President Obama stepped away from his Christmas vacation in Hawaii to hold a short press conference in order to address Friday’s averted terrorist attack aboard Northwest Flight 253 as well as the escalating conflict in Iran. The President appeared without tie, or teleprompter, to reassure the nation that “we will not rest until we find all who were involved and hold them accountable” and that “the American people should be assured that we are doing everything in our power to you keep you and your family safe and secure during this busy holiday season.”

This holiday weekend featured news of not just one, but two potential terror attacks. Had this happened during the Bush Administration, we would have had a steady diet of Tom Ridge and color-coded terror alert system bars. Under President Obama — we finally see him speak three days after news broke. Were we better off with or without the color bars (and all that came with it?) Or put another way, should we be freaking out right now or not?

It’s a good week to hate on the TSA. After thanking God that would-be terrorist Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab failed in his attempt to blow up Northwest Fligth 253 on Christmas Day, the focus has shifted to the colossal, multiple failures of the system on that day (Flying even though he was on a watch list? [...]

NBC’s New York local affiliate WNBC aired exclusive home video of the tragic collision between a small airplane and a tourist helicopter during their newscast tonight. The video, shot by a tourist aboard a boat on the Hudson captures the moments before and the stunning impact when the small plane collided with a sightseeing helicopter shortly after noon this past Saturday. Video after the jump…

A tourist helicopter and small plane collided in mid-air over the Hudson River on Saturday — showering debris over the area and sending horrified onlookers to their Twitter accounts. The mainstream media joined in with live breaking news coverage shortly thereafter. But when a story like this breaks there is just no beating Twitter.