Girl Power was a first-time topic for our Sunday trip around the `` Inside Politics '' table , along with some key things -- and people -- to watch for as we leave 2014 behind and brace for 2015 and 2016 . CNN 's John King and other top political reporters empty out their notebooks each Sunday on `` Inside Politics '' to reveal five things that will be in the headlines in the days , weeks and months ahead . 1 . An Obama briefing room strategy that may be popular at home -- and with Hillary Clinton . President Obama had a busy Friday -- delaying his Hawaii vacation so he could hold his year-end news conference and sit down for a farewell interview with CNN 's Candy Crowley . So might the wife and kids be a little peeved that their Christmas break got off to a later start ? Not so fast , says Bloomberg 's Margaret Talev . At that press conference , the president called only on women reporters , and Talev suggests there might be a benefit -- or benefits -- for the commander in chief . `` Some may have just been goodwill to appease Michelle and the girls before he embarks on several rounds of golf in Hawaii , but there are a couple other things at play , '' said Talev . `` Some of this is about his own legacy , but a lot is about gearing up for 2016 . The women 's vote is going to be essential for Hillary Clinton ( Republicans are trying to work on that as well ) . And you 're seeing him set up that fight going into the new year . '' 2 . Clintons are `` going crazy '' because they think Warren 's gearing up for a run . Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren insists she is not not not not not going to run for president in 2016 . But that wo n't stop liberal groups from pleading . And Jonathan Martin of The New York Times shared with us reporting on how Warren plans to be a constant source of pressure on front-runner Clinton even if she never comes close to being a candidate . `` I talked to a longtime friend of hers who said the Clintons do n't understand this -- they think this is all some kind of a setup for her to run for president , '' said Martin . `` This friend of Warren said this is who she is . She really believes in this stuff . And she gets the fact that she has this moment , and she 's taking advantage of that . '' 3 . Jindal a 2016 GOP sleeper to watch in Iowa . Louisiana Gov . Bobby Jindal fires out frequent press releases to national political reporters and aggressively makes the rounds to the states and events that raise a presidential profile . Yet he has been largely ignored in 2016 speculation and barely registers in polls . But Robert Costa of The Washington Post says his recent visit to Iowa convinced him to keep an eye on Jindal and his early efforts . `` He may be a Catholic convert , he may be from a Southern state , but he spent a lot of time this week making connections with Iowa evangelicals , '' said Costa . `` I was with him in West Des Moines and he spent over three hours shaking hands , making a speech about his conversion and his roots and his family 's immigrant story . '' 4 . Should all eyes be on the House ? The spotlight will be on the new Republican Senate majority and Majority Leader Mitch McConnell when the 114th Congress gavels in . But maybe the other chamber is really the one to watch . A lot of the new senators are expected to vote with the GOP leadership , but insiders on the Hill have been telling The Atlantic 's Molly Ball that there 's a lot more uncertainty about what 's going to happen in the House . `` It 's a real wild card in the House whether ( Speaker John ) Boehner is going to be empowered by this larger majority or whether they 're going to be a bigger thorn in his side in the way we 've seen in the past , '' said Ball . `` So as we look to whether the relative harmony and lack of drama of this lame-duck period can continue in the new Congress , I think that 's going to be a major factor . '' 5 . February flashpoints will test McConnell 's new role and the tea party 's power . January will likely be a relatively peaceful month here in Washington . The new Congress will be organizing and the President will deliver his State of the Union address . But February will hit some major Republican flashpoints . Congress first and foremost needs to revisit the immigration debate , because it has to fund the Department of Homeland Security . And it is in February when McConnell plans to have his promised vote to repeal Obamacare . McConnell knows he does n't have the votes for an Obamacare repeal or to force any sweeping reversals of the new White House immigration policy . So what he 's hoping for is to put some votes on the record and then look for incremental steps on things that can inspire at least modest Democratic support . He believes the vast majority of his Republican members are ready now to ignore the tea party complaints of surrender . McConnell 's take is that 2014 proved the tea party is loud , but not able to deliver on threats to Republican incumbents . February will test whether other Republicans buy that .
The calculations behind Obama 's `` girl power '' moment at the press briefing . Clintons `` going crazy '' because they think Warren 's going to run . Does the House hold the key to whether Congress is naughty or nice in 2015 ?