Boehner reelected as Speaker; nine Republicans defect in vote  —  Rep. John Boehner (R-Ohio) was reelected Speaker of the House on Thursday after a week of rumors of a possible GOP revolt.  —  Boehner won a bare majority in a vote that saw nine Republicans vote for other GOP members …

Time Warner Cable Drops Current TV Upon Sale To Al Jazeera … REACT:  —  FOLLOW:  —  Al Jazeera, Current TV, Al Jazeera Buys Current, Al Jazeera Current, Al Jazeera Current Tv, Calderone: The Backstory, Time Warner Al Jazeera, Time Warner Cable Current TV, Time Warner Cable Drops Al Jazeera …

America's Real Criminal Element: Lead  —  New research finds Pb is the hidden villain behind violent crime, lower IQs, and even the ADHD epidemic.  And fixing the problem is a lot cheaper than doing nothing.  —  WHEN RUDY GIULIANI RAN FOR MAYOR of New York City in 1993 …

Geithner Said to Plan Departure Before Debt Ceiling Deal  —  Geithner Said to Plan Exit Before Debt Talks  —  Treasury Secretary Timothy F. Geithner plans to leave the administration at the end of January, even if President Barack Obama and congressional Republicans haven't reached an agreement …

Op-Ed: Harry Reid's filibuster plan and the Supreme Court  —  Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., has announced he will begin the new Congress today by violating Senate rules and forcing through a set of procedural changes that will undermine Senate conservatives' ability to influence legislation.

Defense Of Marriage Act: House Republicans Tie Federal Gay Marriage Ban To House Rules … REACT:  —  FOLLOW:  —  Gay Marriage, Republican Party, Video, 113th Congress, DOMA 113th Congress, Defense Of Marriage Act, Doma, Gay Marriage Ban, House Republicans DOMA, House Republicans Gay Marriage, Republicans Doma, Politics News

Republicans Open New Congress Slamming “Lapdog” Democrats With Corgis  —  “Nancy Pelosi's Obedience School.”  —  Image by Joshua Roberts / Reuters  —  WASHINGTON — House Republicans Thursday are rolling partisan welcome mat for newly elected Democrats, circulating a tongue-in-cheek guide …

Good Riddance to Rottenest Congress in History  —  On January 3rd, the 112th Congress of the United States of America finally ends.  Thank God.  —  To properly evaluate the 112th, consider the record of its predecessor, the 111th Congress, which ran from January 2009 to January 2011.

Ten People We Are Grateful Are No Longer Members Of Congress  —  Under the Twentieth Amendment, “[t]he terms of the President and Vice President shall end at noon on the 20th day of January, and the terms of Senators and Representatives at noon on the 3d day of January.”

With Millions Still Waiting For Sandy Relief, Republicans Reintroduce Obamacare Repeal  —  The 112th Congress gaveled to a close on Thursday afternoon without passing a relief package for victims of Hurricane Sandy or reauthorizing the Violence Against Women Act, but Rep. Michele Bachmann …

The Dish Model: The Data  —  Basically, we've gotten a third of a million dollars in 24 hours, with close to 12,000 paid subscribers (at last count).  On average, readers paid almost $8 more than we asked for.  To say we're thrilled would obscure the depth of our gratitude and relief.

Connecticut Newspaper Places Gun Show Ad Next To Sandy Hook Story  —  A local Connecticut newspaper, the Stamford Advocate, has published an advertisement for a gun show next to an article about the reopening of Sandy Hook Elementary School.  —  The article details the resumption of classes for the Newtown …

The culture war is over, and conservatives lost  —  It's time we conservatives accepted an alarming truth: Americans no longer agree with us  —  L  —  ate last year, I criticized the notion that Barack Obama won re-election by buying off voters with “gifts.”

Fox News producer was scolded by State Department  —  Justin Fishel is a Fox News producer/correspondent who covers the Pentagon and the State Department.  In that capacity, he's known for his tough and often prickly questions.  That reputation mounted on Monday, Dec. 17, when Fishel sat in on a State Department daily press briefing.

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” …

Google Agrees to Change Its Business Practices to Resolve FTC Competition Concerns In the Markets for Devices Like Smart Phones, Games and Tablets, and in Online Search  —  Landmark Agreements Will Give Competitors Access to Standard-Essential Patents; Advertisers Will Get More Flexibility to Use Rival Search Engines

Finally, Justice at Supermax?  If Anyone Can Make the Right Call, It's This Judge  —  He's tough.  He's courageous.  He tried Timothy McVeigh.  Now Richard Matsch takes on another critical case: a civil rights lawsuit alleging prisoner abuse and neglect.  —  Judge Matsch in 1997, during the Oklahoma City Bombing trial.

Obama's debt problem  —  President Barack Obama won't be able to enjoy much of a victory lap from his win over congressional Republicans on the fiscal cliff fight.  —  There are about 16.4 trillion reasons why.  —  The staggering national debt — up about 60 percent from the $10 trillion Obama inherited …