NATIONAL

“Ben Carson has delivered lengthy and strongly worded condemnations of abortion in nearly all circumstances, including rape and incest. The retired neurosurgeon has compared abortion to slavery, talked up his efforts to counsel patients against seeking abortions, praised the activists who produced the controversial series of Planned Parenthood undercover videos and appeared frequently at events sponsored by anti-abortion groups.” – Politico

“Law enforcement authorities are eyeing terrorism as a possible motive for an attack in Southern California that left 14 dead and was carried out with cold precision by a ‘devout’ Muslim and his wife, who were killed hours later in a shootout with police.” – Fox News

“There is an interesting trend worth noting. In the face of tragedy, the political left always blames rational Americans first — not crazies, not terrorists, but rational Americans with whom they have political disagreements, who tend to be white, Christian, and Republican.” – Erick Erickson/Red State

“A man masquerading as a member of Congress walked into a secure backstage area without being properly screened and spoke with President Obama at an awards dinner last fall. Five days later, a woman walked backstage unchecked at a gala dinner where Obama was a featured guest. Months after that, two people strolled unnoticed past a Secret Service checkpoint into the first layer of the White House grounds.” – Washington Post

“Although nearly a century has passed since an astronomer first used the term ‘dark matter’ in the 1930s, the elusive substance still defies explanation. Physicists can measure its effects on the movements of galaxies and other celestial objects, but what it’s made of remains a mystery.” – Symmetry Magazine

“Ted Cruz is climbing the polls, building a formidable ground game in the early primary states and bringing in more campaign cash than most of his rivals for the Republican presidential nomination.” – Washington Examiner

“With so many campuses under renewed pressure to create ‘safe spaces’ from political speech and dissent, growing numbers are asking us at Heterodox Academy: Where can I (or my children) go to encounter at least some modicum of viewpoint diversity among the faculty? While there are many college guides with an eye to politics, they point students to the most liberal campuses, such as Bard, or to the few distinctively conservatives places, such as Liberty University or Grove City College. Such guides, therefore, steer students to the most homogenous and sheltered campus communities. But if students want to know whether a university offers enough political diversity among its faculty to ensure a robust exchange of ideas, they will search in vain for a useful college guide. We at Heterodox Academy aim to provide direction for students looking to escape academia’s many monocultures.” – HeterodoxAcademy.com

“One underappreciated element of Ted Cruz’s presidential campaign—which has recently come in for a great deal of praise by savvy operators on both sides of the aisle and in the press—are his quiet but effective acts of triangulation.” – The Atlantic

“Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn, former head of the Defense Intelligence Agency, says the Obama administration dismissed initial warnings about the Islamic State because it did not meet a ‘particular narrative’ the White House needed to win an election.” – The Blaze

“Day Two: Authorities are still investigating details of a mass shooting Wednesday morning in San Bernardino, California at the Inland Regional Center, a facility for developmentally disabled adults. 14 people were killed and at least 17 injured in a conference room at the center, where county employees had been enjoying a holiday party. There appear to be two suspects, both Muslim, a husband-and-wife team named Syed Rezwan Farook, 28, and Tashfeen Malik, 27. Large portions of the city remain locked down.” – Breitbart

LOUISIANA

“Governor-elect John Bel Edwards has announced the formation of a new transition committee to begin the work of addressing the fiscal challenges facing the State of Louisiana. According to reports, the Fiscal Matters Committee will be charged with identifying ways to eliminate the budget deficit, fund K-12 and higher education, and improve access to healthcare in the state.” – Chad Rogers/The Dead Pelican

“Police departments large and small across the country train for active shooter events like the one in California.” – WWLTV.com

“A state senator who was arrested over the weekend for allegedly punching his mistress at the Hyatt might be in more hot water, this time over whether he is qualified to hold his seat in the Senate.” –WWLTV.com

“On Nov. 3, LSU was 7-0 and ranked No. 2 in the first edition of the College Football Playoff rankings. Then the bottom fell out.” – SECCountry.com

“Governor-elect John Bel Edwards sought to reassure business and political leaders that he was sincere when he campaigned as a centrist, saying he would bring that approach to his administration.” – KNOE. com

“Louisiana will not let go of its bizarre, quirky way of handling politics, nor should it.” – LSU Reveille

“The Louisiana Board of Ethics filed conflict of interest charges Wednesday against Walter Monsour, the former head of the East Baton Rouge Redevelopment Authority, over deals between the agency and clients represented by his son Jordan Monsour.” – WBRZ.com

“Albert Woodfox, the high-profile accused murderer from New Orleans who’s fueled a national debate over solitary confinement, is taking his case to the U.S. Supreme Court.” – The Baton Rouge Advocate

“Sixty-three law enforcement members were on patrol up and down the roughly mile-long stretch of New Orleans’ Bourbon Street early Saturday morning (Nov. 28), yet a single gunman managed to kill 26-year-old Brandon Robinson amid the crowd of revelers.” – NOLA.com