All Politics
- Only one man has 'blood on his hands' in NY police shootings, and that's the gunmanWenjian Liu and Rafael Ramos were shot by a gunman, who killed himself as fellow police officers closed in. Mayor聽DeBlasio may have bungled his relationship with the NYPD but that hardly makes him responsible for murder.
- Hillary Clinton leads Chris Christie in New Jersey. Sign for 2016?President Obama beat Mitt Romney in the Garden State by 18 points. Hillary Clinton leads Gov. Chris Christie in his home state by 10 points, but that's down from a 21-point lead in January.聽
- In Obama's Christmas stocking, a bit of good newsA new CNN/ORC poll this week shows President Obama鈥檚 approval rating the highest it has been in 20 months, likely boosted by economic good news.
- George H.W. Bush in hospital as precaution. Most popular living ex-president?Former President Bush is seen favorably by 63 percent of Americans and unfavorably by only 31 percent, edging out President Clinton. In June, Bush celebrated his 90th birthday with a tandem parachute jump.聽
- Why Vermont abandoned its single-payer health-care planAdvocates saw Vermont as the ideal laboratory for hatching a single payer system that might even serve as a role model for other states. But the price tag 鈥撀$2.6 billion in a state with revenues totaling about $2 billion a year 鈥 was out of reach.
- Sony to allow limited screenings of 'The Interview,' smaller theaters rebookPresident Obama was correct to criticize Sony, and by extension the theater owners and distributors, for caving in to threats so quickly. The consequences open up other American businesses to extortion that would be very hard to combat.
- Money and politics: Who are best at tapping rich for political cash?Liberal-minded donors shelled out the most cash for the 2014 midterms 鈥 at least among groups that must disclose what they raise and spend.
- What makes Hawaii home for Obama? Seven ways he's enjoying vacation.The first family is wiling away the holiday season in President Obama's native Hawaii. On the vacation docket: golf, snorkeling, and a 'quiet timeout.'
- Is Barack Obama a closet geek?From fusion energy to honeybee colony collapse, President Obama comes across as a serious science geek, says his chief advisor on science and technology.
- Sony will release 'The Interview' after all. Why the reversal?There are several reasons Sony is now releasing 'The Interview' to independent theaters for Dec. 25. But one big one might be that 'The Interview' is now all-American.
- China losing patience with Pyongyang? Don't believe it until you see it happen.Despite reports earlier this year that North Korea was 'on the verge of collapse,' the Kim regime has survived for another year and collapse seems unlikely.聽
- Grimm situation: Will Boehner force out Staten Island rep?Rep. Michael Grimm (R) of New York is expected to plead guilty Tuesday to federal charges of tax evasion. He could stay in Congress, but it doesn't look likely.
- Young turks and old bullsYoung turk flamethrowers tend to mellow into old bulls of the Establishment. It's the way of Washington. It's also why to expect creeping pragmatism in the new Congress.
- Why two Republicans disagree about virtually everything on CubaSen. Marco Rubio hates President Obama's decision to normalize diplomatic relations with Cuba. Sen. Rand Paul supports it. Senator Paul appears to be out of step with this party but in line with public opinion.
- Rudy Giuliani links President Obama to anti-cop hatred: Tough talk or too far?In the wake of the NYPD shootings this weekend, former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani says President Obama helped create an anti-police backlash.
- Hillary Clinton slips in presidential poll: Was 2014 a bad year for her?A new poll shows that Hillary Clinton holds a shrinking lead over the Democratic field for the 2016 presidential race. But it is still huge and the drop isn't alarming.
- CIA analyst at the center of torture report is outed. She's not 'Maya'In the film 'Zero Dark Thirty' she was known as 'Maya,' the CIA analyst who spent years tracking down Osama bin Laden. Her story is more complicated with its ties to rendition and torture, and now several news outlets have revealed her identity.
- Did North Korea just blink over Sony's 'The Interview' hack?President Obama threatens 鈥榩roportional鈥 response to Sony鈥檚 'The Interview' hack. What might that include, and is it why North Korea now wants to join the US in getting to the bottom of the security breach and terrorist threat?
- Did '24' help make torture acceptable?Most Americans think that torture was justified in the wake of the Sept. 11 attacks. The TV drama '24' debuted soon after those attacks and ran for eight seasons. But '24' also showed a cost to those who tortured others, even if the victims were bad guys.
- Marco Rubio vs. Rand Paul: Who's winning GOP Cuba policy smackdown?Republican Sens. Marco Rubio and Rand Paul have been sparring over President Obama's decision to reopen relations with communist Cuba.