Ted Cruz Has a Problem  —  Up until last night, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) 100%'s refusal to attack Donald Trump was defensible.  Without question, it was smart politics, as his rise in the polls would attest.  But it was also defensible on the merits as a guy who is a solid conservative in good standing …

Congress reaches year-end deal on taxes and spending  —  Congressional leaders on Tuesday night reached agreement on a year-end spending and tax deal that would prevent a government shutdown and extend a series of tax breaks that benefit businesses and individuals, according to lawmakers.

5th Republican debate transcript, annotated: Who said what and what it meant  —  Nine Republican candidates are participating in tonight's 2016 presidential debate in Las Vegas: Donald Trump, Ben Carson, Sen. Marco Rubio (Fla.), former Florida governor Jeb Bush, former tech executive Carly Fiorina …

Wheaton College puts hijab-wearing professor on leave … A Wheaton College political science professor, who had been wearing a hijab to show solidarity for Muslim women in America and inviting other women to join her, was put on administrative leave Tuesday by the evangelical Christian school.

Students practice calligraphy by writing “There is no god but Allah”  —  The Riverheads High School calligraphy assignment (Courtesy The Schilling Show)  —  A Virginia school district is defending a classroom assignment that required students to practice calligraphy by writing the Muslim statement of faith, “There is no god but Allah.

The Evidence Is Piling Up That Higher Minimum Wages Kill Jobs  —  President Obama says there is ‘no solid evidence.’ Yes there is—lots of it.  —  The movement to raise the federal minimum wage has become ever more ambitious.  In 2013 proponents deemed $9 an hour acceptable; today the demand is for $15.