President Delivers a New Offer on the Fiscal Crisis to Boehner  —  WASHINGTON — President Obama delivered Speaker John A. Boehner a new offer on Monday to resolve the pending fiscal crisis — and what may be close to a final deal, which would raise revenues by $1.2 trillion over the next decade …

Obama asks Cabinet members for proposals to curb gun violence  —  President Obama on Monday began the first serious push of his administration to attempt to reduce gun violence, directing Cabinet members to formulate a set of proposals that could include reinstating a ban on assault rifles.

Daniel K. Inouye, U.S. senator, dies at 88  —  Sen. Daniel K. Inouye of Hawaii, a highly decorated World War II combat veteran who used his status as one of the most powerful Democrats in Washington and the second-longest-serving senator in history to send billions of dollars to his home islands …

McArdle Wins Worst Newtown Reaction Award  —  In what can only be seen as a malicious plot by Newsweek's editors [Update: this is a long blog post, not a magazine piece] to ensure Megan McArdle's reputation does not outlive Newsweek, the Daily Beast has published a 4,000 word essay by its new hire …

Richard Engel and NBC News team freed from captors in Syria  —  After being held captive for five days in Syria, NBC's Richard Engel and his team recount being ambushed, blindfolded and traumatized before being freed at a checkpoint.  —  By Mike Brunker, NBC News

Barbarians at the Gates of Sandy Hook  —  Popular culture has made murder, rape, mayhem, hatred, and violence “cool”  —  The recent massacre at an elementary school in Connecticut (the ironically named Sandy Hook - it's been a bad year for anything named Sandy) has, predictably …

Instagram says it now has the right to sell your photos  —  In its first big policy shift since Facebook bought the photo-sharing site, Instagram claims the right to sell users' photos without payment or notification.  Oh, and there's no way to opt out.  —  Instagram said today …

Michael Dukakis Will Not Be Interim Senator If Kerry Resigns  —  BOSTON (CBS) - Former Gov. Michael Dukakis says he will not be a candidate for appointment as interim senator should Sen. John Kerry resign to accept appointment as Secretary of State.  —  In a brief State House interview Monday …

Clinton And Kerry Get A Free Ride From The Press  —  Politics: Diplomacy involves considerable travel.  What it shouldn't include is free rides from both the media and political establishment.  But Hillary Clinton and John Kerry are getting just that as the guard changes at State.

Gun Control, Thought Control and People Control  —  The gun control debate, like all debates with the left, is reducible to the question of whether we are individuals who make our own decisions or a great squishy social mass that helplessly responds to stimuli.  Do people kill with guns or does the availability of guns kill people?

It's raining men  —  Behind the Curtain: About this weekly feature  —  Behind the Curtain is a reported column, Web show and online conversation about the behind-the-scenes intrigue that shapes politics and policy.  It will unfold every Tuesday (and beyond, when news dictates).

Guns and the Decline of the Young Man  —  Adam Lanza was a young man.  Jacob Roberts was a young man.  James Holmes is a young man.  Seung-Hui Cho was a young man.  Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold were young men.  —  Something about life in the United States is conducive to young men planning …