Hard questions await Obama at news conference  —  This is not what the White House wanted for President Barack Obama's first news conference of his second term.  —  He won't be able to dwell much on his stronger-than-expected victory or even press his agenda for the next four years.

Look Who's Refusing To Compromise To Avoid The Fiscal Cliff  —  Budget Talks: If President Obama wants to get a deficit deal done to avoid the fiscal cliff, his biggest challenge won't be Republicans, but his own hard-core left-wing supporters.  —  Two days after the election …

Jill Kelley claims ‘honorary’ diplomatic status  —  Jill Kelley, the woman at the center of scandals swirling around Gens.  David Petraeus and John Allen, tried to invoke what she claimed was honorary diplomatic status in a 911 call complaining about trespassers on her lawn.

Nancy Pelosi to stay on as House minority leader  —  House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) will remain atop the Democratic caucus for at least two more years, her office announced Wednesday.  —  Pelosi will remain the most vocal liberal voice in Congress opposing the Republican agenda …

Woman ‘denied a termination’ dies in hospital  —  Two investigations are under way into the death of a woman who was 17 weeks pregnant, at University Hospital Galway last month.  —  Savita Halappanavar (31), a dentist, presented with back pain at the hospital on October 21st …

Ryan: It ‘Looked Like We Stood A Pretty Good Chance Of Winning’ On Election Day  —  In an interview with WISN 12 News in Milwaukee on Monday, Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI) admitted that he and Mitt Romney were indeed caught off guard by the results of last week's election, claiming …

A Mormon Reporter On The Romney Bus  —  On the night of the South Carolina Republican primary in January, I sat near the front of a dark campaign press bus, and listened to reporters talk about Mitt Romney's underwear.  —  Earlier in the day, one of them had happened upon the candidate …

Majority Supports Path to Citizenship; Greater Division on Other Social Issues  —  Most Americans support a path to citizenship for illegal immigrants, an issue that may be high on the agenda of newly re-elected President Obama and the 113th Congress, given the increased importance of nonwhites …

Angus King to caucus with Democrats  —  (CNN) - Maine's independent senator-elect announced Wednesday he would caucus with Democrats, giving the party a ten-vote advantage over Republicans in the upper chamber.  —  Angus King made the announcement Wednesday in the U.S. Capitol …

Emanuel downplays eavesdrop act  —  Mayor Rahm Emanuel, at a Monday news conference, didn't like questions about whether his press office had recorded reporters' conversations without first seeking their consent.  —  That's a big no-no under the Illinois Eavesdropping Act, one of the toughest two-party consent laws in the country.

Misreading Election 2012  —  The GOP might be out of step with some voters, but Mitt Romney was an unusually unpopular party standard-bearer.  —  Postelection talk of “lessons learned” is often exaggerated and misleading, and so it is in 2012.  —  A week after President Obama won re-election, two themes are dominant.

Anti-austerity strikes sweep Europe  —  (Reuters) - Police and protesters clashed in Spain on Wednesday as millions of workers went on strike across Europe to protest spending cuts they say have made the economic crisis worse.  —  Hundreds of flights were cancelled, car factories and ports …