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.

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.

Jeff Merkley Circulates ‘Talking Filibuster’ Reform Proposal … REACT:  —  FOLLOW:  —  U.S. Senate, U.S. Senate, Video, Jeff Merkley, Jeff Merkley Talking Filibuster, Filibuster, Filibuster Reform, Harry Reid Filibuster, Harry Reid Filibuster Reform, Jeff Merkley Filibuster Reform …

The Conservative Case for Right-to-Work Laws  —  The enactment of a so-called right- to-work law by the state of Michigan this week is indeed, as the news media have described it, a blow against the union movement.  Michigan, of all places.  But it is also a blow against fairness and common sense.

SC governor: Experience not required for DeMint's Senate seat  —  COLUMBIA, SC — Gov. Nikki Haley said Thursday that political experience is not a requirement for the successor to resigning U.S. Sen. Jim DeMint.  —  Haley will name that successor, and two of the governor's five reported finalists …

‘The a—hole factor’  —  Back-bench freshmen Justin Amash, Tim Huelskamp and David Schweikert are gaining martyr status among conservative activists after they were “purged” from House committees for what they say is a matter of sticking to their principles on tough votes.

President Obama's pledge to close Gitmo in second term faces difficult test  —  President Obama's commitment to closing the Guantánamo Bay prison in his second term is being tested before Inauguration Day after the Senate passed an open-ended ban on transferring Guantánamo detainees to the United States.

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 …

Where big GOP bucks could matter  —  Mitt Romney and the GOP lost, but it wasn't for lack of money.  They spent a lot; they just didn't get enough bang for the buck.  —  Billionaire Sheldon Adelson alone donated $150 million.  But Romney lost anyway, especially among unmarried women.

Harvard, Legendary Home Of Harvard Lampoon, Strangles Campus Satire  —  Harvard University should be no stranger to satire.  Home of the famous Harvard Lampoon, ("lampoon" means satire), the school is indirectly responsible for modern exercises in satire and parody like National Lampoon's Vacation …

Obama ‘May Decide To Go Blow Up Small Countries’ For Fun, Norquist Predicts … Although a growing number Republicans are distancing themselves from the Americans for Tax Reform anti-tax pledge, Grover Norquist is confident that Congressional Republicans will force massive cuts to government programs …

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. Terrorism Agency to Tap a Vast Database of Citizens  —  Top U.S. intelligence officials gathered in the White House Situation Room in March to debate a controversial proposal.  Counterterrorism officials wanted to create a government dragnet, sweeping up millions of records about U.S. citizens—even people suspected of no crime.

Google's tax avoidance is called ‘capitalism’, says chairman Eric Schmidt  —  Google chairman Eric Schmidt has insisted that he is “very proud” of the company's tax structure, and said that measures to lower its payments were just “capitalism”.  —  Mr Schmidt's comments risk inflaming the row …

Rep. James Moran's son pleads guilty to assaulting girlfriend  —  The son of Rep. James P. Moran on Wednesday pleaded guilty to assaulting his girlfriend, admitting to a role in an alcohol-fueled incident outside a Northwest Washington nightspot this month.  —  Patrick B. Moran, 23 …

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 …

Solar Panels for Every Home  —  WE don't think much about pitch pine poles until storms like Hurricane Sandy litter our landscape with their splintered corpses and arcing power lines.  Crews from as far away as California and Quebec have worked feverishly to repair or replace those poles …