Boehner Gains Strong Backing of House G.O.P.  —  WASHINGTON — With a daunting fiscal crisis looming and conservatives outside the House torching him at every turn, Speaker John A. Boehner might be assumed to have a shaky hold on his gavel.  Instead, it appears he is enjoying the broadest support …

Sen. Jim DeMint to Head Heritage Foundation  —  South Carolina U.S. Senator Jim DeMint will replace Ed Feulner as president of the Heritage Foundation.  Mr. DeMint will leave his post as South Carolina's junior senator in early January to take control of the Washington think tank, which has an annual budget of about $80 million.

The Political Risks of Cliff-Diving  —  Republicans will get the blame, but it is the president who will be weakened most.  —  President Barack Obama has clear advantages in the public-opinion contest over the fiscal cliff.  He recently won re-election, Democrats increased their Senate majority and the GOP controls only the House.

Tim Cook's Freshman Year: The Apple CEO Speaks  —  Prior to his death on Oct. 5, 2011, Steve Jobs made sure that the elevation of Tim Cook—his longtime head of operations and trusted deputy—to Apple chief executive officer would be drama-free.  “He goes, ‘I never want you to ask what I would have done,’” recalls Cook.

Lawmaker chews out staffer for riding on members-only elevator  —  Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-N.C.) chewed out a House staffer after catching her riding on a “members only” elevator, according to an ITK tipster who was on the scene.  —  But Foxx's office is calling our lookout's description of events in the elevator an “exaggeration.”

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 …

U.S. Unadjusted Unemployment Shoots Back Up  —  Unemployment situation best for college grads, whites, men, and older workers  —  WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. unemployment, as measured by Gallup without seasonal adjustment, was 7.8% for the month of November, up significantly from 7.0% for October.

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 …

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 …

Olive Garden Suffering From Bad PR After Anti-Obamacare Comments  —  Darden Restaurants, Inc. — owner of Red Lobster and Olive Garden — is battling back negative press attention in light of its October announcement that the company will use Obamacare as a reason to shift to part-time employees.

I Am Not Big Brother  —  I'VE grown accustomed to reading inaccurate accounts of my day job.  I'm in political data.  —  If I'm not spying on private citizens through the security cam in the parking garage, I'm probably sifting through their garbage for discarded pages from their diaries …

Wall Street Bank Cuts 11,000 Jobs After Paying Ousted Executives $14 Million  —  Citigroup announced on Wednesday that it will cut 11,000 jobs, or 4 percent of its workforce, in an effort to trim expenses.  —  The moves comes one month after Citigroup paid out nearly $14 million to two former executives …

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.