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.

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.

Republicans wave the white flag  —  Speaker John Boehner emerged from his weekly huddle with House Republicans on Wednesday morning to take his place behind a mahogany lectern in front of a brown backdrop.  The dark tones provided ideal camouflage for the deeply tanned speaker — as though he were trying to vanish into the background.

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.

FOX'S CORRESPONDENT ON FRONT LINES WITH OBAMA  —  NEW YORK (AP) — Ed Henry's assignment covering the White House would be a challenge for any journalist, no matter his employer.  —  Yet Henry works at Fox News Channel, home base for viewers who longed for President Barack Obama's defeat.

How Democrats' Main Filibuster Reform Would Work  —  Senate Democrats who support reforming the filibuster when the new Congress convenes next month insist their ideas are fairly modest.  Their farthest-reaching proposal, they say, would be to end the era of silent obstruction …

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.”

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.

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 …

‘Voter Suppression,’ Debunked  —  A black activist's surprising admission.  —  A month after Barack Obama's re-election, TalkingPointsMemo.com notes an interesting bit of Democratic triumphalism: … Let's stipulate that what Hardy says is true.  Now, in light of this information, let's consider the argument against voter ID laws.

New Gaza perfume named for missile  —  Cosmetics firm calls scent M-75 in honor of ‘victory’ against Israel during Pillar of Defense  —  A new perfume created in Gaza will bear the name of a missile designed by Hamas and fired in the direction of Jerusalem and Tel Aviv during Operation Pillar …

Clinton 2016: what makes Hillary a Democratic primary winner  —  If she chooses to run for president in 2016, Hillary Clinton has record polling, a solid coalition and top organisation on her side  —  I have no clue whether or not Hillary Clinton will run for the presidency in 2016 …

Lawsuit threat cancels Christmas concert  —  A threatened lawsuit had put a halt to what's become a Christmas tradition for members of the Moanalua High School orchestra.  —  For the past six years, the award-winning group and volunteers from the New Hope Church have raised more than $200,000 …

Cliff diving  —  As the nation eagerly awaits Washington's solution to the so-called fiscal cliff, and as the negotiations continue back and forth in both the media and in reality, here are a few thoughts for consideration.  —  Today it's the fiscal cliff, but that surely will not be the end of it …