Senate's Returning Democrats Unanimously Favor Filibuster Reform  —  All except Dodd sign a letter urging Majority Leader Harry Reid to change the rules.  —  All Democratic senators returning next year have signed a letter to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., urging him to consider action …

Barack Obama's plan to close Gitmo ‘in shambles’  —  Nestled among a string of improbable victories President Barack Obama racked up in the lame-duck Congressional session is legislation containing the most debilitating setback to date to his plan to close the military prison at Guantanamo Bay …

Hearing officer: Let Rahm Emanuel run for mayor  —  Former White House chief-of-staff Rahm Emanuel early Thursday survived the pivotal first round of a residency challenge that will determine whether his name remains on the ballot for mayor of Chicago.  —  “The name of Rahm Emanuel shall appear …

Supreme Court rules against Miller  —  The Alaska Supreme Court today ruled against Joe Miller on all counts, a decision that leaves his challenge of Sen. Lisa Murkowski's victory on life support.  —  “There are no remaining issues raised by Miller that prevent this election from being certified …

Alabama Town's Failed Pension Is a Warning  —  PRICHARD, Ala. — This struggling small city on the outskirts of Mobile was warned for years that if it did nothing, its pension fund would run out of money by 2009.  Right on schedule, its fund ran dry.  —  Then Prichard did something …

Senate Passes 9/11 Health Bill as Republicans Back Down  —  WASHINGTON — After years of fierce lobbying and debate, Congress approved a bill on Wednesday to cover the cost of medical care for rescue workers and others who became sick from toxic fumes, dust and smoke after the 2001 attack on the World Trade Center.

For Obama vacation, comfort is key  —  HONOLULU - For Ronald Reagan it was riding horses on his California ranch.  For George W. Bush it was clearing brush and biking around his Crawford, Texas, estate.  For Barack Obama, the signature image of his presidential vacationing, so far …

Muscle Car Roars Onto Lawn of Bush's Dallas Home  —  Driver says his gas pedal became stuck  —  Authorities have detained someone whose car apparently ran off the road and onto former President George W. Bush's lawn Wednesday night.  —  The Secret Service and Dallas police questioned …

Shock: Christian Coalition founder Pat Robertson favors marijuana legalization  —  Robertson a welcome addition to drug reform circles, former narc tells Raw Story  —  Count this among the 10 things nobody ever expected to see in their lifetimes: 700 Club founder Pat Robertson …

The women accusing Julian Assange of sexual assault deserve to be taken seriously. … Like This Story … - The Most Productive Lame-Duck Session Since World War II- Why Do People Kiss Under Mistletoe?  - How Architects Can Use Video Screens Without Making Their Buildings Look …

Lot Occupancy  —  As I've said on many occasions, I think it would be smart for Washington DC to allow taller buildings.  But this is hardly the only source of undesirably inefficient use of valuable urban space.  Another issue—this time one that I almost never hear being discussed—is the very sharp limits we have on lot occupancy.

GOP unveils strict House rules  —  Some of the committee rules — and at least one for the full House — address concerns that legislators don't spend enough time reading bills and members of the public have trouble accessing them.  —  “[I]t shall not be in order to consider a bill …

Bradley Manning Speaks About His Conditions … Sign the letter to the Commanding Officer of Bradley Manning's brig urging for Bradley's unnecessary POI order to be lifted  —  Bradley Manning, the 23-year-old Marine private accused of leaking classified information to Wikileaks …

111th Congress comes to a close; new session begins on Jan. 5  —  The House on Wednesday evening passed a motion to adjourn the 111th Congress “Sine Die”, bringing to a close Democrats four-year reign in the lower chamber.  —  It also ended what has been the most productive lame-duck session in recent memory.

Climate Change and ‘Balanced’ Coverage  —  In an article this week on the relentless rise of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, I outlined one of the canonical projections of climate science: if the amount of carbon dioxide doubles, the average surface temperature of the earth is likely …

Barney Frank Makes a Fool Out of Conservative Reporter Over 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell'  —  A conservative reporter from right-leaning CNS News thought he would play gotcha journalist and ask gay Congressman Barney Frank about gay and straight soldiers showering together.  Big mistake.  Huge.

Steven Spielberg advising Nancy Pelosi on rebranding Democrats … THE FIX NEWSLETTERS … THE LIVE FIX … POLITICS & PINTS

Oprah Winfrey on Michael Jackson, Sarah Palin, and Starring in Her Own Reality Show  —  PARADE's December 26 cover story is a one-on-one sit-down with Oprah Winfrey.  The queen of talk discusses everything from her new venture to supporting Obama, and, maybe, becoming an ambassador.

Two embassies hit by blasts in Rome  —  Rome (CNN) — Bombs exploded at two embassies in Rome Thursday, police said.  —  The first explosion, a package bomb at the Swiss Embassy, seriously wounded the person who opened it, police said.  —  A second bomb exploded at the Chilean Embassy shortly afterwards …

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.

Nice.  Muslim Group Launches “Christmas Is Evil” Poster Campaign  —  A Muslim group launched a “Christmas Is Evil” poster campaign in Great Britain.  —  How very leftist of them...  A radical Muslim group launched a “Christmas is evil” poster campaign hoping that their efforts would help destroy Christmas.

North Korea ‘ready for sacred war’ with the South  —  Invited dignitaries watched the live exercises along with the South Korean president  —  North Korea is ready for a “sacred war of justice” using a nuclear deterrent, its armed forces minister has said.

Rush to foreclose by Fannie, Freddie helped feed problems with legal paperwork  —  As the housing market came crashing down in 2008, the giant mortgage company Fannie Mae took an unprecedented step to help tackle the rising tide of foreclosures.  It named an exclusive group of law firms …