Middle East Mess: Saudi Arabia abruptly severed diplomatic ties with Iran yesterday after Iranian protesters attacked the Saudi embassy over the execution of an outspoken Shiite cleric in Saudi Arabia. Iran’s diplomatic staff was given 48 hours to get out …

The Middle East Mess: Iranian protesters massed in the streets of Tehran yesterday and set fire to a portion of the Saudi Arabian embassy in protest over the execution of a Saudi Shiite cleric who had criticized government treatment of Shiites. …

By the Sword: Saudi Arabia yesterday carried out its biggest mass execution in decades, putting to death 47 al Qaeda militants and critics of the government. One of those executed was Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr, an outspoken campaigner for Shiite rights, …

New Year: Good morning. It’s 2016. Amid heightened security, celebrants rang in the New Year in major cities around the world without incident. A “concrete” terrorism threat in Munich failed to materialize. As many as a million people gathered in …

Hello Friend: Amid dozens of accusations by women who say he drugged and raped them, for the first time yesterday comedian Bill Cosby was charged with sexual assault based on a woman’s accusation that he drugged and assaulted her in his …

Weather Report: The Mississippi River is rising at an alarming rate, threatening to break the records of flooding set in 1993 when the water breached 800 levees in Missouri. Floodwaters have already cut off some highways and Missouri Gov. Jay …

Winter: Eastern states from Pennsylvania through Maine are under winter weather advisories this morning as a system of rain and messy snow moves through. Flooding is possible from Oklahoma northeast through southern Illinois. Snow fell overnight on Southern California’s notorious …

Heavy Weather: At least a third of the country is under blizzard and winter storm warnings this morning as winter makes its late arrival. A winter storm is expected all the way from Central Oklahoma through Northern Michigan, bringing ice …

Heavy Weather: At least eight people were killed in the Dallas area last night as 11 tornadoes touched down in North Texas. Cars were tossed and homes destroyed. A twister ripped through an RV park. Five of the deaths took …

Permawar: OK, sorry. It’s back to reality. While billions of people celebrated Christmas around the world, some definitely did not. The leader and several of his lieutenants commanding one of Syria’s most powerful rebel groups were killed in a rocket …