An imperfect, but not-that-bad, deal on the tax cuts  —  The White House and the Republicans are pretty close to a final deal on the Bush tax cuts.  Here are the specifics, though it's worth saying that as near as this is to completion, it's still not done, and so it could change:

Wikileaks founder Julian Assange arrested in London  —  Julian Assange denies sexually assaulting the two women  —  The founder of the whistle-blowing website Wikileaks, Julian Assange, has been arrested by police in London.  —  The 39-year-old Australian, who was the subject of a European arrest warrant …

Elizabeth Edwards gravely ill with cancer  —  WASHINGTON (AP) — Elizabeth Edwards over the past six years has seen her husband's presidential ambitions thwarted, retreated from public life as their marriage disintegrated over his affair, then emerged to advocate for changes …

U.S. Unloads Citi Stake for a $12 Billion Profit  —  The U.S. Treasury sold the last of its Citigroup Inc. common shares in a $10.5 billion offering that capped the government's biggest bank bailout of the financial-market meltdown.  —  The stock sale, which was finalized Monday evening …

New Start: Ratify, With Caveats  —  The treaty helpfully reinstates on-site verification of Russian nuclear forces, but senators should make it clear to Moscow that they don't see it as limiting U.S. missile defenses.  —  When U.S. President Bush and Russian President Putin signed the Moscow Treaty in 2002 …

BIG SIS INVADES WAL-MART: ‘IF YOU SEE SOMETHING, SAY SOMETHING’  —  WASHINGTON — Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Janet Napolitano today announced the expansion of the Department's national “If You See Something, Say Something” campaign to hundreds of Walmart stores across the country …

Jimmy Carter: Those Congressional Republicans are ‘completely irresponsible’  —  One of the worst presidents ever in the United States proclaims congressional republicans to be irresponsible and hyperpartisan.  —  Uh huh.  —  Carter proclaims that during his presidency, republicans worked across the aisle with him on issues.

TX GOP Official Opposes Jewish House Speaker: Christians ‘Are The People That Do The Best Jobs’  —  Last month, several Tea Party activists formed a right-wing coalition to oust Rep. Joe Straus (R) as Texas House Speaker.  They began circulating emails with anti-Semitic messages against Straus, who is Jewish.

Christie's bully act getting old  —  Two years ago, when Chris Christie announced he was running for governor, he dismissed questions about his days as the Godzilla freeholder — when he breathed fire on almost every issue, insulted Morris County colleagues and needlessly stomped on countless toes.

Bailouts Reward Bad Behavior  —  Do insolvent states actually believe other states should bail them out?  In June 2009, I was invited to introduce Michael Reagan at an event in Anchorage.  In my remarks as Governor of Alaska, I warned against President Obama's debt-ridden stimulus bill and its effect on all our state budgets.