I Hope This Isn't True  —  Ezra Klein says that the shape of a fiscal cliff deal is clear: only a 37 percent rate on top incomes, and a rise in the Medicare eligibility age.  —  I'm going to cross my fingers and hope that this is just a case of creeping Broderism, that it's a VSP fantasy …

Charlie Crist signs papers to become a Democrat  —  It was just a matter of time.  Charlie Crist is becoming a Democrat.  —  Crist — Florida's former Republican governor who relished the tough-on-crime nickname “Chain Gang Charlie” and used to describe himself variously as a …

Special Report: From abuse to a chat room, a martyr is made - Jane's Jihad  —  (Reuters) - “Kill him.”  —  The American who called herself Jihad Jane read the words on her computer screen.  Colleen LaRose was fiddling on the Internet, passing time in her duplex near Philadelphia …

Mayan apocalypse: panic spreads as December 21 nears  —  Fears that the end of the world is nigh have spread across the world with only days until the end of the Mayan calendar, with doomsday-mongers predicting a cataclysmic end to the history of Earth.  —  Cubans participate in a Mayan ritual at Bacuranao beach in eastern Havana.

Catcher in the Rye dropped from US school curriculum  —  Schools in America are to drop classic books such as Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird and JD Salinger's Catcher in the Rye from their curriculum in favour of ‘informational texts’.  —  JD Salinger's novel Catcher in the Rye …

Obama, Rubio offer different prescriptions for middle class  —  (CNN) - President Barack Obama and Sen. Marco Rubio addressed the importance of the middle class during their weekly addresses Saturday, but each offered different prescriptions for prosperity.  —  Obama urged Congress to pass …

Illegal immigrant gets kidney  —  Loyola covers costs of transplant  —  As an illegal immigrant, Jorge Mariscal waited eight years for a kidney transplant he feared would never come.  —  His persistence paid off Thursday when he underwent the procedure at Loyola University Medical Center.

Labor rebellion: Fast-food workers, inspired by Walmart strikers, demand higher wages  —  Last month, workers at hundreds of Walmart locations nationwide staged protests—many on Black Friday, the busiest shopping day of the year—demanding the retail giant pay higher wages.

New Anti-Islam Ads to Debut This Month, Now With 25% More MTA Disclaimer  —  Pamela Geller is at it again.  —  The outspoken blogger and Executive Director of the American Freedom Defense Initiative has just purchased a slew of advertising space in several subway stations …

Psy Apologizes for Anti-American Performances  —  ‘I will forever be sorry for any pain I have caused anyone by those words,’ says South Korean singer  —  “Gangnam Style” singer Psy issued an apology Friday in reponse to widespread reports about his participation in two anti-American concerts a decade ago in his native South Korea.

Supreme Court Takes Up Landmark Gay Marriage Case  —  The Supreme Court declared Friday that it will take up same sex marriage next year in what's sure to be a blockbuster case with sweeping implications.  —  The Court accepted a challenge to the Defense of Marriage Act …

Judge rules that Archdiocese of New York's lawsuit against HHS mandate may proceed  —  A US district court judge has ruled that the Archdiocese of New York's lawsuit against the HHS mandate may proceed.  Other courts have dismissed similar lawsuits on the grounds that the Catholic plaintiffs …