‘Crisis Status’ in South Korea After North Shells Island  —  SEOUL, South Korea — The South Korean military went to “crisis status” on Tuesday and threatened military strikes against the North after the North fired dozens of shells at a South Korean island, killing two South Korean soldiers …

N.Y. Dem might vote Boehner for Speaker  —  A Democratic congressman who backed Speaker Nancy Pelosi for minority leader said Monday it is “quite possible” he might vote for Republican John Boehner for Speaker in the next Congress.  —  Rep. Bill Owens (N.Y.) said he voted for Pelosi …

Taliban Leader in Secret Talks Was an Impostor  —  KABUL, Afghanistan — For months, the secret talks unfolding between Taliban and Afghan leaders to end the war appeared to be showing promise, if only because of the appearance of a certain insurgent leader at one end of the table …

New poll undercuts GOP claims of a midterm mandate  —  WASHINGTON — A majority of Americans want the Congress to keep the new health care law or actually expand it, despite Republican claims that they have a mandate from the people to kill it, according to a new McClatchy-Marist poll.

My TSA Anti-Rant  —  I am so going to regret writing this post.  For those of you who used to respect me, please just chalk it up to food poisoning or early onset Alzheimer's or whatever.  But here goes.  —  I hate the TSA screening process.  Everyone hates the TSA screening process.

BARBARA BUSH EXPLAINS MISCARRIAGE ANECDOTE  —  George H.W. Bush and Barbara Bush appeared on CNN's “Larry King Live” Monday night, and George said that the two were “living a quiet life” (even though George said he still planned on sky-diving in 2014 to mark his 90th birthday, an endeavor he undertakes every year).

The unholy (s)election of Bristol Palin  —  I feel for Bristol Palin.  Here's a plucky young woman who signed up for “Dancing With the Stars” knowing she had no chance to win but thinking it might be an adventure.  Bristol had never danced and was up against some world-class dancers.  That takes guts.

Corporate Profits Were the Highest on Record Last Quarter  —  The nation's workers may be struggling, but American companies just had their best quarter ever.  —  American businesses brought in $1.66 trillion at an annual rate in the third quarter, according to a Commerce Department report released Tuesday.

Sarah Palin's Mike Huckabee problem  —  1. Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee said Monday that Sarah Palin might well “run away” with the Republican nomination for president.  —  It's funny Huckabee should say such a thing, because he's got a lot of say over whether she does just that.

Effort for Liberal Balance to G.O.P. Groups Begins  —  In what may prove a significant development for the 2012 elections, David Brock, a prominent Democratic political operative, says he has amassed $4 million in pledges over the last few weeks and is moving quickly to hire a staff to set …

Lowest ever: Obama job approval sinks to 39%, as even Democrats' support melts away  —  President Obama has passed the Big 4-0 — going the wrong way.  —  Turns out voters were not simply satisfied to spank the Democrat and his party in the Nov. 2 midterm elections with historic losses in the House of Representatives.

Woman who told Obama her financial fears has lost her job  —  Nobody is safe.  —  Velma Hart, who burst onto the media scene after telling President Obama she was scared about her financial future, has been laid off.  Hart was let go as the chief financial officer for Am Vets, a nonprofit Maryland-based veteran services organization.

Pentagon: No gays were discharged in past month  —  SAN FRANCISCO — No U.S. service members have been discharged for being openly gay in the month since the Defense Department adopted new rules surrounding the “don't ask, don't tell” policy, a Pentagon spokeswoman said Monday.

House Republican gains rise to 62 seats  —  Rep. Solomon Ortiz (D-Texas) conceded defeat to Republican challenger Blake Farenthold late Monday after the recount he requested barely made a dent in the Republican's election night lead.  Farenthold's final margin of victory stood at 648 votes.

The future of Social Security in one graph  —  This comes from the Strengthen Social Security Campaign, and it lists the impact of all of the various deficit-reduction plans on a medium-income Social Security beneficiary (click for a larger version):  —  It's worth noting that the “current law” …

HAMPing Europe's Periphery  —  Irish 10-years: feel the relief!  —  The markets don't seem impressed by the Irish bailout — nor should they be.  As I read it, European policy makers are still — still! — viewing the crisis as a confidence problem, not a fundamental problem.

Educating Children: It's a Good Thing!  —  The basic idea of the DREAM Act, as I understand it, is this.  A certain number of people are in this country illegally.  A certain number of those people came to be in that situation because of actions their parents took while they were children.