Petraeus testifies CIA's Libya talking points were changed, lawmaker says  —  Former CIA Director David Petraeus testified in a closed-door hearing Friday morning that his agency determined immediately after the Sept. 11 Libya attack that “Al Qaeda involvement” was suspected …

Meghan McCain on Why the Republican Party Needs to Wake Up  —  Four years after her father lost his bid for presidency, Meghan McCain on why the Republican Party is still having a major identity crisis.  —  I found out early on Election Day that Mitt Romney wouldn't become our next president.

The Iron Dome, Press Bias, and Israel's Lack of Strategic Thinking  —  Some observations as the Gaza crisis continues to unfold:  —  1. The Iron Dome anti-rocket and missile defense system seems to work better than most people expected.  Israel is becoming very good at shooting down missiles.

Who's to Blame for the Hostess Bankruptcy: Wall Street, Unions, or Carbs?  —  Try all of the above.  —  (Reuters)  —  Hostess Brands, the maker of Twinkie and Wonder Bread, is getting ready to bake its last corn-syrupy snack cake.  After failing to win major contract concessions …

Judge denies Allen West's recount request; focus now on 4 p.m. canvassing board meeting  —  FORT PIERCE — A judge today denied U.S. Rep. Allen West's request that he order a recount of 37,379 ballots from early voting in St. Lucie County — effectively leaving the decision …

Obama Voters No Longer Allowed at Pinetop Gun Store — “Effective Immediately”  —  If you're one of the 736 people in Pinetop who voted for President Obama last week, let it be known that you are no longer welcome inside one of the town's gun shops.  —  At least, that's according to the store's owner …

House GOP: Obama officials using secret emails to avoid oversight  —  The House science committee is demanding the White House explain why top administration officials are using secret e-mail accounts and other techniques to conceal their taxpayer-paid activities from public oversight.

Cortland County district attorney admits acting in porn movies in 1970s  —  Mark Suben, the Cortland County district attorney, said today he acted in pornographic movies in the 1970s.  —  In a 3 p.m. news conference today, he admitted that he lied about his history to The Post-Standard …

Roger Ailes on Election Night: ‘Rove was wrong.  He backed down.  Our guys were right.’  —  On election night, Fox News co-founder and chairman Roger Ailes watched election coverage in the News Corp. Sports Suite, down the hall from his second floor office.

Ex-Rep. Tom Davis: Women, minorities ‘scared’ of GOP  —  A pair of Republican centrists on Friday offered this blunt prognosis of their party after its electoral drubbing: Many women and minorities are simply frightened of the GOP.  —  “Some of the groups that would have agreed with us on a lot of issues, they don't even look at us.

Alito Defends ‘Citizens’ in Speech to Federalist Society  —  Justice Samuel Alito defended the 2010 decision in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission on Thursday night, jabbing at critics of the U.S. Supreme Court's majority opinion but also admitting the success of their public relations campaign.

When the Nerds Go Marching In  —  How a dream team of engineers from Facebook, Twitter, and Google built the software that drove Barack Obama's reelection  —  Three members of Obama's tech team, from left to right: Harper Reed, Dylan Richard, and Mark Trammell (Photo by Daniel X. O'Neil).

Most Republican States Won't Build Exchanges and That Is a Good Thing  —  Map showing party affiliation by Governors, current  —  Now that we have approached what should have been the deadline for states to say whether or not they plan to build state exchanges to comply with the Affordable Care Act …

Income Inequality Has Risen In Nearly Every State Over The Last Three Decades  —  Income inequality has grown in nearly every state in the country over the last three decades and continues to climb across the nation, according to new report from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities and the Economic Policy Institute.

Justice Department Examining Ways To Make Voting Easier, Heeding President's Call To ‘Fix’ Long Lines … REACT:  —  FOLLOW:  —  WASHINGTON — The Department of Justice is already exploring ways to “fix” the long lines and confusion voters faced when going to the polls this year …

EPA refuses to waive ethanol mandate  —  The Environmental Protection Agency is rejecting requests from states and meat industry groups to waive regulations that require the blending of ethanol into gasoline.  —  EPA rejected petitions from nearly a dozen states, including Texas, Virginia …