Medicare Eligibility Age on the Table?  —  In Washington, when a rumor just won't die, it begins to look like strategy.  And one rumor that has Washington riveted is the potential for a deal on the fiscal shenanigans needed to stave off sequester that would raise the eligibility age for Medicare.

What Is Paul Ryan's Role During the Fiscal Cliff Negotiations?  —  After 88 days in the spotlight as Mitt Romney's VP pick, Paul Ryan has stepped into the shadows (specifically, hometown Janesville, Wisc.) for the five-day House break - but that doesn't mean he's not taking phone calls and answering emails.

California state revenues 10.8% below budget projections in November  —  The following information was released by the California Controller.  —  State Controller John Chiang today released his monthly report covering California's cash balance, receipts and disbursements in November 2012 …

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.

How the Mainstream Press Bungled the Single Biggest Story of the 2012 Campaign … Elections 2012 , Thomas Mann , Elite Political Press , Fact Checking , Lies , Msm , Norman Ornstein , Political Coverage , Media News  —  Post-mortems of contemporary election coverage typically include regrets …

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 …

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 …

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.

National Rifle Association: More Guns Could Have Saved Javon Belcher's Girlfriend … NBC sports anchor Bob Costas believes that Kasandra Perkins' life could have been saved had her boyfriend, Kansas City Chiefs Linebacker Javon Belcher, not had access to a firearm.

Obama Team Outlines Donor Packages for Inauguration  —  WASHINGTON — President Obama's finance team is offering corporations and other institutions that contribute $1 million exclusive access to an array of inaugural festivities, including tickets to a “benefactors reception,” a children's concert …

Mobster uses mass-mailed letters from Obama, other politicians in bid for leniency  —  This mobster is the scam artist-in-chief.  —  A longtime Gambino crime-family associate tried to convince a judge he's politically connected to avoid a harsh sentence — claiming a mass-mailing …