Criticized as Weak in Past Talks, Obama Takes Harder Line  —  WASHINGTON — Amid demands from Republicans that President Obama propose detailed new spending cuts to avert the year-end fiscal crisis, his answer boils down to this: you first.  —  Mr. Obama, scarred by failed negotiations …

2016 contenders court mega-donors  —  A week after Election Day, three Republican governors mentioned as 2016 presidential candidates — Bobby Jindal, John Kasich and Bob McDonnell — each stopped by the Venetian Resort Hotel Casino to meet privately with its owner Sheldon Adelson …

Kid Rock: Obama and I have ‘no hard feelings’  —  Washington (CNN) - Musician Kid Rock, who was a celebrity surrogate for Mitt Romney, said President Barack Obama wasted no time in jokingly acknowledging their campaign rivalry Sunday.  —  “It was nice.  I saw the president tonight.

Hillary is Running: A Dispatch from the Saban Forum  —  Hillary Clinton is running for President.  And the Israeli political class is a full-blown train wreck.  These are two conclusions, for whatever they are worth, based on a three-day conference I attended this weekend at the annual Saban Forum, in Washington, D.C.

New York Times Seeks Buyouts From 30 in Newsroom  —  Aiming to cut costs in an increasingly troubled advertising environment, The New York Times announced on Monday morning that it would offer buyout packages to newsroom employees.  While the primary goal of the buyout program is to trim managers …

News Corporation Announces Details Regarding Proposed Separation of Businesses  —  Robert Thomson Named CEO of Proposed Publishing Company; Leadership Team Unveiled  —  Companies to be Named News Corporation and Fox Group  —  News Corporation (NASDAQ: NWS, NWSA; ASX: NWS, NWSLV) …

Congress Retains Low Honesty Rating  —  Nurses have highest honesty rating; car salespeople, lowest  —  PRINCETON, NJ — As Congress remains involved in protracted negotiations over the pending “fiscal cliff” that could disrupt the nation's economy if not addressed by Jan. 1 …

Narcissist in chief: President Obama honors Rosa Parks anniversary with picture of himself; Update: Adam Baldwin with the win  —  Just when you think President Obama's impossibly large ego can't grow further, he makes it happen!  —  President Obama loves to insert himself in other people's biographies.

Again, no gay marriage orders  —  The Supreme Court on Monday released additional orders from its Friday Conference, but the list did not include any action on the ten cases dealing with the same-sex marriage issue.  It now appears that those cases will be rescheduled for the Conference this Friday morning.

Republicans ready to forget Romney and embrace Rep. Ryan on Medicare  —  Mitt Romney's Medicare budget might be fading away just as quickly as Romney himself.  —  During the campaign, candidate Romney repeatedly hammered President Obama for cutting $716 billion from Medicare as part of his signature healthcare law.

In KC, it's no time for a game  —  KANSAS CITY, MO.  —  Football is embarrassingly tone deaf.  —  Jovan Belcher, a starting linebacker for the Chiefs, murdered the mother of his child shortly before 8 a.m. Saturday.  He hopped in his car, drove to the Kansas City Chiefs practice facility …

Does clinical legal education really have to be about left-liberal politics?  —  For my many and manifold sins, I have been assigned to the law school's appointment committee.  I'm grateful for the assignment, since I figure St Peter will credit it against my stint in Purgatory.

Vatican discloses Pope's Twitter handle: @pontifex … VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - It's official.  Pope Benedict's handle on Twitter will be @pontifex.  —  He already has 1.2 billion “followers” in the standard sense of the word but next week he will have another type when he enters …