Debt Ceiling Bluff Called By Harry Reid, Leaving Mitch McConnell To Filibuster Himself … REACT:  —  FOLLOW:  —  Debt Ceiling, Harry Reid , Mitch McConnell, U.S. Senate, Video, Barack Obama Debt Ceiling, Fiscal Cliff, Mitch Mcconnell Filibuster, Politics News

Barack Obama, Mitt Romney both topped $1 billion in 2012  —  Obama: $1.123 billion vs. Romney: $1.019 billion.  —  That's the final fundraising tally in the most expensive presidential election ever, according to reports filed Thursday with the Federal Election Commission by the rival campaigns and party committees.

Good riddance, Mr. DeMint  —  Jim DeMint (R-S.C.) is leaving the Senate to take over the Heritage Foundation.  He will replace Ed Feulner as the conservative think tank's president.  He expressed no qualms about leaving the Senate before his term is up, nor did he reflect on his legislative achievements, of which none come to mind.

“Officers Shall Not Take Any Enforcement Action—Other Than to Issue a Verbal Warning—For a Violation of I-502.”  —  Tonight at midnight, Initiative 502 goes into effect, meaning it's no longer a violation of state law to use and possess certain quantities of marijuana in Washington.

The Republican crisis  —  Party of ‘eat your veggies’  —  If you want to know why Republicans and conservatives are in a political crisis, you need only consider the fact that the Right's deeply held view now boils down to this: Taxes should not go up on the wealthy, and your health benefits should be cut.

Arizona Bomber Had Citizenship Rejected by Homeland Security for ‘Terrorism-Related Activity’  —  Back on Sunday I broke the news here at PJ Media of the arrest of Abdullatif Aldosary in connection with the bombing of a Social Security Administration office in Casa Grande, Arizona, last Friday morning.

Bush's White House Press Secretary Tells Female Victims Of Violence: ‘Make Better Decisions’  —  Bush White House Press Secretary-turned-Fox News host Dana Perino asserted Wednesday night that women who are victims of violence should “make better decisions” to avoid being hurt.

Chris Christie nixes state-run insurance exchange  —  New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie rejected a state-run health insurance exchange Thursday, paving the way for the federal government to step in and run one.  —  Christie — who was in Washington on Thursday pushing for Hurricane Sandy aid …

Obama Gets Post-Election Bounce  —  A new Associated Press-GfK poll finds more Americans say the nation is heading in the right direction now than at any time since the start of President Obama's first term.  —  Obama's approval rating stands at 57%, the highest since May 2011 …

Axelrod slashes his mustache  —  Obama campaign adviser David Axelrod shaved his mustache on national television Friday to settle a bet.  —  Axelrod fulfilled the bet with MSNBC “Morning Joe” co-cost Joe Scarborough to raise over $1 million toward epilepsy research.

FCC to FAA: Allow ‘greater use’ of electronic devices during flights  —  The head of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) on Thursday pushed for wider in-flight use of electronic portable devices during airplane flights.  —  FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski called …

Major quake strikes off Japan, setting off small tsunami  —  Are you there?  Share your photos and video with CNN iReport, but please stay safe.  —  Tokyo (CNN) — A powerful earthquake struck off the northeast coast of Japan on Friday evening, rattling buildings in Tokyo and setting off a small tsunami.

Unions target McCaskill, Warner in new round of ‘cliff’ ads  —  A coalition of unions is launching a new round of television ads on Friday pressuring centrist lawmakers to oppose entitlement cuts in a “fiscal cliff” deal.  —  The American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees …

Staffer axed by Republican group over retracted copyright-reform memo  —  Big Content doesn't like the GOP advocating for copyright changes.  —  The Republican Study Committee, a caucus of Republicans in the House of Representatives, has told staffer Derek Khanna that he will be out of a job when Congress re-convenes in January.

Why a Democratic Tea Party Is the Best Hope for Fixing Corrupt Government  —  The solution must come from the grassroots — it can't be imposed from above by reform-minded members of Congress.  —  Reuters  —  At a talk at UCLA last month, I said that America's growing anti-corruption movement needs to think big, not puny.

Bill Clinton: I don't know whether Hillary will run  —  CUPERTINO — Don't bother asking Bill Clinton if his wife is going to run for president in 2016.  —  “If I did know, I wouldn't tell you,” he said Wednesday evening, fielding the first of many questions from a packed audience …

U.S. Small-Business Owners' Hiring Intentions Plunge  —  Net hiring over the past 12 months declined to -12, down from -7 in July  —  PRINCETON, NJ — U.S. small-business owners expect to add fewer net new jobs over the next 12 months than at any time since the depths of the 2008-2009 recession …

UPDATED INFORMATION: Protesters Pepper Sprayed, Arrested At Capitol  —  At least four people were arrested inside the state Capitol, amidst noisy protests against expected Right to Work legislation.  —  Michigan State Police Inspector Gene Adamczyk said that protesters tried to rush …