Dems getting closer on START  —  Senate Democrats appear to have enough votes to overcome a Republican filibuster on the new START arms-control treaty, though it's unclear if they will have the 67 votes needed for ratification.  —  At least four Republicans have committed to supporting …

Lawyers cry foul over leak of Julian Assange sex-case papers  —  LAWYERS for Julian Assange have expressed anger about an alleged smear campaign against the Australian WikiLeaks founder.  —  Incriminating police files were published in the British newspaper that has used him as its source for hundreds of leaked US embassy cables.

Carol Anne Riddell and John Partilla  —  WHAT happens when love comes at the wrong time?  —  Carol Anne Riddell and John Partilla met in 2006 in a pre-kindergarten classroom.  They both had children attending the same Upper West Side school.  They also both had spouses.

In Sunday-evening surprise, Senate unanimously passes food safety bill  —  The Senate unexpectedly approved food safety legislation by unanimous consent Sunday evening, rescuing a bill that floated in limbo for weeks because of a clerical error.  —  The Senate passed the Food Safety and Modernization Act on Nov. 30 by a vote of 73-25.

Proposed Amendment Would Enable States to Repeal Federal Law  —  The same people driving the lawsuits that seek to dismantle the Obama administration's health care overhaul have set their sights on an even bigger target: a constitutional amendment that would allow a vote of the states to overturn any act of Congress.

One Battle Won, Activists Shift Sights  —  WASHINGTON — As gay people around the country reveled on Sunday in the historic Senate vote to repeal “Don't Ask, Don't Tell,” a liberal media watchdog group said it planned to announce on Monday that it was setting up a “communications war room for gay equality” …

Health-care overhaul's individual mandate makes all the difference  —  Unless someone can drop into Anthony Kennedy's dreamspace and, “Inception"-style, either figure out what he thinks of the individual mandate or simply tell him what to think of the individual mandate …

Coldest December since records began as temperatures plummet to minus 10C bringing travel chaos across Britain  — Millions begin the big Christmas and New Year getaway early as the AA urged motorists to beware of the ‘worst driving conditions imaginable’  — Experts warn of a backlog …

New population count may complicate Obama 2012 bid  —  WASHINGTON - The 2010 census report coming out Tuesday will include a boatload of good political news for Republicans and grim data for Democrats hoping to re-elect President Barack Obama and rebound from last month's devastating elections.

WHY MUST HE BE SUCH AN ANGRY OLD MAN.... Most good stories have heroes, and when it comes to the story of repealing “Don't Ask, Don't Tell,” the list of heroes is wonderfully long.  —  And then there are the villains. … Watching McCain rail endlessly yesterday was a genuinely painful experience.

A Tough Season for Believers  —  Christmas is hard for everyone.  But it's particularly hard for people who actually believe in it.  —  In a sense, of course, there's no better time to be a Christian than the first 25 days of December.  But this is also the season when American Christians can feel most embattled.

Body of U.S. tourist found near Jerusalem; police suspect terror attack  —  Christine Logan disappeared on Saturday, when she and a Jerusalem-area friend were stabbed by assailants while hiking at an archaeological site; her friend, Susan Kaye Wilson, was hospitalized in moderate condition.