GOP Rep. rips ‘reprehensible’ video  —  At least one Republican doesn't think it's OK to compare Nancy Pelosi to Pussy Galore.  —  After viewing an RNC video that juxtaposed the speaker with the James Bond villainess, Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah) told POLITICO Saturday:

Some Obama Enemies Are Made Totally of Straw  —  WASHINGTON — Democrats often complained about President George W. Bush's frequent use of a rhetorical device as old as rhetoric itself: creating the illusion of refuting an opponent's argument by mischaracterizing it and then knocking down that mischaracterization.

U.S. Presses Israel to End Expansion of Settlements; Bush Pact Complicates Issue  —  Settlement Issue Is Complicated by Bush Agreement  —  The Obama administration is pressing the Israeli government to halt the expansion of Jewish settlements in Palestinian areas, U.S. and Israeli officials said …

'WE'RE OUT OF MONEY'  —  In a sobering holiday interview with C-SPAN, President Obama boldly told Americans: “We are out of money.”  —  C-SPAN host Steve Scully broke from a meek Washington press corps with probing questions for the new president.  —  SCULLY: You know the numbers …

China bridge jumper ‘gets a push’  —  A man threatening to commit suicide by jumping from a Chinese bridge was approached by a passer-by who shoved him over the edge, local media say.  —  Lai Jiansheng, 66, said he was fed up with the desperate man's “selfish activity” which caused huge traffic jams in Guangzhou, southern China.

Let Them Go Bankrupt, Soon  —  Solving Social Security and Medicare.  —  From the magazine issue dated Jun 1, 2009  —  When the trustees of Social Security and Medicare recently reported on the economic outlook for these programs, the news coverage was universally glum.  The recession had made everything worse.

U.S. Relies More on Allies in Questioning Terror Suspects  —  WASHINGTON — The United States is now relying heavily on foreign intelligence services to capture, interrogate and detain all but the highest-level terrorist suspects seized outside the battlefields of Iraq and Afghanistan …

Amid Housing Bust, Phoenix Begins a New Frenzy  —  PHOENIX — Every weekday morning, Lou Jarvis drives the sun-baked suburban streets looking for investment gold: a family that will lose its house in a foreclosure auction within a few hours.  —  If the property looks promising …

Pakistan army ‘enters Taliban city’  —  Fierce fighting is taking place between Pakistani troops and Taliban militants in Mingora, the main city in the militant-controlled Swat valley.  —  At least 17 militants have been killed in the clashes, the army says.  The Taliban deny the deaths.

Al Qaeda recruits back in Europe, but why?  —  Four men say their training experience in Pakistan wasn't what they hoped for.  Anti-terrorism officials wonder if they're just biding their time, ready to strike in Europe.  —  Reporting from Brussels — Determined to die as martyrs …