Feds: Somali-born teen plotted car-bombing in Ore.  —  PORTLAND, Ore. - Federal agents in a sting operation arrested a Somali-born teenager just as he tried blowing up a van he believed was loaded with explosives at a crowded Christmas tree lighting ceremony in Portland, authorities said.

Charles Krauthammer Rips Liberal Media for Being Obsessed with Sarah Palin  —  Charles Krauthammer on Friday tore into the liberal media for being obsessed with former Alaska governor Sarah Palin.  —  After Krauthammer scolded the “editorial judgment” of the producers of PBS's “Inside Washington” …

Former Republican Sen. Warns GOP May ‘Have Gone So Far Overboard That We Are Beyond Redemption’  —  In an age when far-right tea party activists have taken over the Republican Party and demanded lockstep allegiance, Sen. Richard Lugar (R-IN) has been one of the few GOP lawmakers to step out of line.

NPR: Obama's Fat Lip Gives Him “Street Cred,” Scar Will Help Him Stare Down Ahmadinejad and Kim Jong Il...  Oh yeah, instead of staring down a sissy, now they'll be staring down a sissy with a scar...  That Fat Lip Might Give Obama Some Street Cred- NPR

The Taliban Call a Time-Out  —  For months, NEWSWEEK has reported emphatic denials by senior Afghan Taliban officials that they were engaged in secret peace talks with the government in Kabul.  Those denials received further weight last week when The New York Times exposed …

Mystery Surrounds Cyber Missile That Crippled Iran's Nuclear Weapons Ambitions  —  An aerial view of Iran's nuclear facility in Natanz.  —  In the 20th century, this would have been a job for James Bond.  —  The mission: Infiltrate the highly advanced, securely guarded enemy headquarters …

Number of the Week: 492 Days From Default to Foreclosure  —  492: The number of days since the average borrower in foreclosure last made a mortgage payment.  —  Banks can't foreclose fast enough to keep up with all the people defaulting on their mortgage loans.

Demonstrators in Ireland Protest Austerity Plan  —  DUBLIN — After a week that brought Ireland a pledge of an $114 billion international rescue package and the toughest austerity program of any country in Europe, thousands of demonstrators took to Dublin's streets on Saturday to protest wide cuts …

Obama: I pray every night, read the Bible  —  Praying and reading the Bible are part of his everyday life, President Obama said in a wide-ranging interview broadcast Friday.  —  Speaking with Barbara Walters, Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama also described how they involve their daughters in daily prayer.

Africa Needs Aid, Not Flawed Theories  —  The science writer Matt Ridley made his reputation with books like “The Red Queen: Sex and the Evolution of Human Nature” and “Genome: The Autobiography of a Species in 23 Chapters.”  His latest book, “The Rational Optimist: How Prosperity Evolves” is much broader, as its title suggests.

Man arrested for packing gun at Boynton Beach Walmart  —  A customer expecting to see great deals waved down authorities after she saw something else: a man packing a gun while waiting in line at a Black Friday sale.  —  Police arrested Christopher D. Scott, 49, just after midnight Friday …