Middle East: Syrian representatives are threatening to pull out of peace talks with the rebel opposition as both sides refuse to meet face to face.

>A car bomb outside the police headquarters in central Cairo this morning killed four people and wounded at least 100. The building was severely damaged. Three other bombs in the city killed two more.

Take a Chillaxitive: Chicago 5, snow coming, Washington, DC, 15 snow tomorrow, NYC, 10, yes, snow, Boston 10, snow again.

Political Beat: Federal prosecutors issued subpoenas to NJ Gov. Chris Christie’s re-election campaign, digging for evidence on the shutdown of lanes entering the George Washington Bridge last September. The irony here is that Christie used to be the US Attorney in New Jersey who chased political corruption.

Police Beat: The FBI arrested five reputed mobsters for the infamous and long-unsolved 1978 Lufthansa heist at JFK. The five are also accused of racketeering and murder. The theft of $5 million cash and $1 million in jewelry was at the time the biggest cash ripoff in US History. The plot was featured in the 1990 movie, “Goodfellas”. The case was cold until last summer when human remains were found buried at the home of a relative of the late “Jimmy the Gent” Burke, played by Robert DeNiro in the movie.

>Serial fraudster Barry Minkow, famous for turning his ZZZZ Best carpet cleaning company into a giant Ponzi scheme in the 1980s, pleaded guilty to bilking his own church of $3 million. Minkow became born-again in prison and later helped law enforcement flush out white-collar crime. He was featured on “60 Minutes” as a reformed man, but never really went straight. In 1997 he became pastor of the San Diego Community Bible Church and promptly put his hands in the till. He was already in jail for securities fraud when he admitted stealing from his church.

Nation: Two people died and 22 were injured yesterday when a dozen tractor-trailers were involved in a snowy crash that crushed and sandwiched multiple passenger vehicles on I-94 near Michigan City, Ind.

>Surfers from around the world convene in Half Moon Bay, Ca. today to compete in the Mavericks Invitational. Waves could reach 45 feet.

Econ 101: Existing home sales were up again in December making 2013  the best year for existing home sales since 2006, a sign of an improving economy. First-time unemployment claims have been stable the past two months.

> The Board of JP Morgan Chase voted to give a raise to CEO Jamie Dimon even though the bank has been fined billions of dollars for slimy practices under his watch. Dimon once made $23 million, but was slapped on the hand with an $11.5 million cut last year.

World: Five people are dead and 30 missing in a fire that destroyed a home for the elderly in Quebec. Firefighters said they were unable to save people they saw and heard in the flames.

The Beebs: The LA Times raises the question of what it would take for pop star Justin Bieber to get kicked out of the country. He’s a Canadian living in the US under a performer’s visa. Beebs recently egged his neighbor’s house and was arrested Wednesday for DUI and drag racing in Miami … with a suspended license. The underage Bieber could get the boot as an undesirable if he’s ever arrested with drugs. His music alone is not enough to get him deported.

-30-