Is Grover Finally Over?  —  I once took a long train ride with Grover Norquist.  This wasn't intentional.  We found ourselves next to each other on the line to board an Acela from Washington, D.C., to New York, and we fell into a conversation, by which I mean that he did a great deal of talking …

Fox News Exec VP: Guest Who Slammed Network Apologized - But Not Publicly  —  UPDATED: Author Tom Ricks accused the network of “hyped” Benghazi coverage; Fox News' Michael Clemente says Ricks apologized but “doesn't have the strength of character to do that publicly.”  Ricks disputes.

Exclusive: Jeb Bush Meets with Former Aides near White House  —  Washington, D.C. — Former Florida governor Jeb Bush met Monday with a group of his former staffers at the J. W. Marriott hotel on Pennsylvania Avenue, just steps from the White House.  Bush, a potential 2016 presidential contender …

Marijuana's foot in the door  —  SMALL-TIME MARIJUANA use will soon be legal in Colorado and Washington state.  Sort of.  —  This month voters in those states approved ballot measures permitting possession of up to an ounce of pot.  But the federal government has not changed its policy, which labels the drug an illegal substance.

Cox and Archer: Why $16 Trillion Only Hints at the True U.S. Debt  —  Hiding the government's liabilities from the public makes it seem that we can tax our way out of mounting deficits.  We can't.  —  A decade and a half ago, both of us served on President Clinton's Bipartisan Commission …

Most-Racial America  —  Antiwhite bigotry goes mainstream.  —  “Everytime [sic] I think the Democratic race card players could not get more vile, more deranged, more patronizingly demeaning to blacks, someone manages to defy even my vivid imagination,” thunders blogger William Jacobson.

The Epistemic Closure of the Epistemic Closure Pundits  —  Not THAT again.  —  More “right-wing epistemic closure” rhetoric.  It's all the rage these days in the wake of Mitt Romney's loss (keeping a large House majority and gaining in the States conveniently is ignored or belittled).

CNN Poll: Americans rate W.H. response to Benghazi attack and Petraeus resignation  —  Washington (CNN) - Americans are giving the White House low marks for how it's handled the terrorist attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Libya, and the resignation of former CIA Director David Petraeus, according to a new national survey.

Who Should Be TIME's Person of the Year 2012?  —  As always, TIME's editors will choose the Person of the Year, but that doesn't mean readers shouldn't have their say.  Cast your vote for the person you think most influenced the news this year for better or worse.

The U.S. Supreme Court Allows New Challenge To Obamacare To Go Forward  —  Under the heading of “it's not over until it's over”, the United States Supreme Court has vacated a decision by the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals, ordering the appellate court to hear arguments on the constitutionality …

City Is Amassing Trove of Cellphone Logs  —  When a cellphone is reported stolen in New York, the Police Department routinely subpoenas the phone's call records, from the day of the theft onward.  The logic is simple: If a thief uses the phone, a list of incoming and outgoing calls could lead to the suspect.

Chinese Website Congratulates Kim Jong Un On Being Named Sexiest Man Alive By “The Onion”  —  China's Communist Party newspaper, People's Daily, congratulates the North Korean leader on being named the sexiest man alive by the the satirical American publication.  Seriously.  —  Zeke Miller

Republican Senators Still “Troubled” After Meeting With Susan Rice  —  Ayotte says she will hold the nomination until all of her questions have been answered.  A harsher tone from the GOP after recent hedging.  —  Image by J. Scott Applewhite / AP  —  WASHINGTON — A trio …

Dems Defend Filibuster Reform Effort: ‘McConnell Has Broken The Social Contract’  —  On the Senate floor Monday afternoon, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell railed against his counterpart, Harry Reid, and a “cohort of short-sighted Senate sophomores,” for proposing to modify …

Grape growers can sue USDA as Supreme Court stays out of the fight  —  WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Monday provided legal juice for growers who want to sue the U.S. Agriculture Department and the California Table Grape Commission over grapevine patents.

McGurn: How Obama's ‘Life of Julia’ Prevailed  —  Conservatives don't need to compromise their values.  They need to do a better job of selling.  —  The name of the program now escapes me.  Several months ago, while flipping channels with the remote, I stopped on an MTV show …

France's conservative party splits into two  —  ETIENNE LAURENT/EPA - Former French Prime Minister Francois Fillon arrives to hold a press conference in the Musee Social.  Fillon announced Tuesday that he and his followers are splitting off from France's main conservative party and forming their own parliamentary group.