Rick Santorum focuses on gay marriage  —  He suggests to a New Hampshire audience that an imprisoned father is preferable to a same-sex parent.  —  Mitt Romney leaves a campaign event outside an old peanut warehouse in Conway, S.C. (David Goldman, AP / January 6, 2012)

‘The Obamas’: Book Reveals Friction Between Rahm Emanuel, Michelle Obama (UPDATE) … Barack Obama , Michelle Obama , Rahm Emanuel , White House , Obama , Video , Jodi Kantor , Obama White House , The Obamas , Obama Marriage , Obamas Marriage , The Obamas Jodi Kantor , Politics News

Kristy McNichol Wants to ‘Be Open About Who I Am’  —  Kristy McNichol has been out of the public eye for 20 years.  Now she's chosen to come out - to try to help kids who are being bullied.  —  McNichol, 49, who has lived with her partner Martie Allen, also 49, for the past two decades …

Climate change castaways consider move to Australia  —  Ben Doherty in Male, Maldives  —  Threat ... much of the Maldives could be lost to climate change.  —  THE President of what could be the first country in the world lost to climate change has urged Australia to prepare for a mass wave …

Two new cases granted  —  UPDATE: The Court has announced that it will issue opinions in argued cases on both Tuesday and Wednesday mornings.  Further orders from today's Conference will be issued at 10 a.m. Monday.  —  The Supreme Court on Friday agreed to clarify when police may use …

This power grab's a sign of weakness  —  President Obama's executive power-grab this week — making four “recess” appointments when the Senate isn't in recess — is a mark not of his strength, but of his relative weakness.  He is asserting an authority he does not possess through the Constitution …

What Newt said about food stamps  —  Newt Gingrich's comments about African-Americans and food stamps, made at a town hall meeting in New Hampshire yesterday, have made the expected media rounds — from Slate to The Daily Beast to The Associated Press to MSNBC — but the interpretation has changed somewhat along the way.

Another Romney layoff victim, this one a conservative, speaks out  —  Reuters published a blockbuster story today on GS Technologies, a steel mill in Kansas City that was acquired by Bain Capital, leading to the layoffs of some 750 workers.  In this case, the workers lost promised severance pay …

The Sultriest Members of Congress  —  If you're the best-looking member in Congress, that won't guarantee you a high-ranking committee chair but it will bring you coveted media attention.  —  That's the finding from a new study by two Israeli professors in the journal of Political Communication.

Labor unions primary recipients of Obamacare waivers  —  Labor unions continued to receive the overwhelming majority of waivers from the president's health care reform law since the Obama administration tightened application rules last summer.  —  Documents released in a classic Friday …

20 killed as Nigerian gunmen attack Christian mourners  —  Gunmen in Nigeria on Friday opened fire on friends and relatives gathered to mourn the deaths of three Christians killed on Thursday, leaving up to 20 more people dead.  —  Nigeria has recently experienced a surge in ethnic and sectarian violence

Rick Perry Unwinds Before New Hampshire Debate At Texas Shooting Range  —  ABC's Michael Falcone and Arlette Saenz report:  —  Ready, aim fire.  That's apparently Texas Gov. Rick Perry's idea of relaxation before returning to the campaign trail this weekend.