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 …

Tucker Carlson: Michael Vick ‘should have been executed’  —  Tucker Carlson, filling in for Sean Hannity on Fox News last night, picked up the issue of President Barack Obama's call to Philadelphia Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie, during which the president thanked Lurie for giving Michael Vick a second chance.

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.

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 …

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 …

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 …

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.

Two new rules will give Constitution a starring role in GOP-controlled House  —  When Republicans take over the House next week, they will do something that apparently has never been done before in the chamber's 221-year history:  —  They will read the Constitution aloud.

Bank Failures at Highest Level Since 1992  —  WASHINGTON—More banks failed in 2010 than any year since the savings-and-loan crisis ended in 1992, but regulators said Wednesday that they believe failures have passed their peak.  —  So far this year, the 157 banks that failed had total assets …

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 …

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 …

Why WikiLeaks Is Unlike the Pentagon Papers  —  Everyone knows that Daniel Ellsberg leaked top-secret government documents about the Vietnam War.  How many remember the ones he kept secret, or why?  —  In 1971, Daniel Ellsberg decided to make available to the New York Times …