"Over the Christmas break the New York Times ran an investigative report about how Ambassador Christopher Stevens and three other Americans were murdered in Libya on September 11, 2012. The Times concluded that there is no evidence Al Qaeda was involved and that an anti-Muslim video ignited the fuse of violence, as the Obama administration initially stated. But a Factor analysis casts grave doubts on both those conclusions. An anti-American group called Ansar Al-Sharia was behind the attacks, and before the attack the Pentagon issued a report that said Ansar Al-Sharia 'has increasingly embodied Al Qaeda's presence in Libya.' The Times does not mention the Pentagon's assessment in its article, an amazing lapse of reportage. The Times also said the attack 'does not appear to have been meticulously planned' Nonsense! For more than two hours, dozens of Islamic thugs used rocket-propelled grenades and automatic weapons to assault the U.S. compound and militants were seen casing the mission before the attack. But the New York Times says the attack was not planned. Are you kidding me? Talking Points believes the Times story is deeply flawed and the editors should have known it. A primary goal of the Times is to help progressive groups and politicians, and the lingering Benghazi situation may hurt Hillary Clinton in her presidential run. Talking Points believes that was the motivation for the way this investigation was framed by the New York Times."

The Factor invited reaction from FNC media analysts Bernie Goldberg and Howard Kurtz. "Did the New York Times consciously have a pro-Hillary agenda?" Goldberg pondered. "It could be, but there is never a 'smoking gun' memo that says let's help the liberals and hurt the conservatives. The Times has a credibility problem - it went easy on Barack Obama when he ran for president and there's a strong suspicion that they'll go easy on Hillary Clinton when she runs." Kurtz, however, dismissed the notion that the Times is carrying water for Hillary Clinton. "Some of the reporting may be flawed, but this was a serious attempt at journalism done over many months with many on-the-record interviews. Even though the Times has a very liberal editorial page, you don't have your Cairo bureau chief spend months on a story to help a likely presidential candidate two years from now. That's not the way newsrooms work."

For another take on the New York Times' Benghazi story, The Factorturned to Democratic strategist James Carville. "I think we should subpoena the reporter," Carville said, "and see what he has to say. I'm sure he can defend his own story in front of a committee. Why not bring him to Washington?" The Factor extended a different invitation to Times reporter David Kilpatrick: "I don't think Congress should be snooping into journalism. Why doesn't he come here to defend the story?"

A panel on MSNBC recently mocked a Romney family photo that included Mitt Romney's adopted black grandchild. The Factor asked Laura Ingraham to opine. "Why mention the race of the child at all," she wondered aloud. "You just don't do that, but it's the kind of thing the left tends to get away with. We've become kind of numb to it, but it certainly isn't helping the cause of liberalism. MSNBC seems to be more desperate in a quest to make some dent in the ratings and it's almost as if people have to one-up each other." The Factor argued that MSNBC hosts spew vitriol with little fear of reprimand: "There is a culture that promotes or encourages these personal attacks and they've trafficked in this for years. I continue to be amazed at Comcast, the parent company of NBC, which is allowing this to happen."

Fox News anchor Heather Nauert entered the No Spin Zone to field some letters from angry viewers. One of them, Sam Deo of New Jersey, is ticked off because Al Sharpton was totally silent after four black men gunned down a white man at a shopping mall. "The four guys are in jail right now," Nauert reported. "The prosecutor in the case says this does not appear to be racially motivated, it was all about the car. But Al Sharpton should be talking about the crime rate in New Jersey and the rash of carjackings in the area." Michael Kroll of Indiana is peeved because Senator Richard Blumenthal wants to punish UPS for failing to deliver Christmas packages on time. "The Senator wants UPS and FedEx and other companies," Nauert said, "to pay back those who paid for the deliveries. But people are asking, aren't there more important things going on?" The Factor sided with Senator Blumenthal, saying, "If you pay your money for an on-time delivery and you don't get it, they should be forced to give a refund."

Megyn Kelly trained her legal eye on Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor, who temporarily blocked the Obama administration from forcing religious groups to provide birth control under Obamacare. "She said that piece of Obamacare may not be enforced against a group of nuns," Kelly said. "Obamacare says you have to provide contraception coverage, but religious groups have said they want an exemption." Kelly also scrutinized a ruling that forbids Florida from giving drug tests to welfare recipients. "The judge issued the right ruling, Florida overstepped its bounds. The Fourth Amendment protects people from unreasonable search and seizure." But The Factor took issue with Kelly and the judge who overturned the drug testing requirement: "I have been saying that the entitlement society has to regulate people who are addicted to substances, you can not keep pouring in money to drug addicts and alcoholics."

New York City's new Mayor Bill de Blasio, taking up a theme of modern progressivism, is vowing to reduce inequality. Charles Krauthammer contended that de Blasio and others of his ilk are in the minority. "Among the developed nations," Dr. K said, "we are the least interested in inequality because that implies that in addition to empowering the poor, your objective is to impoverish the rich. Americans don't envy the rich, they want to be rich. This kind of class resentment implies that there is a war of the rich against the poor, and that just isn't true." The Factor predicted that Mayor de Blasio's quixotic quest will go unfulfilled: "Nothing is going to change under his administration because he doesn't know what to do. People like de Blasio punish private industry, which is what provides the jobs and the economic ladder."

Karen Marino, Tampa, FL: "2013 was one of the worst years of my life. The awful economy is dragging me down on all fronts. I'm not even the same person anymore."

Helen Gilmartin, New Hyde Park, NY: "When I think of 2013, I see a country that has broken its arm. Not fractured but splintered."

Bucky Maxwell, Las Cruces, NM: "I'm old and scared. My wife and I don't know what's around the corner. I guess the most important thing at 70 is good health."

Two easy health-related resolutions to keep in 2014 are to walk more and to drink more water.