White House could protect middle class from looming tax hikes  —  The White House has the power to temporarily protect taxpayers from middle-class tax hikes even as upper income rates rise if Congress does nothing and all of the Bush-era tax rates expire in January.

Volcanoes, Not Meteorite, Killed Dinosaurs, New Study Suggests … REACT:  —  FOLLOW:  —  Video, Dinosaur Death, Dinosaur Extinction, Dinosaurs Asteroid, Dinosaurs Deccan Traps, Dinosaurs India, Dinosaurs Lava, Dinosaurs Volcano, Volcanic Activity Dinosaurs, Volcanoes Killed Dinosaurs, What Killed Dinosaurs, Science News

U.S. Senator Protests Climate Talks With Activist Who Believes The UN Is The Anti-Christ  —  Senator James Inhofe (R-OK), the lead Republican on the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, held a climate-denial press conference at the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change on Thursday.

Clinton's Countless Choices Hinge on One: 2016  —  You're one of the most famous women on earth, and you're jobless for the first time in decades.  You'd like to make money, but you don't want to rule out running for president.  So what do you do all day?  —  Right now, aides and friends say …

For the first time, same-sex couples wed in Wash. state  —  In the Nov. 6 election, Washington, Maine and Maryland became the first states to allow same-sex couples to marry by popular vote.  —  STORY HIGHLIGHTS  —  10:33AM EST December 9.  2012 - SEATTLE — Emily cried …

Sen. Corker open to higher tax rates as part of deficit-cutting deal  —  Sen. Bob Corker (R-Tenn.) on Sunday joined a growing chorus of Republicans who are open to higher tax rates for the richest Americans as part of a deal to avoid the “fiscal cliff.”  —  Corker, a member of the Senate …

How close did Israel just come to its own Cuban missile crisis?  —  Nov. 17, 2012: Explosion and smoke rise following an Israeli strike in Gaza, seen from the Israel Gaza Border, southern Israel.AP  —  HAIFA, ISRAEL - Hundreds of Iranian-made, long-range missiles already smuggled …

Newark Mayor Booker considering runs for governor, Senate  —  Newark Mayor Cory Booker (D) said Sunday that he is considering a run for higher office, including Senate as well as governor of New Jersey.  —  Speaking on CBS's “Face the Nation,” Booker, a rising star in the Democratic Party …

‘This Week’ Transcript: Two Powerhouse Roundtables  —  STEPHANOPOULOS (voice-over): Good morning, and welcome to “This Week.”  —  With 23 days to go, stalemate.  —  OBAMA: I want to send a very clear message.  I will not play that game.  —  STEPHANOPOULOS: The president digs in.

Big Money Bets on a Housing Rebound  —  DAVID N. MILLER, a master of bailouts, steps to the dais and coolly explains how the financial world went crazy.  —  It is February 2010.  The anger behind Occupy Wall Street is building.  Flicking through slides, Mr. Miller, a Treasury official working …

Lagarde: ‘Zero’ U.S. growth without a deal  —  Washington (CNN) — The head of the International Monetary Fund warned that the American economy won't grow next year without a deal on the fiscal cliff.  —  Chistine Lagarde, the managing director of the IMF, spoke to CNN's Candy Crowley on …