Harry Reid is set to go nuclear  —  Senator Harry Reid appears set to go nuclear — before Thanksgiving.  —  With Senate Republicans blocking a third Obama nomination to the powerful D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals, a senior Senate Democratic leadership aide tells me Reid is now all but certain …

Rep. Trey Radel charged with cocaine possession  —  Rep. Trey Radel, a freshman Republican from Florida, was arrested on Oct. 29 for possession of cocaine in the District of Columbia, according to D.C. Superior Court documents.  —  Radel, 37, was charged with misdemeanor possession of cocaine in D.C. Superior Court on Tuesday.

OBAMA REMOVES ‘GOD’ FROM GETTYSBURG ADDRESS  —  Washington DC talk show host Chris Plante reported today that Barack Obama omitted the words “under God” from the Gettysburg Address when reciting the great speech for a Ken Burns documentary.  —  Burns had filmed all living presidents …

NRSC apologizes for Obama Girl tweet  —  The National Republican Senatorial Committee came under fire Tuesday for tweeting a photo that superimposed Kentucky Senate candidate Alison Lundergan Grimes's head on the body of “Obama Girl,” the model who starred in a series of 2007 music videos about her crush on President Obama.

Supreme Court Refuses to Block Texas Abortion Law  —  A sharply divided Supreme Court on Tuesday allowed Texas to continue enforcing abortion restrictions that opponents say have led more than a third of the state's clinics to stop providing abortions.  —  The justices voted 5-4 to leave …

State Rep. Uses Sledgehammer To Destroy Homeless People's Possessions  —  State Rep. Tom Brower (D) destroying a homeless person's possessions.  —  Much like Batkid, Hawaii has found its own superhero.  Except that instead of protecting the powerless from harm, he roams the streets …

Beirut Bombs Strike at Iran as Assad's Ally  —  BEIRUT, Lebanon — A double bombing struck the Iranian Embassy compound in Beirut on Tuesday, in the deadliest assault on Iran's interests since it emerged as the most forceful backer of the Syrian government against an armed insurgency.

Vancouver man: Joe Biden owes me an apology  —  Jeffrey Barton faces a charge of illegal discharge of a firearm  —  Jeffrey Barton, 52, of Vancouver says that Vice President Joe Biden owes him an apology for advice he gave about fending off intruders with blasts from a gun.

Administration Official: Obamacare Payment Systems Still Need to Be Built  —  The information technology systems of Obamacare are still anywhere from 30 to 70 percent unfinished, an administration official testified today.  —  Admittedly, the answer from Henry Chao, the Centers for Medicare …

ESPN's FiveThirtyEight Announces Managing Editor, Key Editorial Hires  —  FiveThirtyEight.com, the definitive website for data-driven journalism, will re-launch in early 2014 in coordination with ESPN.  In anticipation of the launch, the editorial team has made a number of key hires to fulfill …

My Obamacare Cancellation  —  “Seething at a President I helped elect.”  —  We received the letter in the mail a couple months ago.  The good people at Regence Bluecross Blueshield were pleased to inform us that due to Obamacare our current low-monthly premium, comically-high deductible medical policy …

Poll: Mitt Romney beats President Obama today  —  As more bad poll numbers continue to pour in for President Barack Obama, a new survey finds that if the 2012 election matchup were held this month, Mitt Romney would hold the edge with the voters.  —  Romney topped Obama 49 percent …

Police: Son likely stabbed Va. state Sen. Creigh Deeds, shot himself  —  Virginia state Sen. R. Creigh Deeds (D-Bath) was stabbed on Tuesday morning at his Bath County home, apparently by his 24-year-old son Gus Deeds, who then shot himself to death, according to law enforcement authorities.

Gitmo good life: U.S. spends millions on landscaping, art classes for terror detainees  —  Thanks to a multimillion-dollar federal contract, Guantanamo Bay prisoners can enroll in seminars to learn all about basic landscaping and pruning, calligraphy and Microsoft PowerPoint while the U.S. figures out what to do with them.

Pa. House votes down transportation spending measure  —  HARRISBURG - After months of debate, the state House failed to pass legislation Monday night that would have provided $2.3 billion to complete long-overdue repairs to the state's aging transportation infrastructure.

Zimmerman faces another judge  —  Bail for George Zimmerman, charged with felony aggravated assault and two misdemeanors on allegations that he pointed a shotgun at his girlfriend in Florida, was set Tuesday afternoon at $9,000 during Zimmerman's first court appearance.

Calm down  —  From the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, I'm Ira Dreyfuss with HHS HealthBeat.  —  This isn't about who wins the argument - but a study of hot marital fights indicates that when the wife calms down, the couples are more happy.  Researcher Lian Bloch …

Husband of former FL Sec. State Katherine Harris commits suicide  —  The husband of former Florida Secretary of State Katherine Harris committed suicide Tuesday morning.  Anders Ebbeson was 68 years-old.  —  Police officers responded to a report of a possible suicide at the home at 1420 Bay Point Drive around 7:30 a.m..

The Oxford Dictionaries Word of the Year 2013 is...  Illustration © Barry Hall, cube fish media  —  It's that time of the year again.  With a fanfare and a drum roll, it's time to announce the Oxford Dictionaries Word of the Year.  The votes have been counted and verified and I can exclusively reveal that the winner is....

A Diver's Rise, and Swift Death, at the Limits of a Growing Sport  —  Brooklyn Diver Dies After Record Attempt: Nicholas Mevoli rose from novice to free-diving record holder in less than a year.  His life and death reflect both the spirit of a niche sport that has grown exponentially as well as its dangers.