Bergdahl: Taliban asked me if Obama is gay  —  Bowe Bergdahl compared his first year in Taliban captivity — starved, stinking and chained to a bed — to being tossed in a closet and forgotten.  —  “Picture someone taking a bag, throwing it into the closet, shutting the door and just forgetting about it.

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.

O'Malley: Jesus was a refugee  —  Democratic presidential hopeful Martin O'Malley says plans to deport hundreds of illegal immigrants in a series of raids are not befitting of the Christmas season.  —  “A Christmas Refugee Roundup sounds like something [Donald Trump] would concoct,” O'Malley tweeted Thursday.

Bill Clinton's first home damaged in suspected arson  —  Firefighters were called to the scene at about 3:20 a.m. Video provided by Newsy Newslook  —  Former president Bill Clinton's first boyhood home in Hope, Ark., was damaged by fire early Friday in what authorities suspect is arson.

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 …

Exclusive: Islamic State sanctioned organ harvesting in document taken in U.S. raid  —  Islamic State has sanctioned the harvesting of human organs in a previously undisclosed ruling by the group's Islamic scholars, raising concerns that the violent extremist group may be trafficking in body parts.

Sudan: No Chance to Celebrate Christmas in Sudan, Crackdown Continues  —  Few Christians in Sudan will enjoy Christmas this year as government authorities continue to crackdown on churches and parishioners alike.  —  Just a week before Christmas, security forces arrested Reverend Kowa Shamaal …

Of a creepy council member, Cano  —  “Arma virumque cano,” writes Vergil in the opening of the Aeneid ("Arms and the man I sing").  In a footnote to the Black Lives Matter disgrace yesterday, Minneapolis now gives us a creep and a council member, Cano — Alondra Cano.

Bangladeshi Christians Skip Traditional Christmas Midnight Mass  —  Churches in Bangladesh skipped the traditional Christmas midnight mass services this year due to the increasing number of threats against Christian leaders, allegedly by Muslim extremists.  Catholic houses of worship in the town …

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 …

Sanders: Trump is ‘bombastic’ so he can get media coverage  —  Washington (CNN)Bernie Sanders says Donald Trump makes “bombastic” and “silly” remarks because they get media coverage — and blamed the press for falling for the real estate developer's act.  —  “I'll give you one example,” …

Now it's even easier for candidates and their aides to help super PACs  —  The Federal Election Commission has quietly given the green light to federal candidates who want to solicit contributions for super PACs by meeting in small groups — so small that there can be just two other people in the room.

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:

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.