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.

Planned Parenthood Shooting Suspect Robert Dear Targeted Agency Before: Ex-Wife  —  The man charged with killing three people at a Planned Parenthood clinic in Colorado Springs, Colorado, has targeted the agency before, his ex-wife said Tuesday.  —  Robert Lewis Dear, 57 …

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 seven 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.

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 …

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.

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.

New Jersey Muslims Feel Sense of Betrayal by Christie  —  The invitation arrived by email, bearing the seal of the State of New Jersey and the name of its new governor, Chris Christie.  It asked a select group of Muslim leaders to break the daily Ramadan fast at Mr. Christie's home, and began with a traditional Muslim salutation.

Leaked Documents Reveal Dothan Police Department Planted Drugs on Young Black Men For Years, District Attorney Doug Valeska Complicit … HUNDREDS OF CASES PROSECUTED WITH PLANTED EVIDENCE, MANY WRONGLY CONVICTED STILL IN PRISON  —  The Alabama Justice Project has obtained documents that reveal …

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 …

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.”

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.

The Future Of Polling May Depend On Donald Trump's Fate  —  Does Donald Trump lead the race for the Republican presidential nomination?  Or does he lead it by a “yuuuuuge” margin?  Bloomberg recently released a poll that gave Trump 24 percent to Ben Carson's 20 percent.

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.

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

PAC shielded $2.3 million in donations by L.A. charter school backers  —  A $50,000 donation by Eli Broad to a charter school PAC was among those disclosed after the L.A. school board election.  Pictured are Broad and his wife, Edythe.  (Lawrence K. Ho / Los Angeles Times)

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.

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.

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 …

David Cameron accuses Jeremy Corbyn of being ‘terrorist sympathiser’  —  Prime minister urges Tory MPs not to vote with Labour leader and ‘a bunch of terrorist sympathisers’ against Syria airstrikes  —  David Cameron has appealed to Conservative MPs to give him an overall parliamentary majority …

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.

Obama loses gift of speech in Paris; time to invoke 25th Amendment  —  ANALYSIS/OPINION:  —  Is it now time to invoke Section 4 of the 25th Amendment?  —  Has our president officially lost his ability to discharge the powers and duties of his office?  —  Anyone who listened …