Scalia: Affirmative Action Sends Blacks To Schools Too Advanced For Them  —  In the oral arguments Wednesday for a Supreme Court affirmative action case, Justice Antonin Scalia—a well known critic of affirmative action—suggested that the policy was hurting minority students by sending …

Bloomberg Politics Poll: Nearly Two-Thirds of Likely GOP Primary Voters Back Trump's Muslim Ban  —  More than a third say it makes them more likely to vote for him, according to an online PulsePoll conducted by Purple Strategies on Tuesday.  —  McCormickJohn

Netanyahu set to meet Trump, as MKs urge candidate be shunned  —  Sources say December 28 powwow was scheduled two weeks ago, before GOP front-runner's call to ban Muslims from entering US; Arab-Israeli MK seeks to bar Trump from Israel  —  Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is set …

San Bernardino Suspects Spoke of Earlier Attack, F.B.I. Says  —  WASHINGTON — The man at the center of last week's massacre in San Bernardino, Calif., began discussing jihad and martyrdom with his soon-to-be wife even before she came to America last year.  He also may have plotted an attack …

Trump Proves That Liberals Have Been Right All Along  —  The left nailed the pathology of the conservative movement years ago.  The Donald is just making that impossible to deny.  —  If you've been following Donald Trump's presidential candidacy and his effect on the Republican primary closely …

Planned Parenthood Attack Suspect: ‘I Am Guilty’  —  COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (CBS4) - Robert Lewis Dear, the suspect in the Nov. 27 attack at Planned Parenthood in Colorado Springs, yelled in court on Wednesday that he is guilty.  —  “I am guilty there will be no trial.

The American Middle Class Is Losing Ground  —  No longer the majority and falling behind financially  —  After more than four decades of serving as the nation's economic majority, the American middle class is now matched in number by those in the economic tiers above and below it.

Gun rights groups to stage mock mass shooting at UT  —  Gun rights groups say they will conduct a mock mass shooting this weekend at the University of Texas campus as they try to end gun-free zones.  —  The Open Carry Walk and Crisis Performance Event will involve actors “shot” …

Watch Donald Trump Dodge a Bald Eagle  —  The Person of the Year runner-up encounters the American symbol  —  Last August, as Person of the Year runner-up Donald Trump was establishing himself as a real contender, the candidate agreed to pose with a bald eagle for a TIME cover story.

“I. Will.  Never.  Leave.  This.  Race.”  —  Donald Trump came down the stairs, stopped in the middle of the clubhouse restaurant, thrust his arms out and proclaimed: “How great is this?”  —  It was his way of saying hello and also a declaration of how America's boss planned to try to own the room …

Emanuel apologizes for Laquan McDonald police shooting, repeats call for change  —  Mayor Rahm Emanuel addresses the Chicago City Council on Dec. 9, 2015, saying he takes responsibility for the fatal police shooting of 17-year-old Laquan McDonald.  (WGN-TV)

Erick Erickson's Mom Denies Son's Story About Boycotting Asian Food Because of Pearl Harbor  —  Erick Erickson—the influential conservative blogger, Atlanta-area radio host, and Fox News talking head—published a curious claim on Twitter this past Monday, which marked the 74th anniversary …

Why I Caved on Guns When I Ran for Governor of Texas  —  I am a lifelong Democrat.  I proudly boast an “F” rating from the NRA.  And, yet during my 2014 gubernatorial campaign in Texas, I supported the open carry of handguns in my state.  —  It is a position that haunts me.

Scientific Evidence Doesn't Support Global Warming, Sen. Ted Cruz Says  —  There's a huge partisan divide on the issue of global warming in the U.S. Steve Inskeep talks to the Texas senator and GOP presidential candidate about his views on climate change.  —  STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

The Polls May Be Underestimating Trump's Support  —  Donald Trump's persistent lead in the GOP presidential-preference polls has been a great source of confusion for the chattering classes.  But Trump is actually just the latest manifestation of a more global trend: Data suggests the appeal …

Steve King: Even Muslims In Congress Won't Renounce Sharia Law  —  Rep. Steve King (R-IA), who's previously made clear that he doesn't believe immigrants from the Middle East want to assimilate into American culture, wants Muslims who come to the U.S. to reject Sharia law.