Republicans Balk at White House Plan to Avert Fiscal Crisis  —  WASHINGTON — Treasury Secretary Timothy F. Geithner presented the House speaker, John A. Boehner, a detailed proposal on Thursday to avert the year-end fiscal crisis with $1.6 trillion in tax increases over 10 years …

For Secretary of State, G.O.P. Pushes Old Hand  —  WASHINGTON — As President Obama's potential nominee for secretary of state, Susan E. Rice, comes under increasing fire, Congressional Republicans appear to be coalescing around a familiar name as an alternative candidate …

Exclusive: The Internal Polls That Made Mitt Romney Think He'd Win  —  It's no secret that the Romney campaign believed it was headed for victory on Election Day.  A handful of outlets have reported that Team Romney's internal polling showed North Carolina, Florida, and Virginia moving safely …

General Assembly Grants Palestine Upgraded Status in U.N.  —  UNITED NATIONS — More than 130 countries voted on Thursday to grant Palestine the upgraded status of nonmember observer state in the United Nations, a stinging defeat for Israel and the United States and a boost for President Mahmoud Abbas …

Ted Cruz speech stokes 2016 speculation  —  Texas Sen.-elect Ted Cruz advised the Republican Party to rebrand itself under a banner of “Opportunity Conservatism” during a sweeping speech Thursday night that will only stoke speculation about a 2016 presidential run.

U.S. birth rate plummets to its lowest level since 1920  —  The U.S. birth rate plunged last year to a record low, with the decline being led by immigrant women hit hard by the recession, according to a study released Thursday by the Pew Research Center.  —  The overall birth rate declined …

Reid must wrestle with undecided Dems to reform filibuster rules  —  Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) may be short on votes he needs to force changes to the Senate's filibuster rules, as nine Democratic senators sit on the fence about the proposed reforms.

Just Walk Away, Republicans  —  RUSH: I'm having trouble coming up with a term for this.  But the conventional wisdom, the groupthink, I mean, folks, I don't care where you go, and this is not a criticism.  I'm actually looking at this in wonderment.  I don't care where you go.

GOP fumes as TSA head skips aviation security hearing  —  Republicans on the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee sharply criticized the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) for skipping a scheduled hearing on Thursday.  —  TSA Administrator John Pistole was listed …

Foreclosure Wave Averted as Doomsayers Defied: Mortgages  —  Stockton, California, has the highest U.S. foreclosure rate.  It also has a housing shortage.  —  The number of homes for sale in the city fell 42 percent in October from a year earlier.  Listings routinely attract multiple offers.

Class Wars of 2012  —  On Election Day, The Boston Globe reported, Logan International Airport in Boston was running short of parking spaces.  Not for cars — for private jets.  Big donors were flooding into the city to attend Mitt Romney's victory party.  —  They were, it turned out, misinformed about political reality.