THE HILL — A new round of Facebook data controversies has incensed lawmakers and added to the social network's mounting problems. The company endured a rough week in Washington, where lawmakers questioned if CEO Mark Zuckerberg had lied before Congress and ramped up calls for a comprehensive data privacy bill to rein in Silicon Valley.... (more)

WASHINGTON TIMES — Authorities say two men were surrounded by customers with guns while attempting to steal tools from a Washington store. The Daily Herald reports the men, ages 22 and 23, allegedly took four nail guns, each worth more than $400, from the Coastal Farm & Ranch store Saturday in Marysville. The men walked out of the store and got into a Honda Civic, only to be surrounded by about six customers with guns raised.... (more)

ALAN KEYES — According to the report I saw, a yoga group at American University spontaneously disintegrated after an "American University student...complained to AU's President's Council on Diversity and Inclusion...after seeing a non-Indian group perform an Indian epic in the school's yoga club." The episode well illustrates the insanely anti-humanitarian malice at the heart of the ill-conceived ideology that pretends to demand respect for the diverse ways in which people living in various times and places expressed their special understanding of themselves and the world in which their life unfolds.... (more)

TOGETHER WE TEACH — Luke 1 1:26 And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth, 1:27 To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin's name was Mary. 1:28 And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women. 1:29 And when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and cast in her mind what manner of salutation this should be. 1:30 And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God.... (more)

WESLEY PRUDEN — REPRINTED FROM AN EARLIER CHRISTMAS The malls and the Main Streets fall silent. The ringing cash registers and the happy cries of children become but ghostly echoes across the silent cities. But the Christ child born in a manger 2,000 years ago lives, liberating the hearts of sinners and transforming the lives of the wicked.... (more)

ROBERT KNIGHT — For the past few years, my wife and I have had a friendly dispute over how to top our Christmas tree. She wants an angel, and I prefer a simple star. Traditionally, an evergreen is not a Christmas tree unless crowned by one or the other. The ultimate compromise would be a topper she saw years ago consisting of an angel carrying a star. She's looked high and low but not found one she likes enough to buy.... (more)

WORLDNETDAILY — When World War I erupted in 1914 launching the first great European war of the 20th century, soldiers on both sides were assured they would be home by Christmas to celebrate victory. That prediction proved to be false. The men on the fronts did not get home for Christmas, as the war dragged on for four years. During that time 8,500,000 men were killed, with hundreds of thousands more dying from injuries. The "war to end all wars" took a horrific human toll and transformed Europe.... (more)

WASHINGTON TIMES — Melania Trump's cranberry topiary trees may have left some of her critics seeing red, but they turned out to be a Christmas hit - one of several new ideas the Trumps introduced this holiday season. In a four-week stretch of 21 holiday parties, the president also did fewer official photo ops and largely froze out the media. But in time-honored tradition, though, politicos still used the celebrations to squeeze in last-minute deal-making.... (more)

DAILY CALLER — Ohio Gov. John Kasich signed a bill Friday banning dilation and evacuation abortions, common second-trimester abortion methods. Senate Bill 145 prohibits doctors from performing dilation and evacuation abortions, an abortion method used when women are between 13 and 24 weeks pregnant. Dilation abortion involves tearing the fetus apart limb by limb so that the body parts can be extracted from the womb.... (more)

WORLDNETDAILY — Talk-radio host Rush Limbaugh says there might be "hell to pay," but he says the time has come for President Trump to "break" the Democrats and build the border wall using the executive power he already has.... (more)

THE HILL — President Trump said Sunday that he is "praying for recovery and healing" after a tsunami struck Indonesia late Saturday, killing at least 222 people. "Unthinkable devastation from the tsunami disaster in Indonesia," Trump wrote on Twitter. "More than two hundred dead and nearly a thousand injured or unaccounted for. We are praying for recovery and healing.... (more)

DAILY CALLER — As 2018 comes to a close, it's time to review the year's worst cases of media misquotes, misleading narratives, major corrections and straight-up fake news. While last year's fake reporting largely occurred during the media's relentless pursuit to prove Russian collusion, this year's list is much more varied. However, some themes emerged: stories about then-Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh and the U.S. border were routinely flagged for misinformation. Without further ado, here is the list of 2018's worst examples of fake news:... (more)

WORLDNETDAILY — A residence for seniors in Washington state has decided to ban the words "Merry Christmas," Christmas decorations, Christmas carols that mention Jesus and more -- because it claims the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development requires those actions. But it doesn't, say lawyers with the Alliance Defending Freedom who have written to Providence Place in Chehalis, explaining that those expressions popular during the Christmas season are, in fact, perfectly legal.... (more)

ANDREW C. MCCARTHY — It is exactly what we need and should want in an attorney general of the United States: the ability to reason through complex legal questions in a rigorously academic way. Not to bloviate from the cheap seats, but to think these issues through the way a properly functioning Justice Department does: considering them against jurisprudence, statutes, rules, regulations, and Office of Legal Counsel (OLC) opinions, with a healthy respect for facts that we do not know or about which we could be wrong -- facts that could alter the analysis.... (more)

RICH LOWRY — Never before has a former FBI director boasted about taking advantage of an administration's disorganization for his own ends. But never before has a former FBI director been as self-satisfied as James Brien Comey Jr. In an interview at the 92nd Street Y in New York City, Comey delighted his Upper East Side audience with his tale of how he exploited the Trump White House's disarray in its initial days to send two FBI agents to talk to then-national security adviser Michael Flynn without honoring the usual processes (e.g., working through the White House counsel's office).... (more)

NEWSMAX — Former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay told Newsmax TV that President Donald Trump needs to remain strong on building the wall on the southern border. "If you go into these sort of fights, you better be ready to fight it until the end -- especially if you're president of the United States," he said during an appearance on Friday's "America Talks Live."... (more)

NEWSMAX — The Supreme Court won't let the Trump administration begin enforcing a ban on asylum for any immigrants who illegally cross the U.S.-Mexico border. Chief Justice John Roberts joined his four more liberal colleagues Friday in ruling against the administration in the very case in which President Donald Trump had derided the "Obama judge" who first blocked the asylum policy.... (more)

AL.COM — A rural Alabama police department that used social media to scold community members for rejecting God is coming under fire from a group that opposes mixing government and religious faith. A statement posted on Facebook by the Opp Police Department on Tuesday blames a spike in area homicides on the idea that young people have turned away from God and "embraced Satan." The post followed two gunshot killings in as many days in Covington County, located on the Alabama-Florida line.... (more)

CBS 6 NEWS ALBANY — New York State leads the country in an undesirable category. New data from the U.S. Census Bureau says New York tops the nation in population loss. The report says nine states saw a drop in population between July 1, 2017, and July 1, 2018. New York led the way at a loss of 48,510 people. Illinois (45,116), West Virginia (11,216), Louisiana (10,840), Hawaii (3,712), Mississippi (3,133), Alaska (2,348), Connecticut (1,215) and Wyoming (1,197) also lost people.... (more)

FACEBOOK — How does Mary Poppins Returns pay homage to first #MaryPoppins film? One way: by using hand-drawn animations in the sequel.... (more)

WASHINGTON TIMES — Under pressure from conservatives, President Trump said Thursday he would veto a stopgap spending bill unless Congress added money for his border wall -- dooming a bipartisan compromise worked on in the Senate, and putting the government careening toward a partial shutdown.... (more)

CNBC — President Donald Trump will not sign a Senate-passed spending bill, increasing the chances of a partial government shutdown. The Senate unanimously approved the legislation Wednesday night to keep the government funded through Feb. 8. With Trump's support, it appeared set to breeze through the House before the midnight Friday deadline to fund seven agencies that make up about a quarter of the government.... (more)

WASHINGTON TIMES — Republicans backed down in their border security fight Wednesday and settled instead for a stopgap spending bill that would keep the government running through early February, avoiding a government shutdown and leaving the big fights for the new Congress.... (more)

NEWSMAX — An Iraq War veteran who lost three of his limbs is trying to raise money for President Donald Trump's border wall -- and the effort has taken in nearly $5 million. The GoFundMe page went live this week and, as of midday Thursday, had raised $4.8 million toward its goal of $1 billion.... (more)

BYRON YORK — The sentencing of former Trump White House national security adviser Michael Flynn on a single charge of lying to the FBI turned into a dramatic scene in a Washington, D.C., courthouse Tuesday. Federal Judge Emmet Sullivan excoriated Flynn for what is called uncharged conduct -- that is, for crimes that Flynn has not been formally accused of committing.... (more)