Obama's Gift to the Republicans  —  The ancient Greeks liked to say that character is fate.  —  The colossal mess that Obamacare has become reflects both the character of the legislation and that of the president who sponsored it.  —  The Affordable Care Act, as a government mandate …

Chat wrap: OUR Walmart rep answers your questions about this story  —  Is the food drive proof the retailer pays so little that many employees can't afford Thanksgiving dinner?  —  Norma Mills of Canton, who lives near the store, saw the photo circulating showing the food drive bins, and felt both “outrage” and “anger.”

Private consultants warned of risks before HealthCare.gov's Oct. 1 launch  —  The Obama administration brought in a private consulting team to independently assess how the federal online health-care enrollment system was developing, according to a newly disclosed document …

Seminole deputies arrest George Zimmerman  —  Video: Zimmerman's wife calls 911, won't press charges  —  911 audio: Shellie Zimmerman says George is threatening everyone  —  George Zimmerman's attorney gives statement  —  George Zimmerman's wife says he threatened her

Census ‘faked’ 2012 election jobs report  —  In the home stretch of the 2012 presidential campaign, from August to September, the unemployment rate fell sharply — raising eyebrows from Wall Street to Washington.  —  The decline — from 8.1 percent in August to 7.8 percent in September — might not have been all it seemed.

Cheney defends daughter on gay marriage  —  As his two daughters publicly feud over gay marriage, former Vice President Dick Cheney is stepping in to defend daughter Liz Cheney (R), who is running for the Senate in Wyoming.  —  Cheney and his wife, Lynne Cheney, released a statement saying Liz …

Martin Bashir apologizes for dirty, disgusting slam at Sarah Palin  —  FILE: Martin Bashir on the second day of Michael Jackson's child molestation trial in Santa Maria.reuters  —  When I first saw a headline about what Martin Bashir said, I figured it must be exaggerated.

Elizabeth Warren: Don't cut Social Security.  Expand it!  —  “The most recent discussion about cutting benefits has focused on something called the Chained-CPI.  Supporters of the chained CPI say that it's a more accurate way of measuring cost of living increases for seniors.  That statement is simply not true.

Majority in U.S. Say Healthcare Not Gov't Responsibility  —  Republicans' attitudes on this measure have changed significantly since 2000  —  PRINCETON, NJ — The 56% of U.S. adults who now say it is not the federal government's responsibility to make sure all Americans have healthcare coverage continues to reflect a record high.

Al Jazeera America fails to attract US audience  —  After just two months on the air, Al Jazeera America is losing ground in the US.  —  The US offshoot of the Mideast news outfit managed fewer than half of the viewers who tuned in to its predecessor, Al Gore's Current TV.

Ford Nation hits the airwaves … Mayor Rob Ford and Coun.  Doug Ford debuted their talk show ‘Ford Nation’ on the Sun News Network Monday evening shortly after council voted to futher strip the mayor's power and budget.  Video courtesy: Sun News … Photos View photos  — zoom

President Obama's messy breakup with insurers  —  Administration officials say they can take care of that problem.  They're going to look at ways to adjust special payment mechanisms built into Obamacare, called “risk corridors,” that pay health plans if they have higher costs than they expected.

Poll: Obama Down But Congress Is Down Further  —  The bottom has fallen out for everyone in the nation's political leadership.  —  That's the message from the latest Allstate/National Journal Heartland Monitor Poll, which shows that after a government shutdown, near-default on the federal debt …

Christie to GOP: 'If being me isn't good enough, then fine, I will go home'  —  Washington (CNN) - New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, fresh off a landslide reelection victory earlier this month, says if being himself “is not good enough in any other election I might someday pursue,” he will just find another job.

Judge won't allow Holder appeal now in contempt case  —  A federal judge has refused Attorney General Eric Holder's request that he be allowed to proceed now with an appeal in a case where the House of Representatives is seeking to enforce subpoenas for documents related to the controversial Operation Fast and Furious gun investigation.

Monty Python to reunite for stage show  —  All of the surviving members of comedy group Monty Python are to reform for a stage show, one of the Pythons, Terry Jones, has confirmed.  —  “We're getting together and putting on a show - it's real,” Jones told the BBC.  —  “I'm quite excited about it.

Meet The ‘Assassination Market’ Creator Who's Crowdfunding Murder With Bitcoins  —  As Bitcoin becomes an increasingly popular form of digital cash, the cryptocurrency is being accepted in exchange for everything from socks to sushi to heroin.  If one anarchist has his way, it'll soon be used to buy murder, too.

Obamacare flopped, but at least fracking works: Column  —  More proof that federal government programs are least effective.  —  CONNECT  —  As I've written here before, there are two Americas: One that works, produces value, and overcomes problems, and one that for the most part doesn't work …

Obama Pick for Court Is 3rd in a Row Blocked by Republicans  —  WASHINGTON — Senate Republicans on Monday blocked President Obama's third consecutive nominee to the country's most powerful and prestigious appeals court and insisted they would not back down, inflaming a bitter debate over a president's right to shape the judiciary.