[News Update] AIRASIA INDONESIA FLIGHT QZ8501  —  AirAsia Indonesia regrets to confirm that flight QZ8501 from Surabaya to Singapore has lost contact with air traffic control at 07:24hrs this morning.  —  At the present time we unfortunately have no further information regarding the status …

Hey GQ, can't find any crazy Democrats?  Here's 16  —  Photo: Getty Images; AP; WireImage; Getty Images; Getty Images; Reuters  —  In a survey of the “Craziest Politicians of 2014,” GQ had difficulty locating any Democrats.  Seventeen out of 20 on the list were Republicans …

Can Carter make a defense difference?  —  He will face the likely return of sequestration.  —  Ash Carter faces a double-barreled challenge if he's the next Defense secretary: leading a Pentagon handicapped by a Congress unwilling to go along with military-proposed spending reforms …

Nothing funny about ‘The Interview’  —  Just when did assassination become a subject for American humor?  —  This is a nation which still mourns Abraham Lincoln, John Kennedy, and Martin Luther King — all assassinated.  It is living through a period of renewed racial violence …

5,200 Days in Space  —  An exploration of life aboard the International Space Station, and the surprising reasons the mission is still worthwhile  —  When humans move to space, we are the aliens, the extraterrestrials.  And so, living in space, the oddness never quite goes away.

Protester who advocates peace charged with setting fire at Berkeley QT  —  One of the most frequently quoted and photographed Ferguson protesters was charged Saturday with setting fire to a Berkeley convenience store last week.  —  St. Louis County police arrested Joshua Williams, 19 …

Sioux Chef revives Native American tastes of yesteryear  —  Minnesota restaurant specializing in original style of Lakota tribal cooking aims for healthy gastronomic options  —  Sherman sweetens corn mush with pure maple sugar.  He encourages students to look outside more carefully for things …

A bigger tent?  GOP faces minority challenge  —  Associated Press 1 hr ago  —  WASHINGTON (AP) — The faces of the Republican Party's most ambitious members are changing.  —  Long criticized as the party of old white men, the GOP's next class of presidential contenders may include two Hispanic senators …

U.S. and NATO Formally End War in Afghanistan  —  KABUL, Afghanistan — The United States and NATO formally ended their war in Afghanistan on Sunday with a ceremony at their military headquarters in Kabul as the insurgency they fought for 13 years remains as ferocious and deadly as at any time since …

Son Shoots Father  —  The incident started when a father gave his son a Christmas present  —  BAYVIEW -  —  A dad is recovering after police said he was shot in the eye by his son.  It happened after another son attacked his dad because of a Christmas gift.

Bill De Blasio 2 Hours Late to Wake for Slain Officer Rafael Ramos  —  On Friday evening, thousands of New Yorkers attended a memorial service for Rafael Ramos, one of the two NYPD officers assassinated a week ago by an Eric Garner protester.  The service brought mourners from every corner of the city.