Corker introduces bill trading nearly $1T in entitlement cuts for debt-ceiling hike  —  Sen. Bob Corker (R-Tenn.) introduced a bill Wednesday to trade nearly $1 trillion in entitlement savings for an equal hike in the debt ceiling.  —  Corker said the Dollar For Dollar Act would include $937 billion …

NBC/WSJ poll: Public wants compromise to avoid fiscal cliff  —  Fiscal cliff talks have stalled as ‘serious differences’ remain between both parties - and according to the latest NBC/WSJ poll the public wants an agreement, soon.  Although both sides are still discussing ways to avoid the fiscal cliff …

Insight: How Republicans engineered a blow to Michigan's powerful unions  —  (Reuters) - As a trained aerospace engineer, Patrick Colbeck applied his penchant for data analysis and “systematic approach” to his new job in early 2011: a Michigan state senator, recently elected and keen to create jobs in the faded industrial powerhouse.

Standing and Delivering  —  Is it heretical of me, or merely quirky, to find myself nearly as fascinated by the procedural game the Supreme Court is playing in the same-sex marriage cases as I am by the underlying merits of the two appeals the court has agreed to decide?

GOP's Solyndra point man says Romney dropped ball  —  Rep. Cliff Stearns (R-Fla.), the lead GOP investigator of the bankrupt solar company Solyndra, said failed presidential hopeful Mitt Romney should have done more to capitalize on the collapse of the White House-backed panel manufacturer.

U.S. Census Bureau Projections Show a Slower Growing, Older, More Diverse Nation a Half Century from Now  —  The U.S. population will be considerably older and more racially and ethnically diverse by 2060, according to projections released today by the U.S. Census Bureau.

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.

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 …

Committee Assignments For 113th Congress Approved By Democratic Steering Committee … Reid: Assignments “Will Allow All Members Of Our Caucus To Bring Their Unique Talents And Expertise To Bear As We Work Together To Advance The Interests Of The Middle Class.”

Blue Shield of California seeks rate hikes up to 20%  —  In filings with state regulators, Blue Shield is seeking an average rate increase of 12% for more than 300,000 customers.  Consumer advocates say the firm should use its reserves to hold down rates.  —  Health insurer Blue Shield …

Joe Lieberman's sad send-off  —  It was a lonely farewell for Joe Lieberman.  —  When the senior senator from Connecticut stood to give his parting address Wednesday afternoon, just one of his colleagues, Delaware Democrat Tom Carper, was with him on the Senate floor.

A new play, an old problem of media bias  —  Roger L. Simon, former Hollywood screenwriter and now CEO of the conservative PJ Media, and his wife, Sheryl Longin, have written a new play with an unlikely subject, the journalist fraud perpetrated by Walter Duranty of the New York Times …

Loud-Ass TV Ads Are About to Be Outlawed  —  Listen up, TV advertisers: Big Brother is muting you!  Well, not entirely.  But beginning at midnight tonight, new Federal Communications Commission rules will bar television networks from blasting viewers with those excessively loud, screamy commercial breaks.

Chris Christie, One of Barbara Walters' 10 Most Fascinating People of 2012  —  Chris Christie, New Jersey's bombastic governor, found himself literally in the eye of the storm when two of this year's biggest news stories — the presidential election and superstorm Sandy — collided.

Huge news out of the Federal Reserve  —  Federal Reserve policymakers unveiled a huge surprise this afternoon.  The central bank has now laid out specific numbers for the inflation and unemployment rates that will lead it to start thinking about raising interest rates.