Detainee Acquitted on Most Counts in '98 Bombings  —  The first former Guantánamo detainee to be tried in a civilian court was acquitted on Wednesday of all but one of more than 280 charges of conspiracy and murder in the 1998 terrorist bombings of the United States Embassies in Nairobi, Kenya, and Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.

Fox News Chief Blasts NPR ‘Nazis’  —  Roger Ailes slams Jon Stewart as a conservative-basher, explains why he rode to Juan Williams' rescue—and sees NPR as taxpayer-funded propaganda.  Part II of Howard Kurtz's interview.  —  When Jon Stewart was appearing on the O'Reilly Factor a few weeks back …

Sen. Rockefeller: FCC Should Take FOX News, MSNBC Off Airwaves  —  SEN. JAY ROCKEFELLER (D-WV): “There's a little bug inside of me which wants to get the FCC to say to FOX and to MSNBC: ‘Out.  Off.  End.  Goodbye.’ It would be a big favor to political discourse; to our ability to do our work …

Controversy over pat-downs, body scans lands at DIA  —  Despite ongoing criticism from some Washington lawmakers and many travelers, Transportation Security Administration chief John Pistole refused Wednesday to back off the agency's position that tougher airport screening techniques are needed to counter evolving threats.

DADT Study Co-Chairman Doesn't Think Pentagon Will Be Able To Release Study Before Dec. 1  —  Army Gen. Carter F. Ham — the co-chairman of the Pentagon's Working Group on Don't Ask, Don't Tell — told Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Carl Levin (D-MI) during his confirmation hearings …

Incoming GOP senators demand say on New START  —  Ten of the new incoming Republican senators Thursday are planning to demand they get a say on the New START treaty, adding ten new voices to the growing cacophony pushing for a delay in consideration of the treaty until next year.

CARVILLE: OBAMA NEEDS A PAIR  —  Speaking to reporters Thursday, Democratic strategist James Carville dropped this one-liner: “If Hillary gave up one of her balls and gave it to Obama, he'd have two.”  —  The quote was first noted by Tribune reporter Mike Memoli on his Twitter account.

Ohhh, America, you're so strong  —  Oooh, you're so strong, baby, so handsome.  You're the greatest.  —  I'm talking about you, America.  You're . . . why, you're exceptional!  —  Does anyone else think there's something a little insecure about a country that requires its politicians to constantly declare how exceptional it is?

CUOMO FILES TWO LAWSUITS AGAINST STEVEN RATTNER, FORMER FOUNDING PRINCIPAL OF QUADRANGLE, SEEKING AT LEAST $26 MILLION AND IMMEDIATE LIFETIME BAN FROM NEW YORK SECURITIES INDUSTRY  —  Attorney General Andrew M. Cuomo today filed two lawsuits against Steven L. Rattner, former founding principal …

BELIEVING WHAT THEY'RE TOLD TO BELIEVE.... A new report this week from the Pew Research Center shows what we probably could have guessed: conservatives in America reject evidence of global warming.  But Pew study also raises an important related point: it didn't use to be this way.

Listen to people on banning earmarks  —  The incoming House Republican majority has pledged to cut spending and change the way Washington spends taxpayer dollars.  —  As a new freshman class descends on Washington for orientation this week, joining with current leaders, now is the time to begin this effort.

Don't Get Cocky, GOP  —  Obama is weak, but it is always difficult to defeat a sitting president.  —  It has been a brutal month for President Obama.  The historic electoral rebuke delivered to his party was followed at the G-20 meeting by a public rebuff of the Federal Reserve's QE2 program …

National Book Award for Patti Smith  —  The rock musician Patti Smith won the National Book Award for nonfiction on Wednesday night for “Just Kids,” a sweetly evocative memoir of her relationship with the artist Robert Mapplethorpe and the romantic days of bohemian New York.