House Democrats defy Obama on tax cut bill  —  (CNN) - Defying President Obama, House Democrats voted Thursday not to bring up the tax package that he negotiated with Republicans in its current form.  —  “This message today is very simple: That in the form that it was negotiated, it is not acceptable to the House Democratic caucus.

Why Harry Reid decided to move foward with DADT vote  —  Earlier this afternoon, just before Harry Reid went onto the Senate floor and gave a speech calling for a vote on repeal of don't ask don't tell — which has now failed — he turned to a Senate aide and shrugged his shoulders.

LEAKED EMAIL: Fox boss caught slanting news reporting  —  At the height of the health care reform debate last fall, Bill Sammon, Fox News' controversial Washington managing editor, sent a memo directing his network's journalists not to use the phrase “public option.”

Why liberals don't like the tax cut deal — in graphs  —  CAP's Michael Linden produced a nice chart showing why the tax deal is tough for liberals to swallow:  —  The red and blue on the chart are a bit confusing, so read it closely: On the left, you're seeing the amount of money Obama …

‘Anything and Everything’: Palin's Reading List  —  Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin is the only person to make the Most Fascinating list three consecutive years in a row.  Palin tells Walters that she is seriously considering a run for the White House and believes she can beat President Obama in 2012.

Terrifying moment Charles and Camilla were surrounded by a baying mob and their car attacked in tuition fees riot  —  Anarchists protesting against the rise in student tuition fees attacked Prince Charles and Camilla's car outside the London Palladium tonight.

BACHUS ANNOUNCES FINANCIAL SERVICES LEADERSHIP TEAM  —  Congressman Spencer Bachus (AL-6), Chairman-elect of the House Financial Services Committee, today announced his appointments for committee leadership positions in the 112th Congress.  In addition to naming the vice chairman and subcommittee leaders …

Westboro Baptist Church says it will picket Elizabeth Edwards' funeral  —  (CNN) - Members of the Westboro Baptist Church announced Thursday plans to picket Saturday's funeral for Elizabeth Edwards in Raleigh, North Carolina.  —  The Kansas-based Church - monitored by anti-hate groups …

The Obama Stimulus Impact?  Zero  —  Liberals are still arguing that the federal spending stimulus wasn't large enough.  How many multiples of nothing—its result according to new evidence—would they like?  —  For the past two years, economists writing on these pages and elsewhere …

Alabama Store Owner's Sign Reminds That BBQ Restaurants Are “Safest” Because Of Lack Of Muslims  —  And here's our offensive sign of the day.  An Alabama store owner known for putting jokes up on the billboard outside of his electronics store has found that the response gets chillier when you decide to use racist jokes.

The tax deal in one graph  —  From the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities:  —  Or maybe you prefer bar graphs?

Estate tax proposal draws fire from conservatives who want full repeal  —  A provision in President Obama's tax proposal to reinstate the estate tax next year is dividing some conservative groups, throwing another wrinkle into the contentious debate.  —  The proposal has enraged Democrats …

Pro-WikiLeaks cyber army gains strength; thousands join DDoS attacks  —  Volunteers download attack tool, organizers recruit hacker botnets, say researchers  —  Computerworld - The retaliatory attacks by pro-WikiLeaks activists are growing in strength as hackers add botnets and thousands …

Sarah Palin Goes Abroad  —  The Daily Beast has learned exclusively that Sarah Palin is planning her first real foreign trip—a move that could burnish her foreign policy credentials in advance of a 2012 presidential run.  —  The Daily Beast has learned that Sarah Palin will be traveling overseas in the new year.

DREAM Act in danger after Senate Dems pull it from consideration  —  Washington (CNN) — Senate Democrats conceded Thursday they don't have the votes to pass the DREAM Act, a bill that would have offered a path to citizenship for some illegal immigrants who entered the United States as children.

Mixing Drinks, Adding Class  —  HER studio apartment in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, is just shy of 400 square feet, barely enough room for an Ikea open-shelf bookcase, a chocolate-brown tufted couch, a full-size bed and her brindle-coated Shih Tzu, Charlie.  —  So when Claudia Argiro, 33 …