White House drops support for major Medicaid cut  —  The Obama administration backed away Monday from roughly $100 billion in Medicaid savings it had proposed during deficit-reduction talks earlier this year.  —  The move comes as liberals have pressed the White House to take Medicaid off …

Two Cheers for Zero Dark Thirty's Torture Scenes  —  One scene features a bloodied, disoriented and humiliated man is strapped to a wall with his pants around his ankles.  A second scene depicts the same man having liquid forcibly poured down his throat; later, he's shoved into a box that could barely hold your stereo.

Panel Recommends that Maine Prosecutor be Suspended … Assistant Hancock County District Attorney Mary Kellett is being recommended for suspension by a panel of the Maine Board of Bar Overseers.  Created by the Maine Supreme Judicial Court, the board governs the conduct of lawyers.

NO SHOTS FIRED: STATE DEPT BENGHAZI SECURITY FORCE UNARMED  —  A source with personal knowledge of the security situation in Benghazi told Breitbart News that Senators who listened to closed door testimony about the Benghazi attack were shocked to learn State Department security personnel agents were not immediately armed.

In Talks, House Majority Weighs Loyalty to Voters  —  WASHINGTON — As their leaders inch toward agreeing to higher tax rates, dozens of House Republicans find themselves caught between the will of a larger American public that favors higher taxes on the rich and the wishes of constituents …

This Is Not Wisconsin.  It's Worse.  —  Sheldon Dick/Farm Security Administration  —  Strikers guarding window entrance to Fisher body plant number three in Flint, Michigan (1937)  —  Let's clear one thing up.  “Right to work” laws, which permit employees working at a unionized workplace …

Republicans must wise up  —  The biggest problem the Republican Party faces is not uninspiring candidates or unsound tactics.  It is unpopular ideas.  —  This reality was brought home in last month's election.  It's playing out in the struggle over how to avoid the “fiscal cliff.”

Terrorist Designations of the al-Nusrah Front as an Alias for al-Qa'ida in Iraq  —  Press Statement  —  Department Spokesperson, Office of the Spokesperson  —  Washington, DC  —  The Department of State has amended the Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) and Executive Order (E.O.) …

Sens. Klobuchar, Hagan: Delay medical device tax  —  Sens. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) and Kay Hagan (D-N.C.) on Monday sought to delay a new tax on medical devices, which is part of President Obama's signature healthcare law.  —  The senators — both from states where the device industry …

US sending 20 more F-16s to Egypt, despite turmoil in Cairo  —  Turmoil in Egypt isn't stopping a shipment of 20 F-16 fighter jets, including this one - already emblazoned with Egypt's flag.  —  Instability in Egypt, where a newly-elected Islamic government teeters over an angry population …

Remarks by the President at the Daimler Detroit Diesel Plant, Redford, MI  —  THE PRESIDENT: Hello, Redford!  (Applause.)  It is good to be back in Michigan.  (Applause.)  How is everybody doing today?  (Applause.)  —  Now, let me just start off by saying we have something in common — both our teams lost yesterday.

A Resistance Movement Rises Against ObamaCare  —  This article appears in the December 24, 2012 issue of Forbes.  —  (Photo credit: Mike Licht, NotionsCapital.com)  —  ObamaCare may be the law, but a major resistance movement has already sprouted across the U.S. Though approval …

INFOGRAPHIC: We Could End Homelessness With The Money Americans Spend On Christmas Decorations  —  The latest annual report from the Department of Housing and Urban Development shows that the national homeless population held steady from 2011 to 2012, hardly good news but perhaps better …

George Zimmerman case: Hearing today on GPS, evidence motions  —  Zimmerman, charged with murder in the shooting of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin, wants to be let off GPS monitoring.  —  George Zimmerman, left, arrives at the Seminole County courthouse for a hearing, Tuesday, December 11, 2012.

GOP mute as Supreme Court tackles gay marriage  —  House Republican leaders had a uniform response to the Supreme Court's decision to take up gay marriage: Silence.  —  The high court's decision last week to hear two cases relating to same-sex marriage puts that issue at the center of the national debate.

THE VOICES MISSING FROM THE SAFETY NET DEBATE  —  Something there is about the Supplemental Security Income Program of the Social Security Administration that seems to drive putative liberals to embrace their inner DeMint.  Years ago, when Bill Clinton was in the White House and Newt Gingrich …

The Union ‘Free-Rider Problem’ Myth in Right-to-Work Debate  —  The union is the one truly taking advantage of the collective bargaining arrangement  —  With Michigan on track to become a right-to-work state, which would make it illegal to fire an employee for refusing to pay union dues or agency fees …

Goldman's Top Economist Explains The World's Most Important Chart, And His Big Call For The US Economy  —  In a recent report, Goldman's top economist Jan Hatzius predicted that finally, the US would see a real growth acceleration in the second half of 2013.  —  There are three great reasons to listen to Hatzius:

Hostess Maneuver Deprived Pension  —  Hostess Brands Inc. said it used wages that were supposed to help fund employee pensions for the company's operations as it sank toward bankruptcy.  —  It isn't clear how many of the Irving, Texas, company's workers were affected by the move …

Google Revenues Sheltered in No-Tax Bermuda Soar to $10 Billion  —  Front Street in Hamilton, Bermuda.  The increase in Google's revenues routed to Bermuda, disclosed in a Nov. 21 filing by a subsidiary, could fuel the outrage over corporate tax dodging.  —  Google Inc. (GOOG) …

Gov. Hickenlooper signs Amendment 64 proclamation, creates task force to recommend needed legislative actions  —  Gov. John Hickenlooper today signed an Executive Order that makes an “official declaration of the vote” related to Amendment 64.  That declaration formalizes the amendment as part …

Worst Marketing Decision Ever: Drycleaner Puts “Pro-life” Message on Their Hangers  —  There is a branch of anti-choice activists that will use pretty much anything as a medium for their message: newspaper ads, graphic signs displayed in front of schools, bus stop benches.

Sore Loser Allen West: My Opponent Only Won Because He Cheated  —  In an exit befitting his outspoken, controversial two years in Congress, Rep. Allen West (R-FL) said that he only lost his re-election because his opponent cheated.  —  West lost narrowly to Democratic up-and-comer Patrick Murphy last month …