GOP Threaten to Harm the Economy If Obama Won't Embrace Tar Sands Pipeline  —  GOP Threaten to Kill Tax Relief and Unemployment Extension Over Keystone XL Pipeline, Which Won't Improve Energy Independence or Create Many Permanent Jobs … By Kate Gordon and Daniel J. Weiss in a CAP repost

Nikki Haley's Mitt Romney endorsement catches flak  —  GREENVILLE, S.C. - Nikki Haley's attempt to boost Mitt Romney is threatening her own support here at home.  —  Romney's campaign is using the South Carolina governor's endorsement to build his acceptance among the tea party base that's never …

Christopher Hitchens, 1949-2011  —  A friend of theirs once took Christopher Hitchens and his wife Carol Blue to dinner at Palm Beach's Everglades Club, notorious for its exclusion of Jews.  —  “You will behave, won't you?”  Carol anxiously asked Christopher on the way into the club.  No dice.

In Memoriam, my courageous brother Christopher, 1949-2011  —  How odd it is to hear of your own brother's death on an early morning radio bulletin.  How odd it is for a private loss to be a public event.  —  I wouldn't normally dream of writing about such a thing here, and I doubt if many people would expect me to.

Long Island high-school students suspended for ‘Tebowing’  —  The Tebow mania sweeping the nation sacked a group of Long Island high-school students who were suspended for mimicking the quarterback's famous prayer pose.  —  Twin brothers Tyler and Connor Carroll of Riverhead HS …

Group Clears Path for a Third-Party Ticket  —  To those who bemoan the lack of better choices in presidential elections, third-party fantasies come easily at this stage in a campaign.  End hyper-partisanship and Washington dysfunction: Vote Bloomberg-Petraeus in 2012!

It is finally being recognized that the eurozone made a major policy breakthrough … Here is the story, and you will recall my earlier post here.  Karl Smith asks how this fits in with the treatment of collateral, and here is also a more skeptical take on the arbitrage.

Rick Perry, Pensioner  —  He may not act like a retiree, but GOP presidential candidate Texas Gov. Rick Perry has collected monthly retirement benefits for much of the year.  The governor elected in January to start receiving a state employee retirement annuity of $7,698 a month …

Let's Face it: It's the Radical Right, not Islam, that is the Greatest Threat to the American Way  —  Imagine if a major American advertiser were to pull its ads off of Jersey Shore because they received objections that the show while portraying a group of Italian-Americans, made the glaring error of excluding Mafiosi.

SEC CHARGES FORMER FANNIE MAE AND FREDDIE MAC EXECUTIVES WITH SECURITIES FRAUD  —  Companies Agree to Cooperate in SEC Actions  —  FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE  —  2011-267  —  Washington, D.C., Dec. 16, 2011 — The Securities and Exchange Commission today charged six former top executives …

Obama looks safe in New Mexico  —  Barack Obama is considerably less popular in New Mexico now than he was in 2008.  He won 57% of the vote there, but now has an approval rating under 50% in the state at 49/46.  Those represent the poorest numbers we've found for him in New Mexico all year …

Underground Pre-K Groups, Often Illegal, Abound in New York  —  IT WAS 6 P.M. on a Friday in early June, and my children's dinnertime coincided with the moment the New York City Department of Education posted acceptance letters online for 4-year-olds seeking prekindergarten spots in public school.

Newt And The Health Care Mandate  —  As of this writing Newt Gingrich is opposed to the ObamaCare individual health insurance mandate.  However, the Times tells us that this is a recent conversion:  —  More broadly, he has indicated his agreement with the most controversial aspect …

Dem congressman: We 'didn't know what the hell was going on' when we passed Obama stimulus [VIDEO]  —  California Democratic Congressman Mike Honda, a member of the Budget and Appropriations Committees, told The Daily Caller that Democrats in Congress passed the $825 billion Recovery Act because they …

Southaven Mayor Greg Davis' expense receipts prompt frank revelation  —  Purchase at store for gay men leads to mayor's admission  —  Southaven Mayor Greg Davis addresses the media last month following a meeting with the state auditor.  —  Receipts from embattled Southaven Mayor Greg Davis reveal …

Climategate Bombshell: Did U.S. Gov't Help Hide Climate Data?  —  Are your tax dollars helping hide global warming data from the public?  Internal emails leaked as part of “Climategate 2.0” indicate the answer may be “Yes.”  —  The original Climategate emails — correspondence stolen …

Congress overturns incandescent light bulb ban  —  Congressional negotiators struck a deal Thursday that overturns the new rules that were to have banned sales of traditional incandescent light bulbs beginning next year.  —  That agreement is tucked inside the massive 1,200-page spending bill …

Cantor promises swift action on STOCK Act  —  Obama: My support for Israel “unshakable”  —  Who had strongest showing in Iowa debate?

Obama makes impassioned plea for support from Jewish audience  —  NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. — President Obama made an impassioned plea for continued support from American Jews on Friday, listing off his accomplishments on social issues and touting his record in support of Israel's security.