Trump dominates GOP field heading into 2016  —  Washington (CNN)Donald Trump seems set to end 2015 as the dominant force in the race for next year's Republican nomination for president, with Texas Sen. Ted Cruz now a clear — yet distant — second after a strong debate performance, a new CNN/ORC poll released on Wednesday has found.

What Ted Cruz said behind closed doors  —  In June, Ted Cruz promised on NPR that opposition to gay marriage would be “front and center” in his 2016 campaign.  —  In July, he said the Supreme Court's decision allowing same-sex marriage was the “very definition of tyranny” and urged states to ignore the ruling.

US stops British Muslim family from boarding flight to visit Disneyland  —  A British Muslim family heading for Disneyland was barred from boarding a flight to Los Angeles by US authorities at London's Gatwick airport amid concerns of an American overreaction to the perceived terrorist threat.

Being a woman costs more than being a man: Study  —  Women based products face higher prices than men's  —  A new study finds female based products cost more than those for men  —  Women are paying thousands of dollars more over the course of their lives than men to purchase similar products …

Police sgt. says governor was ‘inebriated’  —  SANTA FE - A Santa Fe police officer's recording shows the officer and a Santa Fe hotel security guard discussing whether Gov. Susana Martinez was intoxicated in the moments after she talked to them about a report of loud noise and bottles …

N.B.A. Lends Its Name and Its Stars to Campaign Against Gun Violence  —  The National Basketball Association, alarmed by the death toll from shootings across the country, is stepping directly into the polarizing debate over guns, regulation and the Second Amendment with an unusual advertising campaign …

FOX Business Network Announces Entry Criteria for GOP Primary Debates on Jan. 14  —  FOX Business Network has announced the candidate criteria for its two Republican presidential primary debates on January 14, 2016.  —  The debates, which have been sanctioned by the Republican National Committee …

The Typical American Lives Only 18 Miles From Mom  —  Families traveling from far-flung places and returning home for the holidays.  That image of an American Christmas, retold in song and movies, fits the perception of Americans as rootless, constantly on the move to seek opportunity even if it means leaving family behind.

To Rein In Wall Street, Fix the Fed  —  WALL STREET is still out of control.  Seven years ago, the Federal Reserve and the Treasury Department bailed out the largest financial institutions in this country because they were considered too big to fail.  But almost every one is bigger today than it was before the bailout.

Why America Is Moving Left  —  Over roughly the past 18 months, the following events have transfixed the nation.  —  In July 2014, Eric Garner, an African American man reportedly selling loose cigarettes illegally, was choked to death by a New York City policeman.

Cafeteria worker fired over free lunch  —  Lunch lady offered to pay district the $1.70 cost of the meal she gave to a student without money  —  She plans to seek legal counsel.  “This is just breaking my heart” … For the Idaho State Journal  —  POCATELLO

Police investigate after Facebook video appears to show molestation of girl  —  Some Kansas City area residents are outraged after a video was posted that appears to show two high school students molesting an underage girl.  The girl appears to be unconscious during the sexual assault.