Gingrich or Romney: McCain prepares to play kingmaker  —  Arizona Sen. John McCain, the GOP presidential nominee in 2008, is moving toward endorsing a candidate for 2012.  —  Republican sources familiar with his thinking say he will probably endorse his onetime political enemy, Mitt Romney.

Remarks by the President on the Economy in Osawatomie, Kansas  —  THE PRESIDENT: Thank you, everybody.  Please, please have a seat.  Thank you so much.  Thank you.  Good afternoon, everybody.  —  AUDIENCE: Good afternoon.  —  THE PRESIDENT: Well, I want to start by thanking a few folks who've joined us today.

TV News Programs Ignore Obama Administration's Landmark LGBT Announcement  —  Yesterday, the Obama administration announced a landmark full government strategy for advancing equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people in its foreign policy and called on nations around the world …

Alec Baldwin — Tossed by American Airlines Plane Captain  —  The last straw in the Alec Baldwin/American Airlines incident came when he “slammed” the bathroom door so loudly the captain of Flight 4 had to get involved ... according to people on the plane.  —  We're told Baldwin's tweets …

Crystal Cox, Oregon Blogger, Isn't a Journalist, Concludes U.S. Court—Imposes $2.5 Million Judgement on Her  —  ​A U.S. District Court judge in Portland has drawn a line in the sand between “journalist” and “blogger.”  And for Crystal Cox, a woman on the latter end of that comparison, the distinction has cost her $2.5 million.

Restoring Robust Growth in America  —  Why has the recovery been so slow?  What can we do about it?  Alan Greenspan, George Shultz, Ed Prescott, Steve Davis, Nick Bloom, John Cochrane, Bob Hall, Lee Ohanian, John Cogan and I recently met at the Hoover Institution at Stanford to present papers …

Fewer Veterans to Remember Pearl Harbor Day  —  HONOLULU — For more than half a century, members of the Pearl Harbor Survivors Association gathered here every Dec. 7 to commemorate the attack by the Japanese that drew the United States into World War II.  Others stayed closer to home …

Tennessee family home burns while firefighters watch  —  A Tennessee couple helplessly watched their home burn to the ground, along with all of their possessions, because they did not pay a $75 annual fee to the local fire department.  —  Vicky Bell told the NBC affiliate WPSD-TV …

At White House press briefing, reporter asks if Obama approves of bestiality  —  At White House press briefings, you don't normally hear questions about bestiality.  Today was not normal.  —  On Monday, press secretary Jay Carney fielded an unusual question from World Net Daily reporter Lester Kinsolving.

Senate G.O.P. Blocks Confirmation of Caitlin Halligan as Judge  —  WASHINGTON — Senate Republicans on Tuesday blocked confirmation of Caitlin J. Halligan, a prominent New York lawyer, to be a federal appeals court judge, raising the question of whether a political deal to prevent the filibuster …

Why Newt's surge is for real  —  Washington is waking up to a prospect that a week ago seemed far-fetched.

American Economy Rebounding as Investor Favorite in Global Poll  —  Dec. 7 (Bloomberg) — The U.S. receives its highest rating from international investors in more than two years on new optimism that the world's largest economy will weather the financial crisis in Europe and avoid a recession in 2012, according to a Bloomberg poll.

Gingrich struggles on state deadlines for filing  —  May not make ballot in Ohio  —  Newt Gingrich is surging in the presidential polls, but his campaign organization has not caught up - making it possible he'll miss Wednesday's deadline to file enough signatures to even appear on Ohio's primary ballot.

Ex-Ehrlich campaign manager Schurick convicted in robocall case  —  Paul E. Schurick, the 2010 campaign manager for former Maryland governor Robert L. Ehrlich Jr., was convicted Tuesday by a Baltimore jury of four counts stemming from a robocall that prosecutors said was intended to suppress the black vote.

Obama back to 51 percent disapproval in latest Gallup polling  —  President Obama's job approval rating has ticked down to 41 percent in Gallup's latest daily tracking poll, with his disapproval at 51 percent.  —  It's a drop from where the president stood at the beginning of December …

Kaine, Allen debate shaping up to be a bitter battle  —  Today's debate between former governors and current U.S. Senate hopefuls Timothy M. Kaine and George Allen is shaping up to be the battle over which set of “failed policies” failed harder.  —  Allen will take aim at Kaine's former role …