Bill Clinton Holds Forth on Tax Plan, for Starters  —  WASHINGTON — They have been foes and they have been, kind of, friends.  And on Friday afternoon, President Obama and former President Bill Clinton walked unexpectedly into the White House briefing room for a news conference …

In Tapes, Nixon Rails About Jews and Blacks  —  YORBA LINDA, Calif. — Richard M. Nixon made disparaging remarks about Jews, blacks, Italian-Americans and Irish-Americans in a series of extended conversations with top aides and his personal secretary, recorded in the Oval Office 16 months before he resigned as president.

Palin-Hating Columbia Professor, Huffington Post Blogger, Busted for Incest  —  Let's begin with a flashback, shall we?  In July 2009, when Sarah Palin resigned as governor of Alaska, Columbia University professor David Epstein wrote at his Huffington Post blog: … Got that?

Bernie Sanders: In 2007, “the top 1 percent of all income earners in the United States made 23.5 percent of all income,” which is “more than the entire bottom 50 percent.”  —  Bernie Sanders, in viral speech, says top 1 percent earn more than 23 percent of U.S. income

Navy Sets World Record With Incredible, Sci-Fi Weapon  —  U.S. Navy engineers at the Office of Naval Research prepared and test-fired a slug from their rail gun in a 2008 test firing.  On Friday, December 9, the ONR will attempt to break its own record.  —  A theoretical dream for decades …

Invaders from Mars  —  “Voting doesn't change anything — the politicians always win.”  'Twas not always so, but I'm hearing variations on that theme a lot these days, and not just in the UK.  —  Why do we feel so politically powerless?  Why is the world so obviously going to hell in a handbasket?

Jeremy Marks “Attempted Lynching” Case  —  Black teen who filmed an LAUSD campus cop hitting a student faces bizarre charges and years in prison  —  On Dec. 2, Jeremy Marks, a Verdugo Hills High School special education student, was offered a new plea offer by the L.A. County District Attorney …

Hidden Medical Debt Trips Up Homeowners  —  Two erroneous $11 doctor bills stopped Jeanne White from refinancing her home.  —  The 49-year-old resident of Colleyville, Texas, pays 7% on the mortgage for her three-bedroom house.  In October, she says, she was shocked to learn that the two medical bills …

Judge rules against Miller in Senate suit  —  APPEAL?  U.S. Senate candidate can still take case to Alaska Supreme Court.  —  scockerham@adn.com  —  A Superior Court judge has ruled on all counts against Joe Miller's challenge of Alaska's election for U.S. Senate.

Man In the Middle?  —  I think President Obama will benefit politically from the tax compromise, both because the economy will improve—somewhat, anyway—and because some voters will perceive him as more of a centrist.  But I agree with Peggy Noonan that Obama didn't help himself with those who actually watched his press conference: