Trump expands his attacks on the Clintons  —  Donald Trump defended and expanded upon his attacks on the Clintons on Tuesday, asserting once more that mentioning former President Bill Clinton's past infidelities was “fair game” if Hillary Clinton kept hitting him for his own views on women …

Marco Rubio's Path to Victory  —  Dan McLaughlin has a very convincing look at how Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) 94% waits out Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) 100%'s early wins.  As we move in the calendar, we get to more moderate states, and Rubio's odds go up.  —  What we have to consider, however, is voter psychology.

Trump: Union Leader publisher a ‘lowlife’  —  Donald Trump took aim at his latest target in the media world — this time, Joe McQuaid, publisher of the New Hampshire Union Leader.  —  “He's a real lowlife, there's no question about it,” Trump said on New Hampshire television station WMUR …

No indictment in Tamir Rice case, prosecutor says  —  (CNN)An Ohio grand jury has decided not to return an indictment in the 2014 police shooting death of 12-year-old Tamir Rice, prosecutor Tim McGinty said Monday.  —  Rice was holding a pellet gun when he was shot.

‘Affluenza’ teen Ethan Couch detained in Mexico  —  (CNN)Mexican authorities have detained so-called “affluenza” teen Ethan Couch and his mother near the popular Mexican Pacific beach resort town of Puerto Vallarta, officials briefed on the matter told CNN.  —  Couch went missing earlier this month …

Dissatisfaction, anger dominate year-end reviews of Washington  — President Barack Obama's 2008 campaign pledge to bring change hasn't panned out successfully in the eyes of many of his constituents  —  (CNN)Heading into the final year of Barack Obama's presidency, the American public …

2015: The Year in Charts  —  By the end of 2015, the economy — still leaving too many Americans behind — has regrettably almost disappeared from the news, overshadowed by the twin evils of Donald J. Trump and the Islamic State.  Meanwhile, Congress continued to burnish its record of doing little …

Exclusive - Islamic State ruling aims to settle who can have sex with female slaves  —  Islamic State theologians have issued an extremely detailed ruling on when “owners” of women enslaved by the extremist group can have sex with them, in an apparent bid to curb what they called violations in the treatment of captured females.

Police: Woman killed victim, left body on couch for days  —  PHOENIX (KSAZ) - A valley woman says the body of a victim found by police on her couch was a “shrine from God.”  —  The Phoenix Police Department tells Fox 10 that 39-year-old Anitra Braxton has been charged with murder …

Creature from the deep surfaces in Japanese harbor  —  Tokyo (CNN)It isn't every day that a mystery from the deep swims into plain sight.  But on Christmas Eve, spectators on a pier in Toyama Bay in central Japan were treated to a rare sighting of a giant squid.

POLITICO Playbook, presented by NextGen Climate - 3 days till 2016, 34 days to Iowa - SIREN: Trump and RNC to share data - BEN GINSBERG's GOP convention chaos scenarios: Longer than 4 days?!  — LAME DUCK TAKES FLIGHT: Obama plans year of globetrotting  —  By Mike Allen (@mikeallen …

Trump given access to RNC's voter file  —  Donald Trump's presidential campaign, which has faced doubts about its ability to translate enthusiasm into votes, in the past few weeks quietly signed an agreement allowing it to use the Republican National Committee's massive voter file, POLITICO has learned.

Obama's Economic Performance Is Even Better Than It Looks  —  Paul Krugman presents us today with an updated version of his chart showing private employment gains during the Obama administration compared to the Bush administration:  —  But Obama's performance is even better than it looks.

Pope and change  —  You know the answer to these year-end questions but just play along.  —  Name the biggest 2015 event on Capitol Hill?  The one event it was near impossible to get a ticket to attend.  —  It is not close - you're right, the pope's visit.  —  And you'll know the answer to this one too.