North Korean Leader Kim Jong Il, 69, Has Died  —  SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — Kim Jong Il, North Korea's mercurial and enigmatic leader, has died.  He was 69.  —  Kim's death was announced Monday by state television from the North Korean capital, Pyongyang.

Paul leads in Iowa  —  Newt Gingrich's campaign is rapidly imploding, and Ron Paul has now taken the lead in Iowa.  He's at 23% to 20% for Mitt Romney, 14% for Gingrich, 10% each for Rick Santorum, Michele Bachmann, and Rick Perry, 4% for Jon Huntsman, and 2% for Gary Johnson.

Capitalism and the Right to Rise  —  In freedom lies the risk of failure.  But in statism lies the certainty of stagnation.  —  Congressman Paul Ryan recently coined a smart phrase to describe the core concept of economic freedom: “The right to rise.”  —  Think about it.

Will China Break?  —  Consider the following picture: Recent growth has relied on a huge construction boom fueled by surging real estate prices, and exhibiting all the classic signs of a bubble.  There was rapid growth in credit — with much of that growth taking place not through traditional banking …

California politician advocates assassination of Obama and family  —  Like this?  Subscribe to get instant updates.  —  Facebook faux pas: California libertarian and Tea Party darling Jules Manson is caught calling for the assassination of President Barack Obama and his children.

Senators block Oklahoma City federal prosecutor from judge post  —  WASHINGTON — Faced with unrelenting — and mostly unexplained — opposition from Oklahoma's senators, the U.S. Senate on Saturday sent back to the White House the nomination of Arvo Mikkanen to be a federal judge in Tulsa.

Exclusive: Secret U.S., Taliban talks reach turning point  —  (Reuters) - After 10 months of secret dialogue with Afghanistan's Taliban insurgents, senior U.S. officials say the talks have reached a critical juncture and they will soon know whether a breakthrough is possible …

Callista Gingrich: A force behind the scenes for Newt  —  Callista's husband recently suggested to ABC News that she's an amalgamation of Nancy Reagan and Laura Bush, perhaps with a touch of Jackie Kennedy mixed in.  —  Kellyanne Conway, Gingrich's pollster and a friend of the couple, said …

Newt and the Revenge of the Base  —  WASHINGTON — It is one of the true delights of a bizarrely entertaining Republican presidential contest to watch the apoplectic fear and loathing of so many GOP establishmentarians toward Newt Gingrich.  They treat him as an alien body whose approach to politics they have always rejected.

Payroll Tax Cut Rejected 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.