A third option changes the negotiation  —  The conventional wisdom on the fiscal cliff is that there are two options: (1) an Obama-Boehner deal; or (2) no deal, in which case there is no legislation before the end of the year and we “go off the fiscal cliff.”

For immediate release  —  Information received since the Federal Open Market Committee met in October suggests that economic activity and employment have continued to expand at a moderate pace in recent months, apart from weather-related disruptions.  Although the unemployment rate …

Do We Really Have to Condemn the Union Protestor Who Punched Fox News Comedian Steven Crowder?  —  Good, serious progressives are supposed to condemn violence as a political tactic, because it's wrong and in many cases counterproductive.  But do we really need to condemn the union protestor …

The Political Advantages of Not Caring  —  Near the end of a column on the Michigan “right-to-work” coup, Jonathan Chait offers an important insight on why Republicans are willing and able to pull these sort of stunts: … It's kind of important to understand that this total hostility to the labor movement …

The Republican Bait-and-Switch  —  Michigan Governor Rick Snyder opens the Detroit Regional Chamber 2012 Mackinac Policy Conference.  —  One striking thing about Governor Rick Snyder's successful push for a right-to-work law in Michigan—and Scott Walker's similar push against public employee unions …

GOV'T ARRESTS ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT SENATE INTERN  —  WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez employed as an unpaid intern in his Senate office an illegal immigrant who was a registered sex offender, now under arrest by immigration authorities, The Associated Press has learned.

Barbara Walters' 2012 “Most Fascinating People”  —  Barbara tells “GMA” how she came up with this year's list.  —  Transcript for Barbara Walters' 2012 “Most Fascinating People”  —  Her husband wants her to.  But she's not sure.  Another person a lot of people talk about for running in 2016 …

Lie of the Year: the Romney campaign's ad on Jeeps made in China  —  It was a lie told in the critical state of Ohio in the final days of a close campaign — that Jeep was moving its U.S. production to China.  It originated with a conservative blogger, who twisted an accurate news story into a falsehood.

Rep. Jim Moran's Son Guilty of Beating Up His Girlfriend in Columbia Heights  —  Update, 4:30 p.m.: Rep. Moran says his son's incident was an accident, and Patrick Moran's girlfriend blames her injuries on a broken high heel.  —  Patrick Moran, the son of Democratic Virginia Rep. Jim Moran, is having a bad year.

Time and Punishment: Mandatory Sentences Face Growing Skepticism  —  TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Stephanie George and Judge Roger Vinson had quite different opinions about the lockbox seized by the police from her home in Pensacola.  She insisted she had no idea that a former boyfriend had hidden it in her attic.

Lindsey Graham Compares Marriage Equality Debate To The Civil War  —  Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) waffled on his same-sex marriage stance Tuesday night, telling CNN's Piers Morgan he thinks states should have the right to decide marriage rights.  —  This is a departure from Graham's longstanding commitment …

Union Thugs Demolish Clint Tarver's Iconic Lansing,Michigan Hot Dog Cart [Photo-Donation Link] Update: Thugs Yelled “N*gger, Uncle Tom” Update 5: Audio: Clint Confirms The Slurs On The Dana Loesch Show  —  I support Clint: … Beyond the Cart: The Story of Clint Tarver:

Powerful committee seats rewarded to Dems who survived tough races  —  Politics played a powerful role in Senate Democrats' committee assignments, announced on Wednesday, with many of the Sens.-elect who survived tough races given plum spots in powerful committees as a reward.

Obama Wins Almost 50% Republicans on Tax Mandate in Poll  —  President Barack Obama won the public argument over taxes so decisively that almost half of Republicans now say he has an election mandate to raise rates on the rich.  —  Majorities of about 2-to-1 also read the election results …

Scientists May Have Finally Unlocked Puzzle of Why People Are Gay  —  Lesbians get it from fathers, gay men from mothers?  —  Scientists may have finally solved the puzzle of what makes a person gay, and how it is passed from parents to their children.  —  A group of scientists suggested Tuesday …

Joe L. Allbritton dies at 87  —  Joe L. Allbritton, who vaulted from modest means as a young man in post-World War II Texas to become one of the most influential media and financial figures of his generation, died Wednesday in Houston after several months of ill health.  He was 87.

Scalia blocks the aisle against gay marriage  —  The Supreme Court's announcement Friday that it will take up gay marriage is more than a chance for the justices to recognize the emerging national consensus in support of gay rights.  —  It is a chance for them to overrule the medieval views of Antonin Scalia.