Boehner tells GOP he's through negotiating one-on-one with Obama  —  Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) is signaling that at least one thing will change about his leadership during the 113th Congress: he's telling Republicans he is done with private, one-on-one negotiations with President Obama.

Al Jazeera Seeks a U.S. Voice Where Gore Failed  —  9:16 p.m. |  Updated Al Jazeera, the pan-Arab news giant, has long tried to convince Americans that it is a legitimate news organization, not a parrot of Middle Eastern propaganda or something more sinister.  —  It just bought itself 40 million more chances to make its case.

That Bad Ceiling Feeling  —  More thoughts about the fiscal deal:  —  One good thing is that the deficit scolds are furious: they had their hearts set on exploiting this crisis to push through benefit cuts, and it didn't happen — part of the larger good news that Obama didn't gut Social Security or Medicare this time around.

GOP chair urges support for same-sex marriage  —  Both sides are ramping up their gay marriage arguments in Springfield.  —  View other photograph collections  —  SPRINGFIELD — Illinois Republican Party Chairman Pat Brady of St. Charles is calling GOP lawmakers asking them to support …

Milky Way Contains At Least 100 Billion Planets, New Analysis Finds  —  The Milky Way contains at least 100 billion planets, or enough to have one for each of its stars, and many of them are likely to be capable of supporting conditions favorable to life, according to a new estimate from scientists …

Reid will postpone filibuster reform  —  Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) will postpone filibuster reform until later this month, giving him time to negotiate a deal with Republicans, say Democratic lawmakers and aides.  —  A group of liberal Democrats had been pushing Reid …

Meet the New Class: The Senate Swears in a Historic 20 Female Senators  —  Today the Senate will make history, swearing in a record-breaking 20 female senators - 4 Republicans and 16 Democrats - in office.  —  As the 113th Congress is sworn in today on Capitol Hill, ABC “World News” …

Obama's Immigration Reform Push To Begin This Month … REACT:  —  FOLLOW:  —  Immigration, Video, Latino Politics, Senate Immigration, Latino Politics, Immigration Reform, Obama Deferred Action, DREAM Act, Latino Politics, Latino Politics, Politics News

What's Inside America's Banks?  —  Some four years after the 2008 financial crisis, public trust in banks is as low as ever.  Sophisticated investors describe big banks as “black boxes” that may still be concealing enormous risks—the sort that could again take down the economy.

Senate panel to examine CIA contacts with “Zero Dark Thirty” filmmakers  —  (Reuters) - After the Senate Intelligence Committee's chairwoman expressed outrage over scenes that imply “enhanced interrogations” of CIA detainees produced a breakthrough in the hunt for Osama bin Laden …

Cristina Fernández de Kirchner's letter to David Cameron  —  Read the letter about the Falkland Islands from the Argentinian president to the British prime minster  —  One hundred and eighty years ago on the same date, January 3rd, in a blatant exercise of 19th-century colonialism …

New Year, New Dish, New Media  —  When I first stumbled into blogging over 12 years ago, it was for two reasons: curiosity and freedom.  I was curious about the potential for writing in this new medium; and for the first time, I felt total freedom as a writer.  On my little blog, I was beholden to no one but my readers.

Arabs Brutally Attack US Yeshiva Student in Italy  —  A gang of Arabs brutally attacked an American yeshiva student visiting with his family in Venice, Italy.  Jewish community: This is rare.  —  A gang of Arabs brutally attacked an American yeshiva student visiting with his family in Venice …