EXCLUSIVE: Senate Strikes Deal on 9/11 First Responders Bill  —  Oklahoma Senator Will Allow a Vote on Bill to Care for 9/11 First Responders; Bill Cut to $4.2B  —  Senate Democrats and Republicans have struck a deal to secure passage of a bill to provide health benefits and compensation …

Why has the lame-duck session been so productive?  —  So far, the lame-duck session has managed to pass an $850 billion tax-cuts-and-stimulus deal, the repeal of DADT, the Defense Authorization bill, a continuing resolution to keep funding the federal government, the START treaty …

Obama signs DADT repeal before big, emotional crowd  —  President Obama signed the landmark repeal of the military's “don't ask, don't tell” policy Wednesday morning, handing a major victory to advocates of gay rights and fulfilling a campaign promise to do away with a practice that he has called discriminatory.

Senate Passes Arms Control Treaty With Russia, 71-26  —  WASHINGTON — The Senate gave final approval on Wednesday to a new arms control treaty with Russia, scaling back leftover cold war nuclear arsenals and capping a surprisingly successful lame-duck session for President Obama just weeks after his party's electoral debacle.

Barney Frank completely pwns hapless CNS reporter attempting ‘gotcha’ DADT question  —  You can tell that all these reporters for right-wing propaganda organs like the Media Research Center spend waaaay too much time watching Fox News and their army of would-be ambush journalists.

Huck: Palin wrong, FLOTUS right  —  Potential GOP presidential candidate Mike Huckabee says Sarah Palin's wrong and Michelle Obama's right, at least when it comes to the first lady's push to combat childhood obesity.  —  “With all due respect to my colleague and friend Sarah Palin …

Oops!  Fox & Friends Accidentally Identifies Elie Wiesel As “Holocaust Winner”  —  Wow.  We all make mistakes and typos.  There will probably be at least one in this post alone.  However, some typos are worse than others.  This is one of those typos.  Last week, Fox & Friends …

The Net Neutrality Coup  —  The campaign to regulate the Internet was funded by a who's who of left-liberal foundations.  —  The Federal Communications Commission's new “net neutrality” rules, passed on a partisan 3-2 vote yesterday, represent a huge win for a slick lobbying campaign run by liberal activist groups and foundations.

GOP Wants Constitution Read on House Floor  —  The GOP-led Congress would impose strict new transparency requirements for committees and legislation, expand term limits for committee chairmen and allow for a reading of the Constitution on the House floor on the second day of the 112th Congress …

In a Sign of Foreclosure Flaws, Suits Claim Break-Ins by Banks  —  TRUCKEE, Calif. — When Mimi Ash arrived at her mountain chalet here for a weekend ski trip, she discovered that someone had broken into the home and changed the locks.  —  When she finally got into the house, it was empty.

When 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' Repeal Meets Religious Liberty … I've recently authored several posts discussing how social conservatives seem to have lost the gay issue but have won on the life issue.  There are many reasons for this, but one, I think, has to do with who the perceived “victim” is.

At Kaplan University, ‘Guerilla Registration’ Leaves Students Deep In Debt  —  WHAT'S YOUR REACTION? … Arlen Castillo had just begun an online associate's degree program at Kaplan University when a family emergency forced a change of plans.  Her mother in Florida learned she needed extensive surgery …

CIA launches task force to assess impact of U.S. cables' exposure by WikiLeaks  —  The CIA has launched a task force to assess the impact of the exposure of thousands of U.S. diplomatic cables and military files by WikiLeaks.  —  Officially, the panel is called the WikiLeaks Task Force.