WH ‘Absolutely’ Willing To Go Off ‘Fiscal Cliff’  —  President Obama's lead negotiator in the “fiscal cliff” talks said the administration is “absolutely” willing to allow the package of deep automatic spending cuts and across-the-board tax hikes to take effect Jan. 1, unless Republicans drop …

Louie Gohmert Casts Lone Vote To Keep ‘Lunatic’ In Federal Code … REACT:  —  FOLLOW:  —  Video, Flat Tax, Louie Gohmert, Gohmert Lunatic, Louie Gohmert Flat Tax, Louie Gohmert Lunatic, Louie Gohmert Tea Party, Politics News  —  WASHINGTON — The House voted on Wednesday to strike the word …

Dave Brubeck |  1920-2012: Dave Brubeck, Jazz Musician, Dies at 91  —  Dave Brubeck, the pianist and composer who helped make jazz popular again in the 1950s and '60s with recordings like “Time Out,” the first jazz album to sell a million copies, and “Take Five,” the still instantly recognizable hit single …

Syria loads chemical weapons into bombs; military awaits Assad's order  —  So far, intelligence sources say, bombs loaded with the components of sarin haven't yet been loaded onto planes.  NBC's Jim Miklaszewski reports.  —  The Syrian military is prepared to use chemical weapons …

Rubio: I Don't ‘Pass Judgment’ On The ‘Sin’ Of Homosexuality (Except When I Do)  —  Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL), who has called for the Republican Party to be more inclusive of minorities, said Wednesday that while his faith teaches homosexuality is a sin, he does not judge sinners.

The Lesbian Past of Bill de Blasio's Wife  —  Bill de Blasio and Chirlane McCray.  (Photo: Getty)  —  Public Advocate Bill de Blasio, an all-but-officially announced mayoral hopeful, has prominently featured his wife Chirlane McCray in his campaign literature and on his web site.

Citigroup to Cut 11,000 Jobs, Take $1 Billion Charge  —  Citigroup Job Cuts Not Surprising, Cohan Says  —  Citigroup Inc. (C)'s Michael Corbat, who took over as chief executive officer less than two months ago, will cut more than 11,000 jobs and pull back from some emerging markets to drive …

Reid blocks Senate vote on Obama's deficit-reduction plan  —  Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) on Wednesday offered an amendment to force a vote on President Obama's deficit-reduction plan, but Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) was having none of it.

Train Wreck: The New York Post's Subway Cover  —  “It all happened so fast.”  —  That's what R. Umar Abbasi, a freelance photographer for The New York Post, said of the fatal subway incident on Monday that he caught with his camera.  One man threw another into harm's way, causing him to be run over by an oncoming train.

Mexican Supreme Court strikes down gay marriage ban  —  The Supreme Court of Mexico issued a unanimous ruling Wednesday afternoon that paves the way to universal marriage rights in the country.  —  The actual ruling won't be published for a little while, but the gay rights advocates who brought …

U.S.-Approved Weapons Transfer Ended Up With Libyan Jihadis  —  WASHINGTON — The Obama administration secretly gave its blessing to arms shipments to Libyan rebels from Qatar last year, but American officials later grew alarmed as evidence grew that Qatar was turning some of the weapons …

The Blue-State Suicide Pact  —  Click for full photo gallery: The Fiscal Cliff: States Whose Citizens Stand To Lose The Most  —  With their enthusiastic backing of President Obama and the Democratic Party on Election Day, the bluest parts of America may have embraced a program utterly at odds with their economic self-interest.

TSA: State Sen. Donne Trotter tried to bring handgun, bullets through O'Hare security  —  Illinois State Senator Donne Trotter is charged with felony after allegedly trying to bring a handgun and bullets through security at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport.

Dancing Around Genocide  —  At Human Rights Watch, a bitter behind-the-scenes battle over Iran's calls to annihilate Israel.  —  Is promoting genocide a human-rights violation?  You might think that's an easy question.  But it isn't at Human Rights Watch, where a bitter debate is raging …