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.

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.

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.

Trump on terrorists: ‘You have to take out their families’ … Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump suggested Wednesday that the families of terrorists ought to be targeted in the fight against Islamic militants.  —  Trump made the remark during an interview on “Fox and Friends …

Ted Cruz Vows to Put Hard-Core Conservatives on Supreme Court  —  In an exclusive interview, the former Supreme Court litigator reveals how he would reshape the bench if elected to the White House.  —  Ted Cruz says Republicans have “an abysmal record” when it comes to picking Supreme Court justices …

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 …

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.

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.

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.

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 …

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 …

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 …

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.

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 …

Sandy Berger, former national security adviser, dies  —  Former National Security Adviser Sandy Berger, who served under President Bill Clinton, has died at the age of 70 from cancer.  —  “V sad start to day; just learned Sandy Berger passed away during the night,” Richard Haass …

California student pleads guilty to terrorism charge  —  Federal authorities said Nicholas Teausant, 20, of Acampo, Calif., told a confidential source that he and friends had discussed “hitting” Los Angeles on New Year's Eve or New Year's Day, specifically targeting the subway.

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.

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.”

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.

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.

An update of Blanchard's and Leigh's estimates in ‘Growth Forecast Errors and Fiscal Multipliers ’  —  Olivier Blanchard and Daniel Leigh's work on growth forecast errors and fiscal multipliers in 2009-2011 has been highly influential.  This column extends their approach to recent years.

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.