Christmas's War on America  —  Every year, a new round of politicians attempt to breathe new life into America's thoroughly exhausted war on Christmas.  But this year, maybe it's time instead to examine Christmas's war on Americans.  —  For centuries, the holiday has served as a flashpoint between competing religious ideas.

Yes, Virginia, There Is a NORAD … Perhaps you've heard the legend of Harry Shoup.  The gruff Air Force colonel stood watch on December night 60 years ago, in a secure bunker at Continental Air Defense Command (CONAD), guarding against a nuclear strike.  On his desk sat the Red Phone …

Gray Lady Sings the Blues  —  The social safety net for the elderly is under strain in developed countries, according to the NYT: … In this story, NYT is facing what everybody knows: The retirement systems of the 20th century won't work in the 21st.  U.S. retirees will see declining …

Heavily redacted Benghazi emails released on Christmas Eve  —  The Office of the Director of National Intelligence (DNI) released a handful of sensitive documents Thursday morning dealing with terrorism suspect Anwar al-Awlaki and the terrorist attacks in Benghazi, Libya.

Bernie Sanders: ‘Trump is very smart’ for manipulating the media  —  Donald Trump is “very smart,” Bernie Sanders said during an interview that aired Thursday, because the Manhattan mogul and former star of NBC's “The Apprentice” franchise knows how to play the media.

A political bomb is about to blow up in the Democrats' faces  —  THE MORNING PLUM:  —  This scoop from Jerry Markon and David Nakamura is going to scramble the politics of immigration in the presidential race, and it may create more problems for Democrats than for Republicans:

Mele Kalik-Baracka  —  President Obama jets to a Hawaiian holiday, while the world unravels.  —  Before leaving for his annual Hawaiian Christmas vacation, President Obama found an odd way to wish Americans “Mele Kalikimaka!”  In an interview with National Public Radio, he discussed Islamic State, also known as ISIS.

The Creaking Joints of Democracy  —  One of my favorite liberals, Philly magazine's Joel Mathis (he's one half of the “Red-Blue America” column with Ben Boychuk), offers up a conciliatory column in the spirit of Christmas today that I take at face value.  A few relevant bits: … So far, so good.

Gov. Jerry Brown pardons Robert Downey Jr. for 1990s drug offenses  —  Robert Downey Jr. appears in a Malibu courtroom on July 25, 1996, after his third arrest in a month.  —  Actor Robert Downey Jr., who spent time behind bars in the late 1990s on drug convictions, received a Christmas Eve pardon …

Minneapolis City Council Member Alondra Cano under fire for posting phone numbers, email addresses of constituents  —  A Minneapolis City Council member is drawing criticism for what some see as an effort to publicly shame constituents who objected to her involvement in Wednesday's Black Lives Matter rally …

44 Percent Of Democrats Support Taking Refugees From A Fictional Country  —  FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE December 23, 2015  —  Press Contact:  —  lluxenburg@wparesearch.com  —  Washington, DC - Public Policy Polling, which is known for adding questions …

My Very Muslim Christmas  —  TIME columnist Abdul-Jabbar is a six-time NBA champion and league Most Valuable Player.  He is also a celebrated author, filmmaker and education ambassador whose life and career are the subject of Minority of One, a new documentary on HBO Sports.