Fiscal cliff: House will come back on Sunday  —  House Republican leaders are bringing the House back into session on Sunday, lawmakers were told in a Thursday conference call.  —  one day before the nation reaches the fiscal cliff.

US Rep. Markey to run in Senate special election  —  US Representative Edward Markey, dean of the state's Washington delegation, will run in 2013 for the US Senate seat expected to open with the nomination of US Senator John Kerry to head the State Department.

Media disdain for the David Gregory story  —  Some political and media types weren't impressed by headlines this week reporting that D.C. police are investigating the alleged display of a gun magazine on NBC's Meet the Press.  They took to the Internet with their disdain for the story.

Changing History  —  Some fascinating findings from Pew's on-going number crunching of the 2012 election.  African-Americans, for the first time ever, may have voted at higher rates than American whites.  —  From Pew ...  Pew goes on to note that while participation rates for Hispanics …

‘Die painfully’: 50 soulless degenerates who can't wait for George H.W. Bush to die  —  Former President George H.W. Bush is surrounded by family in the ICU of Houston's Methodist Hospital as he fights a “stubborn fever.”  Doctors are “cautiously optimistic,” but the 88-year-old “remains in guarded condition.”

Folks freak at size of tax hikes if fiscal cliff isn't averted in the coming days  —  They're ready to jump off a real cliff.  —  New Yorkers of all income levels got a rude awakening yesterday when they saw in The Post how much more they will pay in taxes next year without a fiscal-cliff deal by Jan. 1.

Federal Court Won't Rescue the Senate From Its Own Incapacity  —  Senators must tame the filibuster or it will destroy them — and the Congress they serve in.  —  Joshua Roberts/Reuters  —  Federal Judges rarely play Santa Claus, and U.S. District Judge Emmet Sullivan declined to brighten the holiday for Senate Democrats.

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 …

E-book Reading Jumps; Print Book Reading Declines  —  Findings  —  The population of e-book readers is growing.  In the past year, the number of those who read e-books increased from 16% of all Americans ages 16 and older to 23%.  At the same time, the number of those who read printed books …

Feinstein defends foreign surveillance program amid criticism  —  Senate Intelligence Committee Chairwoman Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) on Thursday pushed back against claims made by Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) that a counterterrorism surveillance law lacks sufficient oversight.

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.

Abortion-rights champion stepping down  —  As the 40th anniversary of Roe v. Wade approaches, a leading abortion-rights advocate is ready to hand over the reins to a new generation.  —  Nancy Keenan will step down early next year from her post as president of NARAL Pro-Choice America …

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.