Stage set for final GOP debate of 2015  —  Watch CNN's coverage of the fifth Republican presidential debate live from Las Vegas on Tuesday, December 15.  Coverage begins at 6 p.m. ET.  —  Washington (CNN)Nine candidates will appear in prime-time Tuesday night for the final Republican …

Donald Trump: Hillary ‘killed hundreds of thousands of people with her stupidity’  —  DON'T MISS STORIES.  FOLLOW RAW STORY!  —  Republican presidential Donald Trump asserted on Sunday that Democratic hopeful Hillary Clinton had killed “hundreds of thousands of people with her stupidity.”

Playing with fear  —  In America and Europe, right-wing populist politicians are on the march.  The threat is real  —  From the print edition  —  POPULISTS have a new grievance.  For many years, on both sides of the Atlantic, they have thrived on the belief that a selfish elite cannot …

A top Democratic opposition research group says it won't go after Marco Rubio — but why?  —  After an early career as a conservative operative dedicated to bringing down Bill Clinton, David Brock has emerged as one of the top guys in the world of Democratic-aligned fundraising, messaging, and opposition research.

NY Times Editors Continue War on Reality  —  The Times editors - yes, the folks who recently linked to an Onion wanna-be for factual support - continue their editorializing on guns, and the issue is far too important to let tedious facts get in their way:  —  Despair Over Gun Deaths Is Not an Option

Missouri police chief resigns after caging family's lost puppy at a gun range and shooting it  —  DON'T MISS STORIES.  FOLLOW RAW STORY!  —  Police Chief Andrew Spencer resigned this week after it was revealed that he shot and killed an innocent dog that was in a cage and meant no one any harm.

UNT police officer fatally shoots ax-wielding student near campus  —  The University of North Texas says Texas Rangers will help investigate an officer-involved shooting that left a man dead just off campus.  The body of the man who was shot has been obscured in this photograph from Bink Ruckthongsook.

Rubio Outlines Plan To End Marriage Equality  —  In the landmark case of Obergefell v. Hodges, the Supreme Court found that same-sex marriage is a Constitutional right protected by the 14th Amendment.  —  Sunday on NBC's Meet The Press, Marco Rubio pledged, as President, to change that.

Obama: Chessmaster, not Pawn … Four years ago at this time, I was in the middle of writing what became a cover story with the (immodest) title “Obama, Explained.”  In it, I examined whether the slow, understated, long-game approach of a one-term president about to run for re-election …

Bridgegate racks up $8 million in legal fees  —  The law firm Gibson Dunn has billed New Jersey roughly $8 million since it was hired to defend Gov. Chris Christie (R) for the “Bridgegate” scandal, according to the Associated Press.  —  Christie, a Republican presidential candidate …

196 countries approve historic climate agreement  —  BREAKING NEWS: Negotiators from 196 countries approved a landmark climate accord on Saturday that seeks to dramatically reduce emissions of the greenhouse gases blamed for a dangerous warming of the planet.