Feds investigate Christine O'Donnell spending  —  BALTIMORE — A person with knowledge of the investigation says federal authorities have opened a criminal probe of Delaware Republican Christine O'Donnell to determine if the former Senate candidate broke the law by using campaign money to pay personal expenses.

Fox Utterly Destroys Cable News Ratings Competition in 2010  —  The Nielsen numbers are in for 2010, and in the battle for cable news ratings supremacy, Fox News took the title for the ninth year in a row — bludgeoning the competition for another year.  —  The blowout comes on the heels …

Kucinich worries his district will be eliminated  —  (CNN) - The state of Ohio will lose two congressional seats thanks to the latest U.S. Census figures, and liberal stalwart Dennis Kucinich is worried his seat is on the chopping block.  —  In an e-mail to supporters Wednesday …

GARY SHILLING: And Now House Prices Will Now Drop Another 20%  —  In October, Gary Shilling of A. Gary Shilling & Co., predicted that house prices would fall another 20%.  —  In the two months since, house prices have resumed their decline.  Below, Gary outlines why he thinks the recent drops are just the beginning.

GOP pals could be 2012 rivals  —  Should both Haley Barbour and Mitch Daniels seek the White House in 2012, Americans would glimpse a rare sight in the annals of presidential campaigns: actual friends competing against one another for the nomination.  —  Not “friends” in the political sense …

Megyn Kelly: Calling Aliens ‘Undocumented’ Like Calling Rape ‘Non-Consensual Sex’ (VIDEO)  —  Plenty of conservatives are pretty upset over a campaign by the Society of Professional Journalists to convince reporters to stop using the terms “illegal aliens” and “illegal immigrants” in favor of “undocumented immigrant.”

The Poorhouse: Aunt Winnie, Glenn Beck, And The Politics Of The New Deal  —  WHAT'S YOUR REACTION? … An employee of Associated Charities, a private organization dedicated to alleviating poverty in the District of Columbia, met an old black woman carrying a basket of cinders near the dump …

Exclusive: Merle Haggard on His Kennedy Center Honor, Meeting Obama and Oprah and More  —  The singer, who received a lifetime achievement award, takes us behind the scenes of Tuesday's broadcast  —  Merle Haggard is no stranger to the White House: He was a guest of both Richard Nixon and Ronald Reagan …

The Road to 2012: The New New Hampshire  —  Mitt Romney and the rest of the GOP field are about to find a whole new set of players standing between them and first-in-the-nation primary victory  —  For Mitt Romney and other likely presidential contenders, 2011 will be a busy year of campaigning …

The Afghan War, Terrorism And Media Propaganda  —  As 2010 winds down, I am reminded that there is no Imperial policy more reprehensible and shameful than the war in Afghanistan.  This war is constantly presented to Americans as an integral part of the War On Terrorism, but it is no such thing.

Lunchbox mix-up leads to charges for Sanford teen  —  SANFORD, N.C. — An athletic and academic standout in Lee County said a lunchbox mix-up has cut short her senior year of high school and might hurt her college opportunities.  —  Ashley Smithwick, 17, of Sanford, was suspended …

Obama uses recess appointment to seat Justice Dept. official  —  President Obama used a recess appointment Wednesday to name James Cole as deputy attorney general.  —  The president also recess appointed five other officials, including four ambassadors.  —  Cole's nomination …

Poll: Fewer hope for Obama success  —  Americans are less supportive of President Barack Obama's policies than they were a year ago, but a majority of those surveyed in a new poll still hope his policies will be successful.  —  In a CNN/Opinion Research Corp. poll released Wednesday …

Tucker Carlson: “I Think Personally [Michael Vick] Should Have Been Executed”  —  Tucker Carlson again filled in for Sean Hannity on Hannity tonight, and couldn't resist, as others already had, delving into the issue of President Obama praising Philadelphia Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie …

Bloomberg Takes Blame for Response to Snowstorm  —  Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg accepted responsibility Wednesday for the city's response to a crippling snowstorm, pledging to have every street plowed by morning and then to figure out why his administration's cleanup efforts were inadequate.

Favre Is Fined $50,000 but Not Suspended  —  Brett Favre, the Minnesota Vikings quarterback whose 20-year career is likely to end after this weekend, was fined $50,000 by the National Football League Wednesday for failing to cooperate with the league's investigation into graphic photos …

Garcia faces uncertain future as court term ends  —  Perhaps the biggest challenge Sylvia Garcia faced during her final Commissioners Court session last week was holding back her tears during the invocation by emeritus Archbishop Joseph Fiorenza.  —  “The underserved but greatly deserving …

It's Not Really Sarah Palin's Alaska Anymore, Poll Finds … Is the love affair between Sarah Palin and Alaska over?  —  The former governor of the “Last Frontier” and potential 2012 presidential candidate is pretty unpopular in the state that serves as a backdrop for her TLC reality show …