Payroll Tax Cut Blocked by House Republicans  —  WASHINGTON — The House Republican leader on Sunday flatly rejected a short-term, bipartisan Senate measure to extend a payroll tax break and unemployment insurance, setting the stage for a bitter year-end Congressional collision and the potential loss …

Gingrich: Gov't branches should rule 2 out of 3  —  PLAY CBS NEWS VIDEO  —  Newt Gingrich on Sunday reiterated his argument that there is something “profoundly wrong” with the United States' judicial system, and argued that the balance of power in American government should come down to “two out of three” branches of the government.

Vaclav Havel, 1936-2011: Vaclav Havel, Former Czech President, Dies at 75  —  Vaclav Havel, the Czech writer and dissident whose eloquent dissections of Communist rule helped to destroy it in revolutions that brought down the Berlin Wall and swept Mr. Havel himself into power, died on Sunday.

Vivid new Battle of the Bulge photos offer never-before-seen look at the war-weary soldiers braving the frigid weather as they fight off Nazi Germany's last major offensive of World War II  —  Breathtaking new photographs, including several vivid full-color images, offer a never-before-seen look …

N Korean leader Kim Jong-il dies  —  North Korean leader Kim Jong-il has died at the age of 69, state-run television has announced.  —  His death was announced in an emotional statement read out on national television.  —  The announcer, wearing black, said he had died on Saturday of physical and mental over-work.

Minnesota Republican Resigns Post Over Allegation of ‘Inappropriate’ Relationship  —  This news was a shock to me, involving allegations — and we must stress that these are only allegations at this point — against a female politician whom I have actually met: … (Via TPM and Memorandum.)

Last Convoy of American Troops Leaves Iraq, Marking an End to the War  —  BAGHDAD — The last convoy of American troops to leave Iraq drove into Kuwait on Sunday morning, marking the end of the nearly nine-year war.  —  The convoy's departure, which included about 110 vehicles and 500 soldiers …

The brave women of the Middle East: Female protesters brutally beaten with metal poles as vicious soldiers drag girls through streets by their hair in day of shame  —  After being viciously beaten by a 10-strong mob of Egyptian male soldiers, this woman lies helplessly on the ground as her shirt …

L.A. schools' healthful lunch menu panned by students  —  For many students, Los Angeles Unified's introduction of healthful lunches — part of a campaign against obesity, diabetes and other problems — has been a flop.  The district says the menu will be revised.

In Iraq, the last to fall: David Hickman, the 4,474th U.S. service member killed  —  GREENSBORO, N.C. — To find Army Spec.  David Emanuel Hickman on the morning after his unit returned to Fort Bragg from Iraq, you had to drive 100 miles north, to his home town.

Discrimination against same-sex marriages cannot be tolerated in our society as a matter of law  —  By Robert Menendez  —  Since my vote in favor of the Defense of Marriage Act 15 years ago, like tens of millions of Americans, I have reflected deeply and frequently about this issue.