Inside the talks: Fiscal framework emerges  —  Listen to top Democrats and Republicans talk on camera, and it sounds like they could not be further apart on a year-end tax-and-spending deal - a down payment on a $4 trillion grand bargain.  —  But behind the scenes, top officials …

Behind the Susan Rice meeting meltdown  —  In just two quick meetings on Capitol Hill, Susan Rice may have blown up any goodwill she had with the very senators she'll need for confirmation if she's ever tapped as the next secretary of state.  —  Over the past two days …

The Incestuous Bleeding of the Republican Party  —  If money is the root of all evil, for the Republican Party evil is located on the fifth floor of 66 Canal Center Plaza, Alexandria, VA 22314.  —  Strip away the candidate and coalition and it is on the fifth floor of 66 Canal Center Plaza …

Photo of Officer Giving Boots to Barefoot Man Warms Hearts Online  —  On a cold November night in Times Square, Officer Lawrence Deprimo was working a counterterrorism post when he encountered an older, barefooted homeless man.  The officer disappeared for a moment, then returned with a new pair of boots …

The Science Behind Those Obama Campaign E-Mails  —  One fascination in a presidential race mostly bereft of intrigue was the strange, incessant, and weirdly overfamiliar e-mails that emanated from the Obama campaign.  Anyone who shared an address with the campaign soon started receiving messages …

Drive to Unionize Fast-Food Workers Begins  —  After three years of working at the McDonald's restaurant on 51st Street and Broadway, Alterique Hall earns $8 an hour — and is yearning for something better.  —  So when he heard about an unusual campaign that aims to unionize dozens …

Mitt Romney face tattoo man does an about-face  —  Critics of Mitt Romney accused him of being a flip-flopper.  Now one of his die-hard supporters is guilty of the same charge.  —  Eric Hartsburg, the 30-year-old resident of Michigan City, Ind., inked the Romney/Ryan campaign's distinctive …

Mortgage-interest deduction could be on the table in ‘fiscal cliff’ debate  —  Of all the deductions woven into the sprawling U.S. tax code, few have been more fiercely guarded than the enormous tax break that lets homeowners deduct the interest they pay on their mortgages.

The Brotherhood delusion  —  The great, acerbic 19th-century satirist Ambrose Bierce defined a revolution as “an abrupt change in the form of misgovernment.”  He would understand events in Egypt since the fall of Hosni Mubarak very well.  —  In the signature revolution of the Arab Spring …

Groups call on Obama to veto NDAA over potential Guantanamo restrictions  —  A coalition of advocacy groups sent a letter to President Barack Obama Tuesday urging him to veto the FY2013 National Defense Authorization Act if it in any way restricts the executive branch's ability to close the Guantanamo Bay prison.

The Tea Party Goes to War  —  A left-right attempt to treat terror detainees like common criminals.  —  There's a lot to be said for the libertarian approach to government, but the realities of a dangerous world can make its more rigid adherents seem naïve.

Top Romney strategist: Failure to reach out to women, Hispanics biggest mistake  —  Mitt Romney's top political strategist on Thursday said the campaign's failure to reach out to women and Hispanic voters was their biggest mistake.  —  In an interview on CBS's “This Morning,” …

77 networks out in Syria  —  77 networks experienced an outage in Syria starting at 10:26 UTC on November 29.  This represents 92% of the routed networks in the country.  —  100% of the networks in this event reached the Internet through: Syrian Telecommunications Establishment (AS29386).

Girl, 15, ‘beheaded’ in Afghanistan after her family turned down marriage proposal  — Two men have been arrested following the death of the teenage girl in Kunduz province, northern Afghanistan  — Victim, named as ‘Gisa’, was beheaded by her cousin after she and her family turned …

DIY graphic design  —  The diagram leaked to the Associated Press this week is nothing more than either shoddy sources or shoddy science.  In either case, the world can keep calm and carry on.  —  This week the Associated Press reported that unnamed officials “from a country critical …

Dems, Amtrak push back on GOP attacks on rail subsidies  —  Democrats and Amtrak officials pushed back Wednesday against House Republican efforts to eliminate federal subsidies for the national passenger rail service.  —  The venue for the rail funding fracas was a hearing of the House Transportation …

McIntyre keeps NC Congress seat after recount  —  RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Democratic U.S. Rep. Mike McIntyre reclaimed his longtime southeastern North Carolina congressional seat on Wednesday night, earning a razor-thin victory over his Republican challenger after a machine recount produced hardly any change in the margin.