Fiscal Cliff Fictions: Let's All Agree to Pretend the GOP Isn't Full of It  —  It's really amazing to see political reporters dutifully passing along Republican complaints that President Obama's opening offer in the fiscal cliff talks is just a recycled version of his old plan …

Study: American Households Hit 43-Year Low In Net Worth  —  WASHINGTON (CBS DC) - The median net worth of American households has dropped to a 43-year low as the lower and middle classes appear poorer and less stable than they have been since 1969.  —  According to a recent study …

Republicans' Ace in the Hole: Simpson-Bowles?  —  Democrats appear to have the upper hand on the politics of the fiscal cliff, which might explain their brash pronouncements and mind-blowing conceptualization of “compromise.”  This morning I outlined three possible contingencies for Republicans, none of which is especially attractive.

No action on same-sex marriage  —  The Supreme Court, after taking most of the day to prepare new orders, took no action Friday on the ten same-sex marriage pleas now on the docket.  It did agree to rule on whether taking a human gene out of the body for research is a process that can be patented.

Small union is causing big problems for ports  —  A strike by about 800 clerical workers is disrupting the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach and costing them an estimated $1 billion a day.  Above, trucks line up Thursday to enter Pier J at the Port of Long Beach.  (Bob Chamberlin, Los Angeles Times / November 30, 2012)

When indeed?  —  TYLER COWEN tweets: … One can't be sure, but the point Mr Cowen seems to be making is that America's 2.7% annual growth rate in the third quarter would seem to be fast enough to accept most of the fiscal cuts that are due to hit at the end of the year.

Israel Moves to Expand Settlements in East Jerusalem  —  JERUSALEM — As the United Nations General Assembly voted overwhelmingly to upgrade the Palestinians' status Thursday night, Israel took steps toward building housing in a controversial area of East Jerusalem known as E1 …

Accused WikiLeaks Whistleblower Bradley Manning Testifies He Thought He Would “Die in Custody” … Bradley Manning, the U.S. Army private accused of leaking hundreds of thousands of classified documents to the whistleblowing website WikiLeaks, has testified for the first time since he was arrested in May 2010.

Congress looks at doing away with the $1 bill  —  Congressional auditors say doing away with dollar bills entirely ...more  —  WASHINGTON (AP) — American consumers have shown about as much appetite for the $1 coin as kids do their spinach.  They may not know what's best for them either.

Arizona Governor Compares Undocumented Immigrants To Drunks And Children  —  Since President Obama issued an administrative directive allowing some undocumented young immigrants to temporarily remain in the country, states have adopted policies to ensure they have equal work opportunity.