DeMint will force readings of START Treaty and omnibus bill  —  Sen. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.) will force readings of both a nuclear arms treaty and $1.1 trillion spending bill that could eat up hours of the remaining lame-duck Congress.  —  DeMint will invoke a senatorial privilege to ask …

FOXLEAKS: Fox boss ordered staff to cast doubt on climate science  —  In the midst of global climate change talks last December, a top Fox News official sent an email questioning the “veracity of climate change data” and ordering the network's journalists to “refrain from asserting that the planet has warmed …

Congress' Job Approval Rating Worst in Gallup History  —  Thirteen percent approve of the way Congress is handling its job  —  PRINCETON, NJ — Americans' assessment of Congress has hit a new low, with 13% saying they approve of the way Congress is handling its job.

Financial Crisis Panel In Turmoil As Republicans Defect; Plan To Blame Government For Crisis  —  WHAT'S YOUR REACTION? … The four Republicans appointed to the commission investigating the root causes of the financial crisis plan to bypass the bipartisan panel and release their own report Wednesday …

Tax-cut plan clears Senate easily  —  The Senate voted overwhelmingly Wednesday to advance President Barack Obama's tax package to the House, where the $858 billion bill is expected to receive a final vote Thursday.  —  The Senate vote was 81-19, with 13 Democrats, five Republicans and independent Sen. Bernie Sanders (Vt.) voting no.

The inhumane conditions of Bradley Manning's detention  —  (updated below)  —  Bradley Manning, the 22-year-old U.S. Army Private accused of leaking classified documents to WikiLeaks, has never been convicted of that crime, nor of any other crime.  Despite that, he has been detained …

School board shooting (Video)  —  A school board meeting went from discussing head lice to members pleading for their life Tuesday in Florida when an ex-convict, Clay Duke, interrupted the Bay District School Board meeting, brandishing a gun and mumbling about how the school board had fired his wife …

Mark Zuckerberg  —  On the afternoon of Nov. 16, 2010, Mark Zuckerberg was leading a meeting in the Aquarium, one of Facebook's conference rooms, so named because it's in the middle of a huge work space and has glass walls on three sides so everybody can see in.

With Steele in, Norm Coleman says he will not run for RNC chairman  —  Norm Coleman: “I've said if Steele was running, I wouldn't run against him.”  —  WASHINGTON — Norm Coleman will not run for chairman of the Republican National Committee, the former Republican senator confirmed to MinnPost today …

It's Scary Out There in Reporting Land  —  ‘Beats are fundamental to journalism, but our foundation is crumbling.’  —  To understand how badly we're doing the most basic work of journalism in covering the law enforcement beat, try sitting in a barbershop.  When I was getting my last haircut …

Brown could be in trouble  —  Sherrod Brown hasn't proven to have much appeal to Republicans or independents during his first four years in the Senate and as a result he could be vulnerable for reelection in 2012 if the GOP runs a strong candidate against him.

START Passage Looks Dead for 2010  —  In what looks like a decisive blow, at least eight Republican senators - including some the White House was counting on - will announce this afternoon they cannot vote to ratify President Barack Obama's New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty with Russia this year.

2012 Election Preview: The Final Rankings  —  Editor's Note: This morning, we issued a press release on the national wires that ranks the 18 most likely 2012 Republican contenders - and President Obama - on their communications skills.  Below, you'll find the full text of that release.

Obama plans 2011 staff makeover  —  President Barack Obama has delayed the most significant staff shuffle of his presidency until after New Year's — but the changes may be more sweeping than anticipated and could include the hiring of high-profile Democrats defeated in the midterms.

Why Are Bankers So Rich?  —  Tyler Cowen has a big piece about income inequality in The American Interest that's well worth reading.  However, it's not really about the growth of inequality.  It's about Wall Street.  In particular, it's about this question: why do financial professionals make so damn much money?

No to New York?  There Must Be Some Mistake  —  The Dodgers and the Giants did it.  Johnny Carson did it.  So did I.B.M., American Airlines, the United States Olympic Committee and President Gerald R. Ford.  —  Late Monday night, Cliff Lee did it, too.  Lee, the prized pitcher who helped …

Tom Harkin: ‘Fireworks’ And Shot At Filibuster Reform Coming Jan. 5  —  WHAT'S YOUR REACTION? … WASHINGTON — Senate Democrats will make a dramatic effort to reform the rules of the chamber when the next Congress begins, one of the body's primary filibuster-reform advocates said Wednesday morning.

An Honest Question for Lefties  —  First, read Julian Sanchez on the health care mandate and the Commerce Clause.  —  Next, I posed this question to Chris Hayes on Twitter, so I'll pose to those of you who read this site who are outraged by the Hudson ruling: Putting aside what's codified Bill of Rights …