Issa says Obama administration is ‘one of most corrupt’  —  The Republican congressman who is taking over responsibility for congressional oversight called President Obama's administration “one of the most corrupt administrations” on Sunday and predicted that the investigations he is planning …

Austerity is first order for Boehner's installation as House speaker  —  Nancy Pelosi brought camera crews and dignitaries into her childhood Baltimore neighborhood where a street was being renamed in her honor, while John Boehner is bringing his 11 siblings from working-class Ohio to Washington for a private reunion.

Majority of RNC against Michael Steele  —  Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele faces an all-but-impossible path to reelection this month, as a majority of the RNC's 168 members indicate that they will not support the controversial chairman for another term.

Mossad behind Egypt church blast  —  The explosion at a church in the Egyptian city of Alexandria, which left 21 people killed and another 80 Muslims and Christians wounded, raises one question: Who was behind the blast?  —  Although, at first glance, the finger is pointed at extremist Wahabi …

European nations begin seizing private pensions  —  Hungary, Poland, and three other nations take over citizens' pension money to make up government budget shortfalls.  —  People's retirement savings are a convenient source of revenue for governments that don't want to reduce spending or make privatizations.

Meet the Press transcript for Jan. 2, 2011  —  Below:  —  on msnbc.com -  — More from: - TODAY - Nightly News - Meet the Press - Dateline - Morning Joe - Hardball - Countdown - Rachel Maddow - msnbc tv  —  MR. DAVID GREGORY: This Sunday, a new year and new challenges for the president …

Deep Hole Economics  —  If there's one piece of economic wisdom I hope people will grasp this year, it's this: Even though we may finally have stopped digging, we're still near the bottom of a very deep hole.  —  Why do I need to point this out?  Because I've noticed many people overreacting to recent good economic news.

Is Charlie Crist a potential VP Pick...for Obama?  —  In spite of assertions made to the contrary by Vice President Joe Biden, speculation continues to swirl around the possibility that President Obama will replace Biden on the 2012 Presidential ticket for someone with less of a propensity …

Outlawed, Cellphones Are Thriving in Prisons  —  ATLANTA — A counterfeiter at a Georgia state prison ticks off the remaining days of his three-year sentence on his Facebook page.  He has 91 digital “friends.”  Like many of his fellow inmates, he plays the online games FarmVille and Street Wars.

Dave Barry's Year in Review: Why 2010 Made Us Sick  —  Let's put things into perspective: 2010 was not the worst year ever.  There have been MUCH worse years.  For example, toward the end of the Cretaceous Period, Earth was struck by an asteroid that wiped out about 75 percent of all of the species on the planet.

Facing Threat From WikiLeaks, Bank Plays Defense  —  By the time the conference call ended, it was nearly midnight at Bank of America's headquarters in Charlotte, N.C., but the bank's counterespionage work was only just beginning.  —  A day earlier, on Nov. 29, the director of WikiLeaks …

Goldman Invests in Facebook at $50 Billion Valuation  —  Facebook, the popular social networking site, has raised $500 million from Goldman Sachs and a Russian investor in a deal that values the company at $50 billion, according to people involved in the transaction.

Google Digital Newsstand Aims to Muscle In on Apple  —  Google Inc. and Apple Inc. have stepped up their battle to win over publishers, as the two companies vie to become the dominant distributor of newspapers and magazines for tablet computers and other mobile devices.

Garbage pile saves Vangelis (Angelo) Kapatos, 26, who tried to commit suicide in midtown  —  A suicidal man plummeted nine stories and survived in midtown Sunday when he landed on a mountain of trash that had piled up since last week's blizzard, officials said.

Freshman Picks Dentist With Sarah Palin Ties as Chief of Staff  —  Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin's endorsement helped Rep.-elect Paul Gosar (R) win a seat in Congress, and now he's rewarding the man who introduced the pair with a plum staff position.  —  Gosar, who unseated Rep. Ann Kirkpatrick …