‘DE BLASIO, OUR BACKS HAVE TURNED TO YOU’ Cold war between NYPD cops, de Blasio takes to skies over the Hudson  —  Ashley Chalmers, head of Jersey Shore Aerial Advertising, told the Daily News the people who paid for the airborne message ‘want to remain anonymous.’

Dustin Diamond, actor who played “Screech” on “Saved by the Bell,” arrested in Ozaukee Co.  —  (CNN) — Police arrested Dustin Diamond, better known as “Screech” in the early 1990s sitcom, “Saved by the Bell,” early Friday, December 26th in a stabbing incident in Port Washington.

Eric Garner's daughter posts address of cop at his death  —  One of Eric Garner's daughters marked Christmas Day by spreading personal information about an NYPD cop who was present during the chokehold death of her father — outraging officers still reeling from last weekend's execution-style slayings of two policemen in Brooklyn.

Wussy nation: Our view  —  From Ebola, to university controversies, to North Korea, why are so many so scared?  —  America has much to be cocky about.  It invented large-scale democracy and nurtured its growth around the world.  It vanquished fascism and communism, became the world's only superpower.

The Fed's Needless Flirtation With Danger  —  Well-designed tax rules are a safe and effective alternative to quantitative easing.  —  This week's good economic news—consumer spending up sharply in November over October, and a surge in third-quarter GDP growth to a 5% annual rate …

Tidings of Comfort  —  Maybe I'm just projecting, but Christmas seemed unusually subdued this year.  The malls seemed less crowded than usual, the people glummer.  There was even less Muzak in the air.  And, in a way, that's not surprising: All year Americans have been bombarded …

Why Liberals Should Fear the Supreme Court in 2015  —  Obamacare, religious freedom, and same-sex marriage equality are all on the judicial agenda.  —  The Supreme Court is poised for a blockbuster year in 2015—and the list of high-profile cases could keep growing.

Michael Brown memorial destroyed overnight  —  People hurriedly cleaned and rebuilt a memorial to Michael Brown in Ferguson, Mo., on Friday morning after they said a car intentionally destroyed it.  —  Flowers, signs and other mementos, left in remembrance of the 18-year-old who was killed …

Woman kicked off plane, arrested in Seattle  —  SEATTLE —  A New York woman was arrested in Seattle after she tried to make herself more comfortable on her flight to Alaska.  —  She's now suing United Airlines after she spent days in jail because she says the flight attendants blew the situation out of proportion.

GOP learns lessons from Sam Brownback's tax scare  —  Republicans once idolized the tax-cutting superstar; now they look askance at him.  —  Ohio Gov. John Kasich will roll out “responsible” tax plans that protect against revenue gaps.  Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker and Arizona's …

The Islamic State is failing at being a state  —  GAZIANTEP, Turkey — The Islamic State's vaunted exercise in state-building appears to be crumbling as living conditions deteriorate across the territories under its control, exposing the shortcomings of a group that devotes most of its energies …

NSA Forced to Spell Out Violations After Suit  —  Heavily Redacted Reports Detail Violations of Individual Americans' Privacy  —  WASHINGTON—The National Security Agency, responding to a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit, has released heavily redacted reports detailing its employees' violations …