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 …

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 …

Hamas military chief Ahmed Jabari killed by Israeli strike  —  LIVE BLOG: Israel strikes more than 20 targets in Gaza, killing Ahmed Jabari, who was behind the 2006 abduction of Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit; IDF says ready for ground operation in Gaza if necessary; Hamas …

Almost 1K ballots found in Broward elections warehouse  —  LAUDERHILL, Fla. (WSVN) — Nearly a thousand ballots that were not included in Florida's final count have been found in a warehouse in Broward County.  —  Tuesday morning and into the night, there was a buzz of activity …

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.

Ryan Sees Urban Vote as Reason G.O.P. Lost  —  WASHINGTON — As Representative Paul D. Ryan casts about to find an explanation for the defeat of the Republican presidential ticket, on which he was Mitt Romney's running mate, he is looking to the nation's big cities for answers.

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.

Wisconsin Lawmakers Seek To Arrest Officials Who Implement Obamacare  —  Even though House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) has acknowledged that Obamacare is the “law of the land,” nine state lawmakers in Wisconsin are hoping to ensure that President Obama's health reform law won't ever be implemented in their state.

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 …

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 …

White House ‘secede’ petitions reach 675,000 signatures, 50-state participation  —  Less than a week after a New Orleans suburbanite petitioned the White House to allow Louisiana to secede from the United States, petitions from seven states have collected enough signatures to trigger a promised review from the Obama administration.

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 …