Republicans in state governments plan juggernaut of conservative legislation  —  Legislators in the 24 states where Republicans now hold total control plan to push a series of aggressive policy initiatives in the coming year aimed at limiting the power of the federal government and rekindling the culture wars.

Kentucky Man Helps ‘Brave’ Girl Who Survived Plane Crash  —  Shaking and upset, a 7-year-old girl who survived a plane crash in southwestern Kentucky that killed her parents, sister, and cousin found herself on the doorstep of Larry Wilkins's home.  —  “When I answered the door, there was a bloody girl,” said Wilkins.

U.S. Attorney's Office Will Not Pursue Charges Against John W. Hinckley, Jr. for Death of James Brady  —  Legal Barriers Cited in Decision  —  WASHINGTON - The U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia announced today that it will not pursue criminal charges against John W. Hinckley …

Treasury Imposes Sanctions Against the Government of The Democratic People's Republic Of Korea  —  Action Targets the Government of North Korea in Response to Recent Provocations  —  WASHINGTON - In response to the Government of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea's numerous provocations …

Conway man faces sex assault charges over incident with nephew's girlfriend  —  A Conway man is in jail facing sexual assault charges stemming from an incident in which he allegedly assaulted his nephew's girlfriend.  —  William L. Mattson, 52, of Conway, was arrested by Conway police …

GOP focus for Congress: Cut deficit, don't stumble  —  Associated Press 1 hr ago  —  WASHINGTON (AP) — In the first Republican-dominated Congress to confront President Barack Obama, GOP leaders will focus on bolstering the economy and cutting the budget — and oh yes …

Al-Qaeda suspect dies days before US trial  —  New York (AFP) - A Libyan accused over the 1998 Al-Qaeda bombings of US embassies in Africa died on Friday, days before he was to stand trial in New York.  —  Abu Anas al-Libi, 50, was on the FBI's most-wanted list with a $5 million price …

An “Obama Unbound” effect - or Viva Obama?  —  Since mid-December, President Obama's net approve/disapprove numbers have shot up.  This graph shows the median of the last 21 days of polling.  The current level, a net disapproval of only 2%, reflects six pollsters (Gallup, Rasmussen, CNN, ARG, YouGov/Economist, and ABC/Post).

Bratton warns NYPD not to turn backs on mayor at cop's funeral  —  Police Commissioner Bill Bratton is so worried his cops will turn their backs to his boss again that he sent out a memo pleading with them not to do it again, The Post has learned.  —  “A hero's funeral is about grieving …

Teacher evaluation: going from bad to worse?  —  John King recently resigned as New York state's education commissioner after a tumultuous tenure in which he helped create and implement a controversial education evaluation system and rushed the implementation of the Common Core State Standards and aligned testing.

Jim Webb hires journalist Crawford as communications director  —  Former Sen. Jim Webb, a Democrat who recently launched an exploratory committee for a presidential run, announced Friday that he's hired liberal journalist Craig Crawford to serve as his communications director.

Many Identities of New York Officers' Killer in a Life of Wrong Turns  —  His entire life, Ismaaiyl Brinsley tried on identities as if they were new clothes.  He was a bad boy with a gun, a fashionable man in Gucci and Cartier, a T-shirt maker, a film director, a screenwriter, a devout Muslim, a rap producer.

In Sweden, the Land of the Open Door, Anti-Muslim Sentiment Finds a Foothold  —  ESKILSTUNA, Sweden — As Khalif Samantar knelt for afternoon prayers at the Eskilstuna Islamic Dawa Center on Christmas Day, he sensed a growing heat and a low, rushing sound coming from a nearby hallway.