Obama To The Next Generation: Screw You, Suckers  —  The logic behind president Obama's budget has one extremely sensible feature: it distinguishes between spending that simply adds to consumption, and spending that really does mean investment.  His analogy over the weekend …

House Votes to Extend Patriot Act Provisions  —  WASHINGTON — The House on Monday voted to reauthorize and extend through Dec. 8 three ways in which Congress expanded the Federal Bureau of Investigation's counterterrorism powers after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.

Clinton to announce new ‘AfPak’ envoy  —  Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton has chosen a new special envoy to Afghanistan and Pakistan, after months of delay and disagreements between the White House and the State Department over the parameters of the job that became vacant …

‘Punisher’ gets its first battlefield tests  —  XM25 ‘performs flawlessly’ in Afghanistan  —  The XM25 has changed the battlefield with only 55 rounds, and earned a new name among soldiers.  They call it “the Punisher.”  —  Since its first contact Dec. 3, the XM25 has been in nine engagements …

Key 2012 early states cool to Palin  —  A new poll of New Hampshire voters is the latest in a string of surveys suggesting that if Sarah Palin chooses to run for president, she'll struggle in the crucial early states.  —  The WMUR Granite State Poll released late Monday afternoon puts Palin close …

Apple to expand iPhone screen size to 4-inches  —  Apple reportedly will change the screen size of iPhone to 4-inch for its fifth generation iPhone to compete with the Google Android platform in the 4- to 7-inch smartphone market, according to upstream component suppliers.

Chaffetz within 10 points of Hatch in new poll  —  SALT LAKE CITY - A new Deseret News-KSL poll shows Rep. Jason Chaffetz is just 10 points behind Sen. Orrin Hatch, even though he isn't in the race — yet.  —  In a GOP primary, 44 percent of the Utahns surveyed statewide said they'd vote …

Truth or Consequences  —  What if Justice Scalia sued the New York Times for libel?  —  The following letter to the editor appeared in the New York Times Friday: … If this is true, Scalia's misconduct is even worse than Fein suggests.  Not only has Congress considered legislation to repeal ObamaCare …

Liberals launch anti-Darrell Issa crusade  —  Democrats are understandably obsessed with Darrell Issa — he's built himself up as a one-man investigative machine aimed straight at the Obama presidency.  —  But a handful of liberal political operatives in California — including …

Vanishing Act: ‘Advisers’ Seek Distance From a Report  —  A new study backed by pro-business groups takes a harsh stance on rules intended to bring transparency to the $600 billion derivatives market.  The report, published on Monday, claims that proposed regulation could cost 130,000 jobs …

'America's toughest sheriff' considering Arizona Senate run  —  Maricopa Sheriff Joe Arpaio said Monday he is open to the possibility of running for the seat of retiring Sen. Jon Kyl (R-Ariz.) in 2012.  —  Arpaio, the conservative sheriff famous for his hard-line anti-immigration stances …

Trump: Gays yes, gay marriage no  —  Donald Trump may have some New Yorkers doing a double-take, after he expressed his opposition to same-sex marriage while also saying he digs the city's robust gay population.  —  “New York is a place with lots of gays, and I think it's great.

Late Night: Possibly We Should Stop Sucking So Much  —  By Brigadier Lance Mans, Deputy Director, NATO Special Operations Coordination Centre [Public domain via Wikimedia Commons  —  Dan, with his finger on something that's been bugging me forever: … The stories immediately post-9/11 …

Gates criticizes GOP for proposed cuts to Defense spending  —  Defense Secretary Robert Gates on Monday said the House GOP budget for the Pentagon is “disconnected” from operational realities.  —  Gates said the Pentagon needs $540 billion for fiscal year 2011, less than the $548 billion initially sought …

The Experience Economy  —  Tyler Cowen's e-book, “The Great Stagnation,” has become the most debated nonfiction book so far this year.  Cowen's core point is that up until sometime around 1974, the American economy was able to experience awesome growth by harvesting low-hanging fruit.

Report Details Sabotage of Birth Control  —  Men who abuse women physically and emotionally may also sabotage their partners' birth control, pressuring them to become pregnant against their will, new reports suggest.  —  Several small studies have described this kind of coercion among low-income teenagers …

Berlusconi to Face Trial in Underage Prostitution Case  —  ROME — A Milan judge on Tuesday ordered Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi to stand trial in April on charges of paying an underage nightclub dancer for sex and abusing his office to help release her from police custody when she was detained for theft …

More facts emerge about the leaked smear campaigns  —  As I noted on Friday, the parties implicated in the smear campaigns aimed at WikiLeaks supporters and Chamber of Commerce critics have attempted to heap all the blame on HBGary Federal ("HBGary") and its CEO, Aaron Barr.

Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood seeks political party status  —  Cairo, Egypt (CNN) — Egypt's banned Muslim Brotherhood will apply to become a political party, it announced Tuesday.  —  The Brotherhood “envisions the establishment of a democratic, civil state that draws on universal measures …