Republican Doomsday Plan: Cave on Taxes, Vote ‘Present’  —  Republicans are seriously considering a Doomsday Plan if fiscal cliff talks collapse entirely.  It's quite simple: House Republicans would allow a vote on extending the Bush middle class tax cuts (the bill passed in August by the Senate) …

Sheldon Adelson Spent Far More On Campaign Than Previously Known … REACT:  —  FOLLOW:  —  Elections 2012, John Boehner, Mitt Romney, Campaign Finance, Elections 2012, Newt Gingrich, Video, Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, Las Vegas Sands, Sheldon Adelson, Fcpa, Mitt Romney 2012, Sands Casino …

Obama offers congrats to Kate, William  —  President Obama has congratulated Prince William and the Duchess of Cambridge Katherine over the news that they are having a baby.  —  White House press secretary Jay Carney said the president and first lady Michelle Obama were extending …

The Big Budget Mumble  —  In the ongoing battle of the budget, President Obama has done something very cruel.  Declaring that this time he won't negotiate with himself, he has refused to lay out a proposal reflecting what he thinks Republicans want.  Instead, he has demanded that Republicans themselves say, explicitly, what they want.

Shameful: Pope Benedict XVI joins Twitter, vile hate starts before his first tweet  —  Twitter is buzzing today, as Pope Benedict XVI 's new Twitter account has been revealed.  The buzz started yesterday, when it was reported that the pope would launch a personal Twitter account.

Introducing the Drezner Intelligence Explainer  —  David Sanger and Eric Schmitt have a story in today's New York Times about... well, as near as I can figure, the purpose of the story is that the intelligence comnunity wants to communicate with the Assad regime in Syria.  Here's the opening:

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 …

Again, no gay marriage orders (FINAL UPDATE)  —  The Supreme Court on Monday released additional orders from its Friday Conference, but the list did not show any action on the ten cases dealing with the same-sex marriage issue.  UPDATED: The Court later Monday morning posted on its electronic docket …

Homeless Man Is Grateful for Officer's Gift of Boots.  But He Again Is Barefoot.  —  After Officer Lawrence DePrimo knelt beside a barefoot man on a bitterly cold November night in Times Square, giving him a pair of boots, a photo of his random act of good will quickly took on a life of its own …

Michelle Obama's Next Move  —  What's next for our incredibly popular first lady?  Samuel L. Jackson and other super-fans weigh in.  —  Chatting with a group backstage on the set of Jimmy Kimmel Live! in October, Michelle Obama made it clear that she wasn't thinking about what she might do in the future.

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 …

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 …

OBAMA TO REAPPOINT REP. DEBBIE WASSERMAN SCHULTZ AS DNC CHAIR — Congress may return after Christmas — Sen. Marco Rubio, Bob Woodward headline Playbook Breakfast on Wed.  —  EXCLUSIVE - A senior Democratic official: “Because of the outstanding job she has done, the President will ask the members …

Santorum launches column for ‘birther’ website  —  Former Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum has taken a job as a columnist for World Net Daily, a conservative website best known for articles advancing “birther” conspiracy theories about President Obama.

Why Legalizing Pot Won't Curb the Drug War  —  Advocates may think their recent initiatives have set Mexican traffickers back, but the cartels have already moved on.  —  Over the course of two days in late March, a coalition of U.S. law enforcement groups rounded up more than 40 people accused …