The Constitution Is Very Important  —  Thank you for your interest in the Washington Post's Young Pundit Essay Contest.  As the leading newspaper in our nation's capital, we are always looking for budding journalistic talent to bring a fresh point of view our editorial pages …

Topics  —  When PUBLIC UNION workers decide to “screw” those that are actually paying their salaries it's time for a change.  —  BOMBASTIC  —  People died.  The union officials should all be charged with manslaughter.  —  Either that.  Or the citizenry needs to take their own retaliation against the “workers”.

Mosque foes launch Bieber boycott  —  Andy Sullivan, a construction worker and Brooklyn native, has been one of the loudest opponents of Park51, the planned mosque and community center near ground zero.  Founder of the 9/11 Hard Hat Pledge — under which construction workers vow not to work …

Judith Miller: From the Times to the nuts  —  Judith Miller used to be a superstar.  She was a major reporter at the New York Times for decades — at the DC bureau, in Cairo, in Paris, special correspondent to the Persian Gulf, embedded with a special unit in Iraq.  She had the best sources.

Eight Botched Environmental Forecasts  —  The Statue of Liberty, depicted frozen solid in the movie “The Day After Tomorrow.”  Many weather forecasters and scientists wonder whether a coming period of “global cooling” may be on the way.  —  A new year is around the corner …

How Harry Reid And Mitch McConnell Could Upend Filibuster Reform  —  A handful of junior Democrats, including Sens. Tom Udall (D-NM) and Jeff Merkley (D-OR), have done an impressive job building momentum for a package of modest, but meaningful, changes to the Senate's filibuster rules.

THE PREDICTABLE RECESS-APPOINTMENT COMPLAINTS.... With the White House announcing six new recess appointments late yesterday, it was only a matter of time before Republicans began complaining.  What I was curious to see, however, is what they came up with.  —  The Washington Post's Jennifer Rubin took a crack at it this morning.

Last Kodachrome Developer Stops Developing  —  WHAT'S YOUR REACTION? … Kodachrome film is truly dead.  —  Dwayne's Photo, a lab in Parsons, Kansas, was the last lab still processing popular film, which was created by Kodak in 1935.  Dec. 30 was the last day Dwayne's would still accept rolls …

Journalists deny Manning cover-up  —  Pair with access to transcript of comments by Bradley Manning deny they could help prosecution against Julian Assange  —  Two journalists with access to a secret transcript of comments by Bradley Manning, the US soldier accused of leaking confidential material …

Good Grief... Leading RNC Candidate's Law Firm Supports Obamacare - Says It's Constitutional  —  This will go over well with the conservative base...  If you thought the fact that RNC Chair candidate, Maria Cino, was an Obamacare lobbyist was outrageous wait until you hear the latest...

Joe Scarborough: ‘I May Feel the Need to Run for Office Again’ … Sign up for our free online newsletter!

Tricky Call for New Governors: Price of Their Inaugurals  —  MIAMI — To warm up the Florida crowds for his inauguration as governor, Rick Scott has been flying around the state this week on a seven-city “appreciation” tour.  For the main event on Tuesday, he will lead a parade featuring 26 marching bands …

Murkowski certified Senate election winner  —  JUNEAU — Sen. Lisa Murkowski was officially named the winner of Alaska's U.S. Senate race Thursday, following a legal battle that lasted longer than the write-in campaign she waged to keep her job.  —  Gov. Sean Parnell and Lt. Gov. Mead Treadwell …

The book that defined modern campaign reporting  —  CHESTERTOWN, Md. — Before Richard Ben Cramer bought his old white farmhouse here in 1993, he called in “the best real estate guy that I know,” and then-Delaware Sen. Joe Biden and his brother Jimmy drove down from Wilmington to have a look.

Best of Facebook 2010: Politics & Government  —  Earlier this week, we asked fans of the Congress on Facebook, U.S. Politics on Facebook, and Government on Facebook pages to weigh in on the best use of Facebook in 2010 by members of Congress, political campaigns, and government agencies.

Abortion Takes Flight  —  Irish law prohibits all abortions except those necessary to save a woman's life, and as a practical matter it imposes daunting obstacles to terminating life-threatening pregnancies as well.  In a secularized Europe, Ireland is noticeably out of step.

NOAA on Miami Florida: Coldest December on Record  —  From the NOAA National Weather Service Office in Miami comes this year end report:  —  2010 South Florida Weather Year in Review  —  Coldest December on Record Concludes Year of Extremes  —  December 30th, 2010 …

Bachmann: ‘Snotty’ Gore Vidal Novel Turned Me Republican!  (VIDEO)  —  Gore Vidal, what have you done?  —  At a speech to Michigan Republicans on Tuesday, Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN) — the darling of the Tea Party right — told an amazing story about how she shed her youthful Democratic roots and became a Republican.

Big Second Amendment Opinion from the Fourth Circuit, Related to the Ban on Gun Possession by Domestic Violence Misdemeanants  —  The opinion is United States v. Chester, just decided today; thanks to Prof. Doug Berman (Sentencing Law & Policy) for the pointer.

Steve King Digs In: Congress Will Investigate ‘Reparations’ Settlement For Black Farmers  —  Rep. Steve King (R-IA) is continuing to blast the government's recent discrimination settlement with African-American farmers as “reparations” — and even predicting that the new Republican-led House will investigate it.