Lawmakers Reach Deal On Temporary Payroll-Tax Cut  —  Senate leaders agreed on compromise legislation Friday night to extend Social Security payroll tax cuts and jobless benefits for two months while requiring President Barack Obama to accept Republican demands for a swift decision on the fate …

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 …

Remarks by the President at the 71st General Assembly of the Union for Reform Judaism  —  THE PRESIDENT: Thank you so much.  Thank you, everybody.  Thank you.  Please, please have a seat.  You're making me blush.  (Laughter.)  Thank you, Eric, for that extraordinary introduction …

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.

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.

When it Comes to Taxes on the Poor, the Supply Siders are Right  —  A couple of days ago, I referred to the fact that poor people face some of the highest marginal tax rates in America.  I received several emails from economics professors, gently correcting me: they face all the highest marginal tax rates in America.

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.

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 …

SEC Charges Daniel “Rudy” Ruettiger and 12 Others in Scheme to Pump Stock in Sports Drink Company  —  FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE  —  2011-268  —  Washington, D.C., Dec. 16, 2011 — The Securities and Exchange Commission today charged Daniel Ruettiger and 12 other participants in a scheme …

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 …

Assistant Attorney General Thomas E. Perez Speaks at the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office Investigative Findings Announcement  —  Good morning.  We are here to discuss the results of our civil rights investigation of the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office.  —  In June 2008, the Justice Department began its investigation of MCSO.

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.

Gray Matter: Economists Are Grinches  —  THE stereotypes about economists are well known: that we're selfish Grinches; that we don't read human interest stories because they don't interest us; that the only reason we don't sell our children is that we think they'll be worth more later.

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.