In the first Republican presidential debate of 2016, frontrunners Donald Trump and Ted Cruz traded jabs over Cruz's eligibility for the nation's top job because of his Canadian birth and what Cruz means by "New York values." On the Democratic side, with two weeks until the Iowa caucuses, the race between Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders has tightened in critical first states.

On the Webcast Extra, the release of American spy Jonathan Pollard, dispute between Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio, and Paul Ryan’s tenure so far.

Terrorists struck multiple locations across Paris leaving over 100 people dead in attacks including multiple shootings and a bombing at a soccer stadium. The New York Times' David Sanger reports on the reverberations beyond the French capital. On the 2016 campaign trail, Donald Trump took aim at his Republican rivals this week, comparing his co-frontrunner Ben Carson to a child molester.

After seven years of debate, the Obama administration rejected the proposed Keystone XL pipeline. Obama said the project, which would extend from Canada to Texas, served "no national interest." The New York Times' Coral Davenport explains what's behind the decision. Also on Friday, the October jobs report was released showing over 270,000 jobs added and an unemployment rate down to 5%.

After being under strong pressure from conservatives in Congress to push for tighter government spending, House Speaker John Boehner announced his resignation this week. As he continued his tour around the U.S., Pope Francis came to Washington to address Congress on controversial issues including immigration and climate change.

The top 11 Republican presidential contenders assembled at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library for the second debate on Wednesday night. Karen Tumulty of The Washington Post explains how a combination of attacks from challengers and specific policy discussion left frontrunner Donald Trump silent for part of the debate. Plus, Carly Fiorina's strong debate performance and Democratic concerns.