Cornyn: Congress will not allow default  —  Sen. John Cornyn of Texas, the Republican whip, said in Houston Thursday that Congress will not allow an impasse over raising the debt ceiling to result in the federal government defaulting on its spending obligations.  —  “We will raise the debt ceiling.

Up next for Obama: A looming Democratic divide  —  As President Barack Obama approaches his second inaugural on Monday, he presides over a party that has largely papered over its divisions for the past four years thanks to the president's commanding popularity.

Seeking to harness Obama's campaign resources for a second term  —  An ambitious new political organization is being built out of the machine that propelled him back into office, with the hope of supporting his policy objectives.  —  President Obama's reelection campaign is reinventing itself …

Lance Armstrong to Oprah: Story was ‘one big lie’ … Saying his “mythic, perfect story” was “one big lie,” Lance Armstrong admitted that he cheated during most of his famed cycling career and that he bullied people who dared to tell the truth about it.  —  After denying doping allegations …

GOP's surprising edge on diversity  —  Editor's note: John Avlon is a CNN contributor and senior political columnist for Newsweek and The Daily Beast.  He is co-editor of the book “Deadline Artists: America's Greatest Newspaper Columns.”  He is a regular contributor to “Erin Burnett OutFront” …

Christie calls NRA ad criticizing Obama daughters' security ‘reprehensible’  —  Governor Christie called the National Rifle Association's ad criticizing President Obama's daughters' security detail “reprehensible.”  —  “I think any of us who are public figures, you see that kind of ad and you cringe,” he said.

Americans Call for Term Limits, End to Electoral College  —  Virtually no partisan disagreement on these long-discussed constitutional reforms  —  PRINCETON, NJ — Even after the 2012 election in which Americans re-elected most of the sitting members of the U.S. House and Senate …

New Study Highlights Threat From Far Right-Wing Groups In U.S.  —  A new study from a think tank connected to the West Point Military Academy highlights the threat of violent far-right movements in the United States, leading to the conclusion that, while diverse in in their causes …

FOR WANT OF A NAIL  —  (January 16, 2033.  A fire-lit cabin in the hills of Brezhnev City, Stalinton - formerly Boise, Idaho.  A man sitting on a shattered milk crate looks older than his 53 years.  His rumpled, malnourished grandson sits at his feet.)  —  “Grandpa?

I Have No Words  —  I'm not going to characterize this or say anything about it.  But I had to share it with you.  From TPM Reader PH ...

The Dwindling Deficit  —  It's hard to turn on your TV or read an editorial page these days without encountering someone declaring, with an air of great seriousness, that excessive spending and the resulting budget deficit is our biggest problem.  Such declarations are rarely accompanied …

GOProud Backs Civil Marriage For Gay Couples  —  The gay conservative group had avoided taking a position on the issue in the past.  LaSalvia cites a need for “a truly conservative voice” to stand up for marriage equality.  —  GOProud's party at the 2012 Republican National Convention …

What Are Republicans Learning at Their Retreat, Anyway?  —  WILLIAMSBURG, Va. — The press is bristling a bit at its access to the House Republican retreat.  First problem: There isn't really any access.  Not until a 1 p.m. press event.  Reporters are sequestered in a golf clubhouse …

‘Battalion of Blood’ gunmen had one aim... to ‘kill infidels and Christians’: American and up to TWELVE Brits among hostages killed in botched raid on Al Qaeda gang at Algerian gas field  —  Islamist militants have offered today to free two American hostages held captive at an Algerian gas field …

Biden Getting an Autobiography From The Onion (Whether He Wants It or Not)  —  “Hombre, you've just done Uncle Joe a real solid buying this book,” begins the foreword to a new autobiography attributed to Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. “I ain't the kind of guy who forgets his debts.