diplomats have spent more than $330,000 buying holiday gifts from Berkshire-owned See's Candies.  —  Every year, U.S. embassies around the world have a delicate chore: Finding presents to give foreign officials …

Hillary Clinton is getting crushed on social media, captured in one word cloud  —  Above is a word cloud of all mentions related to Hillary Clinton during the month of November, through midnight Eastern time.  —  The graphic, via our analytics partners at Zignal Labs, does not exactly highlight …

Long-Hidden Details Reveal Cruelty of 1972 Munich Attackers  —  In September 1992, two Israeli widows went to the home of their lawyer.  When the women arrived, the lawyer told them that he had received some photographs during his recent trip to Munich but that he did not think they should view them.

The Walrus and the New York Times  —  As part of its cheerleading for the U.N. climate convention in Paris, the New York Times is running a series on What Climate Change Looks Like.  First up are the walruses: … The Times is peddling ignorance here.  Actually, the congregation of walruses …

DICAPRIO RAPED BY BEAR IN FOX MOVIE  —  The new movie ‘REVENANT’ features a shocking scene of a wild bear raping Leo DiCaprio!  —  The explicit moment from Oscar winning director Alejandro Inarritu has caused maximum controversy in early screenings.  Some in the audience escaped to the exits …

Wary of Donald Trump, G.O.P. Leaders Are Caught in a Standoff  —  WASHINGTON — For months, much of the Republican Party's establishment has been uneasy about the rise of Donald J. Trump, concerned that he was overwhelming the presidential primary contest and encouraging other candidates to mimic his incendiary speech.

Iraqis think the U.S. is in cahoots with the Islamic State, and it is hurting the war  —  BAIJI, Iraq — On the front lines of the battle against the Islamic State, suspicion of the United States runs deep.  Iraqi fighters say they have all seen the videos purportedly showing U.S. helicopters …

Man held at Guantánamo for 13 years a case of mistaken identity, say officials  —  Mustafa al-Aziz al-Shamiri was low-level Islamist foot soldier, not al-Qaida courier and trainer as had been believed  —  A man who has spent 13 years in the US prison camp at Guantánamo Bay …

MTV News posts 2001 clip that sparked Trump 9/11 claim  —  As Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump continues to offer newspaper clippings and soundbites he says are proof of his claim that he saw “thousands and thousands” of Muslim Americans cheering the terror attacks of Sept. 11 …

You Can't Understand American Politics Without Reading This Study  —  I don't say this lightly or often.  But this is one of the most important studies in years in terms of understanding the current state of American politics and society.  The study is the work of two Princeton University scholars …

Twitter threats to black Kean students made by black alum, police say  —  ELIZABETH — A recent Kean graduate has been charged with being responsible for a series of tweets threatening black students at the school two weeks ago, acting Union County Prosecutor Grace H. Park announced Tuesday.

Black Friday breaks record with 185K gun background checks  —  More Americans had their backgrounds checked purchasing guns on Black Friday than any day in the on record, according to data released by the FBI this week.  —  The National Instant Criminal Background Check System processed 185,345 requests …

Video: Food fight inside Concord 7-Eleven store  —  Concord (KRON) — KRON4 has exclusively obtained video of a food fight inside of a Concord 7-Eleven store.  —  This incident occurred back on November 20 at the story on Monument Boulevard.  —  The clerk refused sell cigars to two female customers without identification.