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 …

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.

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 …

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 …

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.

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 ...

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” …

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?

Sixty foreigners still caught in Sahara hostage crisis  —  (Reuters) - About 60 foreigners were still being held hostage or missing inside a gas plant on Friday after Algerian forces stormed the desert complex to free hundreds of captives taken by Islamist militants, who threatened to attack other energy installations.

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 …