Cuba Libre: President Obama plans to visit Cuba within weeks as relations warm between the two countries, the NY Times reports. He would be the first president to visit Cuba since Calvin Coolidge 88 years ago — and definitely cooler. …

The Great Game: Hillary Clinton has been declared the Democratic winner of the Iowa caucuses by a margin barely visible to the human eye. Clinton, 49.9 percent, Bernie Sanders, 49.6. Some districts were decided by the toss of a coin. …

Skyfall: Washington and the mid-Atlantic are bracing for what weather forecasters are hawking as a potentially “crippling” blizzard moving in later today. The National Weather Service warns that, “Heavy snow and blowing snow will cause dangerous conditions and will be …

MoneyBeat: The Dow Jones was down more than 500 points for a while yesterday on worries about the depressed price of oil and the Chinese economy, before settling down a bit and closing off by 249. Oil dropped to $26.55 …

Econ 101: The stock market appears to be drowning in excess oil. With the price of a barrel crashing through $30, investors around the world are losing confidence in economic growth. The Dow Jones dropped nearly 400 points yesterday and …

South of the Border: The elusive Mexican drug dealer Joaquín Guzmán Loera, known as “El Chapo,” has been re-captured six months after his elaborately executed escape from Mexico’s most secure prison. Guzmán was taken after a ferocious gun battle in …

GunBeat: In a dramatic declaration, President Obama says in an opinion piece in the NY Times today that he will not support for election any politician who doesn’t advocate gun reform. He writes, “Even as I continue to take every …

Permawar: With hopes for peace after years of civil war, The United Nations Security Council agreed on a plan yesterday to end the slaughter in Syria and trade the regime of President Bashar al Assad for an elected government. Secy. …

Nation: Church and state collided yesterday in Kentucky when Rowan County Clerk Kim Davis continued to deny marriage licenses to same sex couples … or any couples … after the Supreme Court rejected her application to be allowed to do …

The Live Shot: Television news journalists across the country are reeling after a reporter and cameraman from WDBJ television were shot dead yesterday morning as they were live on the air outside Roanoke, VA. They were killed by a reporter …