Senate takes up tax cut extension  —  The Senate opened a rare weekend session Saturday to cast test votes on two Democratic tax-cut measures that were widely expected to fail.  —  But Senate Democrats, who are eager to create a contrast with Republicans over the Bush-era tax cuts …

SENATOR COLLINS' STATEMENT ON 'DON'T ASK, DON'T TELL'  —  Following the conclusion of today's Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on the military's “Don't Ask, Don't Tell” policy, Senator Susan Collins released this statement:  —  “Like our closest allies, the United States' Armed Forces …

4 Million Americans Set To Lose Unemployment Benefits Even If Congress Passes Extension (CHART)  —  WHAT'S YOUR REACTION? … Even as Congress debates whether to extend emergency unemployment checks for more than 6 million Americans who are approaching the 99-week limit …

She Who Must Not Be Named  —  This is it.  This is the last time I'm going to write the name Sarah Palin until she does something truly newsworthy, like declare herself a candidate for the presidency.  Until then, I will no longer take part in the left's obsessive-compulsive fascination with her …

New Jersey Closer to Sales of Medical Marijuana  —  A standoff between Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey and advocates for medical marijuana has ended in a compromise that could put marijuana on the market for seriously ill patients by next summer.  —  The new regulations, announced on Friday …

Viacom Says YouTube Ruling Will ‘Completely Destroy’ Copyright  —  Viacom appealed Friday its unsuccessful $1 billion copyright lawsuit against Google's YouTube in a case testing the depths of copyright-infringement protection under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act of 1998.

TRENDING: Palin book signing a tightly controlled operation  —  Columbia, South Carolina (CNN) - Members of the media and book-toting Sarah Palin supporters were asked to follow a surprisingly strict set of guidelines Friday as the former Alaska governor appeared in South Carolina on the final stop …

Obama Offers Hope for Debt Panel's Plan  —  WASHINGTON — President Obama said he would consider adopting some of the recommendations in the provocative debt-reduction plan from his fiscal commission, which wrapped up work on Friday with more of a bipartisan accord than even its members had expected.

Hold the brownies!  Bill could limit bake sales … WASHINGTON (AP) — Don't touch my brownies!  —  A child nutrition bill on its way to President Barack Obama — and championed by the first lady — gives the government power to limit school bake sales and other fundraisers that health advocates …

Was President Obama endangered by premature news reports of his arrival in Afghan warzone?  —  A growing flap — and concerns — over President Obama's personal safety and security in the Afghan war zone tonight, given that some American news outlets reported he was there nearly a half-hour before Air Force One actually landed.

Hardball  —  From First Read: … Maybe a reluctance to play hardball is the issue here.  But there are at least two other things involved.  The first is simply that Republicans believe their own PR more than Democrats do.  When Republicans get hysterical about something, it's genuine.

The sight of women's breasts won't deter Islamists - they're obsessed with sex  —  Denmark's government is being called upon to employ a lethal new weapon in the fight against Islamist extremism: bare breasts.  —  No, I'm not making this up - and also deny outrageous suggestions that I'm looking …

Durbin: DREAM Act will come to the Senate floor next week  —  Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) on Friday predicted a Senate vote on the DREAM Act will be held next week.  —  “Sen. Reid is going to call it,” Durbin told The Hill shortly after the chamber adjourned at 3:30 p.m. Friday.

The November Employment Report: A Wake-up Call  —  Awful.  That's the best one can say about the November employment report.  The headline — that unemployment jumped to 9.8 percent — is not really the bad news.  If and when the economy does catch fire, droves of discouraged workers …

The new humane: killing terrorists instead of capturing them  —  Over the years, I have warned that the attempts to shoehorn wartime operations against terrorists through criminal courts would produce distorted decisions on fighting, especially on the desirability of capturing terrorists.

Karl Rove to Palin and Huckabee: Stop with the ‘Blue Bloods’ talk  —  Laura Ingraham asked Karl Rove for his opinion about Mike Huckabee and Sarah Palin's accusation that the establishment republicans are circling the wagons and taking shots at outsiders, trying to take them down.