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 …

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 …

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 Army private accused of leaking classified information to Wikileaks …

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 …

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 …

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 …

Oprah: Sarah Palin Presidential Run ‘Does Not Scare Me’ … And now we have Oprah Winfrey's take on Sarah Palin's presidential ambitions.  —  In an interview with Parade magazine, Winfrey said America could “fall in love” with the former Alaska governor as a television personality …

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 …

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.

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 …

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 …

Six big achievements of a surprisingly ‘do something’ Congress  —  The outgoing 111th Congress is among the most productive in history, in spite of its reputation for gridlock and 13 percent approval rating.  Democrats controlled the House and the Senate, and used their large majorities …

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 …

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

John McCain's Lasting Anger  —  Old friends like Wes Gullett, a former aide in Arizona, say it is not anger that drives McCain but passion on issues, especially those involving the military, that he feels he knows best.  —  “John McCain is John McCain,” Gullett said in an interview.

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.

After Bruising Session, Congress Braces for More  —  WASHINGTON — The 111th Congress ended as it began two years ago, with a burst of legislative productivity, as Democrats forced through a historic social change by lifting the ban on gay men and lesbians serving openly in the military …