Battleground Poll: Hike taxes on rich  —  An American appetite for tax hikes gives President Barack Obama leverage in fiscal cliff negotiations.  —  A new POLITICO/George Washington University Battleground Poll finds that 60 percent of respondents support raising taxes on households that earn …

Obama meets Psy  —  President Barack Obama and Psy shared the stage in Washington on Sunday but didn't dance “Gangnam Style” together.  —  Instead, the South Korean pop star, wearing a sparkly red top, shook hands with the president during the “Christmas in Washington” concert held at the National Building Museum.

Conservative Pundits: Accepting Same-Sex Marriage Is Common Sense  —  Republican political strategist Mary Matalin must have finally gotten the message that a growing number of Americans support marriage equality for gay and lesbian couples.  On ABC's This Week, as the show discussed …

Robots and Robber Barons  —  The American economy is still, by most measures, deeply depressed.  But corporate profits are at a record high.  How is that possible?  It's simple: profits have surged as a share of national income, while wages and other labor compensation are down.

U.S. Navy SEAL killed in operation to rescue American doctor in Afghanistan  —  Kabul, Afghanistan (CNN) — An elite U.S. special forces team rescued an American doctor who had been abducted in Afghanistan, but lost one of their own members in the mission, officials said.

Police concerned with Apple iOS 6 mapping system  —  Mildura Police are urging motorists to be careful when relying on the mapping system on the Apple i-phones operating on the iOS 6 system after a number of motorists were directed off the beaten track in recent weeks.

Intelligence community: U.S. out as sole superpower by 2030  —  A new report by the intelligence community projects that the United States will no longer be the world's only superpower by 2030.  —  “In terms of the indices of overall power - GDP, population size, military spending …

The Nonsense About a Demographic Crisis  —  One of themes that recurs endlessly in news coverage is that the United States and other countries face a disastrous threat to their living standards as a result of a falling ratio of workers to retirees.  This is one that can be easily dismissed with some simple arithmetic.

As a watchdog, she spoke out.  But in the Senate, the establishment critic is showing restraint.  —  Elizabeth Warren is resigning the tenured post at Harvard Law School that took her 30 years to achieve.  She has met privately with her former opponent, Scott Brown, who addressed her as professor instead of senator-elect.

Newark Mayor Booker: Gov. Christie is ‘vulnerable’  —  The high-profile Democrat aspires to statewide office.  —  STORY HIGHLIGHTS  —  9:40AM EST December 10.  2012 - Newark Mayor Cory Booker says he'll decide in two weeks whether he'll run for New Jersey governor or U.S. Senate.

READ THE BILLS:  —  The Michigan Nurses Association announced a 10:30 a.m. demonstration at which some of its members will appear on the Capitol steps with duct tape over their mouths.  —  “This politically motivated legislation will only give corporations and CEOs more power to silence workers …

Egypt crisis: Morsi gives army arrest powers before vote  —  The BBC's Shaimaa Khalil says Egypt has become a visibly divided country  —  Egypt's President Morsi has ordered the military to maintain security and protect state institutions in the run-up to a referendum on the constitution.