Trump ties with Pope Francis in U.S. poll for second most-admired man in the world  —  Americans named Hillary Clinton and President Barack Obama as their most admired woman and man in the world in 2015, with Donald Trump earning the same share of admiration as Pope Francis …

Meadowlark Lemon, Harlem Globetrotter Who Played Basketball and Pranks With Virtuosity, Dies at 83  —  Meadowlark Lemon, whose halfcourt hook shots, no-look behind-the-back passes and vivid clowning were marquee features of the feel-good traveling basketball show known as the Harlem Globetrotters …

The dark side: The secret world of sports doping  —  Al Jazeera investigation raises questions about whether sports heroes are linked to performance-enhancing drugs  —  Inside a hotel room in Austin, Texas, a pharmacist advises a professional athlete on taking performance-enhancing drugs.

Colbert: Trump is playing my old character better than I could  —  Comedian Stephen Colbert says he had to give up his old faux conservative character on the “Colbert Report” because GOP presidential front-runner Donald Trump is playing it better than he ever could.

Republicans split on attacking climate science  —  The Republican Party is divided over whether to attack the science of climate change when opposing liberal policies.  —  Many of the most vocal Republicans say they have significant problems with the scientific consensus that the Earth …

Winners and losers of the year  —  It's been a wild year in politics, both on the presidential campaign trail and in the halls of Congress.  —  But as 2015 draws to a close, it's time to take stock of who saw their fortunes rise, and who might want to put the past 12 months behind them.  —  WINNERS

David Spade: Obamas too ‘thirsty’ for attention  —  Actor David Spade says President Obama's appearances on reality TV shows like “Running Wild with Bear Grylls” are unbecoming of the presidency.  —  “I criticized Obama because I thought, you know, a president should have a little more dignity than …

Carson: We don't have to ‘inject race’ into everything  —  Republican presidential hopeful Ben Carson says Americans have a propensity to assume a racial animus in conflicts involving people of different races.  —  Asked about Sandra Bland, a black woman who was found hanged in her Texas prison cell …

Cleric denies ties to San Bernardino killers as phone records surface  —  The cleric acting as spokesman for the San Bernardino mosque where terrorist Syed Rizwan Farook worshipped claims he barely knew Farook and didn't know his terrorist wife at all.  But phone records and other evidence uncovered …

A Texas restaurant chain posted a notice declaring itself ‘politically incorrect’  —  See Also  —  About two weeks ago, Berryhill Baja Grill, a restaurant chain that specializes in Mexican cuisine, posted notices outside each of their nine locations warning their customers that the restaurant is …

Democrat: Tighten social media screening of visa applicants  —  A senior Democratic congressman is calling for stepped-up monitoring of social media accounts belonging to people coming into the country through various visa programs, in response to the terrorist attack in San Bernardino, Calif.

Uncle accidentally shoots 2-year-old niece in the face while trying out new Christmas gift  —  DON'T MISS STORIES.  FOLLOW RAW STORY!  —  A 2-year-old girl in Oregon was rushed to the hospital after being shot in the face on Christmas morning by her uncle.

Kentucky's Mall St. Matthews Shuts Down After Brawls Involving Up to 2,000  —  Chain-reaction brawls involving up to 2,000 people erupted in one of Kentucky's largest malls Saturday night, forcing the entire mall and businesses in the surrounding area to shut down, police said.