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.

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 …

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.

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 …

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 …

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 …

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.) …

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.

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.”

Clinton cancels Mid East trip due to illness  —  Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will not attend the Dec. 12 meeting of the Friends of Syria in Morocco due to a lingering stomach ailment.  —  Clinton was expected to make news at the event by formally recognizing the National Coalition …

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 …

FBI Report Shows Anti-LGBT Hate Crimes Increased In 2011  —  The FBI has released its hate crimes statistics for the year 2011.  The Anti-Defamation League notes that the overall number of hate crime incidents decreased from 6,628 in 2010 to 6,222, the lowest number of reported hate crimes since 1994.

California doubles down on solar power, as critics question cost, job results  —  Solar power facilities like this one in Riverside County, Calif., have raises concerns among some, who question whether the public is really benefiting from the investment.FOX NEWS

More Americans Want Leaders to Compromise on Fiscal Cliff  —  Obama's approval still higher than GOP leaders' for his handling of the situation  —  PRINCETON, NJ — Americans have become even more convinced over the past week that government leaders in Washington should compromise …

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 …

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.

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 …

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 …

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.

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:

Election Sharpens the Partisan Divide  —  If the stop-and-go talks aimed at steering the nation away from the fiscal cliff seem to show that Washington remains a deeply divided place, there is good reason: The nation beyond the people's representatives remains just as deeply divided.