New W.H. pool rotation sparks debate  —  The media industry, as we all know, is changing.  —  And in this transition, there will inevitably be some friction as online news organizations, which may or may not be bound by the same professed standards of objectivity, begin taking on the responsibilities …

Bernanke Channels Willie Sutton In Assault On Social Security: 'That's Where The Money Is'  —  WHAT'S YOUR REACTION?  —  Ben Bernanke has overseen the greatest expansion of the Federal Reserve's balance sheet in its history, pouring trillions of dollars into Wall Street firms at roughly zero interest rates.

U.S. Seen as Less Important, China as More Powerful  —  Isolationist Sentiment Surges to Four-Decade High  —  The general public and members of the Council on Foreign Relations are apprehensive and uncertain about America's place in the world.  Growing numbers in both groups …

Election 2010: Arkansas Senate Race  —  Senator Blanche Lambert Lincoln has found herself right in the middle of the national debate over health care, and that's a tough spot as she prepares to face Arkansas voters in 2010.  —  As she did in September, Lincoln trails four possible Republican challengers …

House votes to make current estate tax permanent  —  The House approved Thursday a measure making the current estate tax rate permanent, overcoming the objections of an unusual coalition of liberal and conservative critics.  —  The bill passed, 225 to 200, with 26 Democrats joining …

Researcher: NASA hiding climate data  —  The fight over global warming science is about to cross the Atlantic with a U.S. researcher poised to sue NASA, demanding release of the same kind of climate data that has landed a leading British center in hot water over charges it skewed its data.

Gore cancels personal appearance in Copenhagen  —  Former Vice President Al Gore on Thursday abruptly canceled a Dec. 16 personal appearance that was to be staged during the United Nation's Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen, which begins next week.  —  As described in The Washington Times' Inside …

Climategate: Phil Jones accused of making error of judgment by colleague  —  Phil Jones, the professor at the centre of a row over climate change data has been accused of making an error of judgment by his US colleague.  —  Prof Jones, director of the University of East Anglia's Climatic Research Unit …

A look at the more than 60 amendments filed so far  —  After the jump are more than 60 amendments that were filed Wednesday and printed in the Congressional Record.  The list, prepared by a lobbyist and circulating downtown, also includes a brief summary of each proposal.  —  The list includes political amendments.

ABC offers morning show to Stephanopoulos, sources say  —  ABC has offered George Stephanopoulos the coveted job of co-hosting “Good Morning America,” and intensive negotiations are under way, sources familiar with the situation said Thursday.  —  While the network's chief Washington correspondent …

Senate Passes Women's Health Amendment  —  WASHINGTON - Breaking a three-day stalemate, the Senate approved an amendment to its health care legislation that would require insurance companies to provide free mammograms and other preventive services for women.

Nelson will filibuster a bill without stronger anti-abortion language  —  Sen. Ben Nelson (D-Neb.) said Thursday that the need for stronger anti-abortion language in the Senate health care bill is “non-negotiable,” and he would filibuster the legislation without it.

Bill Ayers dumps Obama  —  To hear the right-wing crowd, you would think Bill Ayers and President Barack Obama were joined at the hip.  —  Who could forget Sarah Palin's charge that Obama was “palin' around with terrorists”?  —  Well, goodbye to all that.

Comcast Gets NBC From G.E. in Deal That Reshapes TV  —  After nearly nine months of negotiations, Comcast, the nation's largest cable operator, finally reached an agreement on Thursday to acquire NBC Universal from the General Electric Company.  —  The deal valued NBC Universal at about $30 billion.

Why the plutocrats will return  —  Is the US government powerless to prevent the return of the plutocrats?  Or does it actually, secretly, need the plutocrats to return?  Here's Tim Geithner, today: … Translation: we need to return to our bubble-era levels of income.

Justice Dept.'s second in command is stepping aside  —  Deputy Attorney General David W. Ogden, the Justice Department's second in command, is stepping aside to return to private law practice in Washington after less than a year of service, according to two sources familiar with the move.

So Much Gasbaggery, So Little Time  —  Why Obama is obsessed with summits.  —  Barack Obama convened his first official summit before he was even elected president.  In October 2008, then-candidate Obama gathered a gaggle of business and political heavyweights—Paul Volcker, Eric Schmidt …

Thomson Reuters poll: Most in US want public health option  —  Most Americans would like to see a “public option” in health insurance reform but doubt anything Congress does will lower costs or improve care in the short term, according to a poll released on Thursday.

N.J. gay marriage proposal will be considered by Senate next week  —  TRENTON — The New Jersey gay marriage proposal will be considered Monday by a Senate committee and could be posted for a full senate vote later in the week, state Sen. Ray Lesniak said today.

At The Dallas News, a New “Bold Strategy”: Section Editors Reporting to Sales Managers  —  After the jump, you will find a memo Dallas Morning News editor Bob Mong and senior vice president of sales Cyndy Carr sent to everyone at A.H. Belo Corp. Wednesday afternoon outlining what they call a “business/news integration.”

On Being a Bad Mother  —  Unlike Sanford, though, I wasn't clinging to my governor's mansion.  Unlike some Republican heads of the Christian right, I wasn't aiming to both confess my affair and appeal to Jesus' mercy in order to somehow remain, weirdly, a head of the Christian right.

Iranian Crackdown Goes Global  —  NEW YORK — His first impulse was to dismiss the ominous email as a prank, says a young Iranian-American named Koosha.  It warned the 29-year-old engineering student that his relatives in Tehran would be harmed if he didn't stop criticizing Iran on Facebook.