Fiscal cliff deal increasingly unlikely  —  Nearly all the major players in the fiscal cliff negotiations are starting to agree on one thing: A deal is virtually impossible before the New Year.  —  Unlike the bank bailout in 2008, the tax deal in 2010 and the debt ceiling in 2011 …

Free David Gregory  —  Moving right along in America's gun control, er, “conversation,” we now have the illuminating debate over the alleged criminality of “Meet the Press” host David Gregory.  Somehow this seems appropriate to the quality of the rest of the gun debate.

E.P.A. Chief to Step Down, With Climate Still Low Priority  —  Lisa P. Jackson is stepping down as administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency after a four-year tenure that began with high hopes of sweeping action to address climate change and other environmental ills but ended …

Report: Mike Crapo drank vodka shots  —  Sen. Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) drank multiple vodka shots before he was arrested for driving under the influence early Sunday morning in Alexandria, according to public court documents.  —  Crapo, 61, has a court date set for Jan. 4, according to news reports.

Republican senators were for Hagel, before they were against him  —  A growing number of GOP senators have expressed concerns about the potential nomination of Chuck Hagel to be Obama's next secretary of defense, but only four years ago many of these same Republicans praised Hagel as a statesman …

Map: Where are the Journal News employees in your neighborhood?  —  The map indicates the addresses of all Journal News Employees in the New York Tri-State area.  Each dot represents an individual Journal News employee — a reporter, editor or staffer.  The data does not include freelancers …

As Swing Districts Dwindle, Can a Divided House Stand?  —  In 1992, there were 103 members of the House of Representatives elected from what might be called swing districts: those in which the margin in the presidential race was within five percentage points of the national result.

Should Piers Morgan Be Deported?  —  Obviously not.  Why do you ask?  —  I hardly even know what to say about the petition to deport Piers Morgan, now at over 80,000 signatures.  I mean, yes, it is a little bit funny to picture the President explaining why we're not going to deport Piers Morgan …

Supreme Court won't block Obama health law's contraception mandate  —  The Supreme Court on Wednesday refused to block the Obama administration's contraception mandate from taking effect.  —  Justice Sonia Sotomayor rejected a request for an emergency injunction that would have shielded employers from the mandate.

Pollsters' Regrets  —  If you spent a tenth the time I did staring at and trying to understand polls during the 2012 election cycle, then you owe it to yourself to read Steven Shepard's National Journal piece on the post-election debate over polls and poll aggregation.

2013 Is the Year to Go to Work, Not Go on Disability  —  The National Bureau of Economic Research declared that the U.S. recession ended in June 2009, yet 2012 didn't look like much of a resurgence.  —  To me, the number that sums up the year's doldrums is the 1.27 million increase in the number …

White House petitions hit Westboro church  —  More than 260,000 people have signed a petition to the White House asking for it to label the notorious Westboro Baptist Church a hate group.  —  The petition aimed at the church best known for picketing military funerals and other events with signs declaring …

Signs of Changes Taking Hold in Electronics Factories in China  —  CHENGDU, China — One day last summer, Pu Xiaolan was halfway through a shift inspecting iPad cases when she received a beige wooden chair with white stripes and a high, sturdy back.  —  At first, Ms. Pu wondered if someone had made a mistake.

Matthews raises profile during campaign  —  NEW YORK (AP) — To his boss, Chris Matthews has become a statesman.  His critics probably have other words.  —  The veteran MSNBC host raised his profile as much as any member of the television commentariat during the presidential campaign.

Americans Want Stricter Gun Laws, Still Oppose Bans  —  Support for strengthening gun sale laws has surged 15 percentage points since 2011  —  PRINCETON, NJ — In the aftermath of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in Newtown, Conn., Gallup finds 58% of Americans in favor of strengthening …