San Bernardino shooting: Attacker pledged allegiance to ISIS, officials say  —  (CNN)[Breaking news update at 10:24 a.m. ET]  —  As the San Bernardino attack was happening, investigators believe the female shooter, Tashfeen Malik, posted on Facebook, pledging allegiance to ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi …

CNN/ORC Poll: Trump alone at the top again  —  (CNN)Donald Trump is once again alone at the top of the Republican field, according to the latest CNN/ORC Poll, with 36% of registered Republicans and Republican-leaning independents behind him, while his nearest competitor trails by 20 points.

How Background Checks and an ‘Assault Weapon’ Ban Failed in San Bernardino  —  The Washington Post reports that the four guns used in the San Bernardino massacre “were all purchased legally from federally licensed firearms dealers,” which means the buyers passed background checks.

Scott Weiland, frontman for Stone Temple Pilots and Velvet Revolver, dies at 48  —  Scott Weiland at KROQ's Weenie Roast at the Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre in Irvine in June 2001.  —  Scott Weiland, a performer known for his grunge rock voice and struggles with addiction, has died, according to his wife, Jamie.

Senate approves bill repealing much of ObamaCare  —  The Senate on Thursday passed legislation repealing the core pillars of ObamaCare, taking a major step toward sending such a bill to the president's desk for the first time.  —  Republicans hailed it as a political messaging victory …

Loretta Lynch: “Actions Predicated On Violent Talk” Toward Muslims Will Be Prosecuted  —  WASHINGTON — Attorney General Loretta Lynch on Thursday warned that the Justice Department could take aggressive action against people whose anti-Muslim rhetoric “edges towards violence” …

Chris Christie: ‘Iran is a Greater Threat Than ISIS’  —  New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, the semi-resurgent candidate for the Republican presidential nomination, came to Washington last week to address members of the Council on Foreign Relations (the organization known, at least to Senator Ted Cruz, as the “pit of vipers").

Republicans' Climate Change Denial Denial  —  Future historians — if there are any future historians — will almost surely say that the most important thing happening in the world during December 2015 was the climate talks in Paris.  True, nothing agreed to in Paris will be enough, by itself, to solve the problem of global warming.