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 …

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.

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 …

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 …

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.

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 …

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 …

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 …

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.

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.

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.”

Conservative group launches campaign to ‘depose’ Boehner from speakership  —  The backlash against Speaker of the House John Boehner's removal of several conservative members of Congress from committees continued Wednesday, with one conservative group calling for Republicans to “depose” Boehner from his speakership.

Google+: Communities and photos  —  For our international readers, this post is also available in Chinese, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Portuguese and Spanish (Spain, Latin America).  - Ed.  —  During the holidays we reconnect with loved ones and rediscover what makes us tick.

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 …