The fiscal cliff deal that almost wasn't  —  House Speaker John Boehner couldn't hold back when he spotted Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid in the White House lobby last Friday.  —  It was only a few days before the nation would go over the fiscal cliff, no bipartisan agreement was in sight …

Peter King: Halt donations to House GOP  —  New York Republican Rep. Peter King went to war with his Republican colleagues on Wednesday after leaders spiked a Hurricane Sandy relief bill, calling on New Yorkers to stop all donations to GOP House members.  —  “These Republicans have no problem finding …

The Journal News is Armed and Dangerous  —  ROCKLAND COUNTY TIMES EXCLUSIVE  —  Armed guards from RGA Investigations have taken up post at the Journal News' Rockland County headquarters  —  Journal News' Rockland headquarters in West Nyack, Town of Clarkstown  —  Guns are good for the goose but NOT for the gander.

6 Things You Won't Believe That Are In The Fiscal Cliff Bill That The Senate Passed At 2 AM While Most Americans Were Drunk  —  On January 1, just before 2 AM, the Senate overwhelmingly agreed to pass a bill that will avert the Fiscal Cliff.  The House approved it late that night.

Democratic Congressman Laughs At Fox News' Fiscal Cliff Misinformation  —  Rep. Adam Smith (D-WA) schooled the hosts of Fox & Friends on the details of the deal to avert the so-called “fiscal cliff” during an appearance to explain his opposition to the Senate-passed compromise on Wednesday morning.

The Strangest Conservative Priority: Prepping a ‘2nd Amendment Solution’  —  The Bill of Rights offers much smarter, more effective ways to safeguard liberty than preparing for armed insurrection.  —  Reuters  —  In National Review, Kevin Williamson argues that nearly everyone calling …

GOP State Senator: Kwanzaa Is A Leftist Plot ‘To Destroy’ America  —  While outrage about the so-called war on Christmas has died down for another year, Wisconsin state Senator Glenn Grothman (R) has launched a new war on Kwanzaa, claiming it is a fake holiday invented by racist radicals who want to “divide America.”

Senate-Passed Deal Means Higher Tax on 77% of Households  —  The budget deal passed by the U.S. Senate today would raise taxes on 77.1 percent of U.S. households, mostly because of the expiration of a payroll tax cut, according to preliminary estimates from the nonpartisan Tax Policy Center in Washington.

Attorney for Newtown survivor seeking to sue Connecticut for $100 million backs off  —  Irving Pinsky said he's received new information about security at Sandy Hook Elementary School, where his 6-year-old client almost died in a Dec. 14 massacre.  He initially said he would sue Connecticut in order to improve school safety.