F.B.I. Treats San Bernardino Attack as Possible Terrorism Case  —  SAN BERNARDINO, Calif. — The married couple suspected of killing 14 people at a social services center had built more than a dozen pipe bombs and stockpiled thousands of rounds of ammunition, officials said Thursday …

Behind McConnell's campaign to win over Cruz  —  Mitch McConnell is close to pulling off a feat that at first seemed impossible: Coax Ted Cruz and antagonistic conservative groups to back his strategy to repeal Obamacare.  —  For weeks, Cruz, a 2016 GOP presidential candidate and chief McConnell nemesis …

Christie can't lose  —  Nine months ago a savvy political junkie told me Chris Christie would soon announce a presidential campaign, simply because he had to.  —  Making our way through the nation's capital, my cab driver made his case: running was the only way for the New Jersey governor to clean up his image and come out ahead.

ATTENTION LICENSED HANDGUN OWNERS  —  In light of recent events that have occurred in the United States and around the world I want to encourage citizens of Ulster County who are licensed to carry a firearm to PLEASE DO SO.  —  I urge you to responsibly take advantage of your legal right to carry a firearm.

In historic decision, Pentagon chief opens all jobs in combat units to women  —  Defense Secretary Ashton B. Carter said Thursday that he is opening all jobs in in combat units to women, a landmark decision that ends a three-year period of research with a number of firsts for female service members …

Gun Industry Executives Say Mass Shootings Are Good for Business  —  Behind closed doors, speaking with investors and Wall Street analysts, the gun industry views mass shootings as an opportunity to make lots of money.  —  Ordinary people are despairing about the frequency of tragic events …

We've had a massive decline in gun violence in the United States.  Here's why.  —  Premeditated mass shootings in public places are happening more often, some researchers say, plunging towns and cities into grief and riveting the attention of a horrified nation.

AP CONVERSATION: TRUMP CALLS MIDEAST PEACE ‘TOUGHEST DEAL’  —  STERLING, Va. (AP) — Donald Trump says that if he's elected president, he'll know within six months whether he can achieve an elusive peace accord between Israelis and Palestinians, one of the world's most vexing challenges.

Coldplay to Headline Super Bowl Halftime Show  —  Band to withhold new ‘A Head Full of Dreams’ album From Spotify  —  British rock band Coldplay will headline the halftime show at the National Football League's Super Bowl 50 in February, according to people familiar with the matter.

Mass murder is not an impulsive crime—and therein lies the promise of threat assessment. … The vast majority of mass shooters signal their intentions in advance, though usually not to their intended targets. … One security expert says Columbine has “a cult following unlike anything I've ever seen before.”

Trump: Obama doesn't care about black people  —  Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump on Wednesday night accused President Obama of abandoning African-Americans, saying the president doesn't care about black people and has done nothing to improve their lives.