GOP men told how to talk to women  —  The National Republican Congressional Committee wants to make sure there are no Todd Akin-style gaffes next year, so it's meeting with top aides of sitting Republicans to teach them what to say — or not to say — on the trail, especially when their boss is running against a woman.

Polis melts down on House floor  —  Rep. Jared Polis (D-Colo.) on Wednesday night lost his cool on the House floor over the issue of immigration, after the presiding officer warned another Democrat not to refer to people sitting in the House gallery.  —  Democrats were calling for House passage …

The best speech Obama has given on the economy  —  The speech President Obama delivered this morning at THEARC in D.C. is perhaps the single best economic speech of his presidency.  That's in part because it exists for no other reason than to lay out Obama's view of the economy.

Stolen cobalt-60 found in Mexico; curious thieves likely doomed  —  MEXICO CITY — The day after a load of stolen radioactive material was found in a field, Mexican authorities had formed a perimeter around the area and were measuring for contamination as they planned the recovery process Thursday, according to Mexican news reports.

De Blasio to Name Bratton as New York Police Commissioner  —  Mayor-elect Bill de Blasio was expected on Thursday morning to name William J. Bratton to lead the New York Police Department, according to two people with knowledge of Mr. de Blasio's decision.  —  The move will return Mr. Bratton …

Young invincibles spurn O-Care  —  Mounting opposition to ObamaCare among young adults is creating a new crisis for the White House.  —  While the federal enrollment website HealthCare.gov appears to be improving by the day, polls show the “young invincibles” key to making the law work are becoming less likely to enroll.

2 million Facebook, Gmail and Twitter passwords stolen in massive hack  —  Hackers have stolen usernames and passwords for nearly two million accounts at Facebook, Google, Twitter, Yahoo and others, according to a report released this week.  —  The massive data breach was a result …

WH-DSCC ObamaCare powwow  —  White House chief of staff Denis McDonough held an unpublicized meeting with Sen. Michael Bennet (Colo.), chairman of the Senate Democrats' campaign arm, amid anger and anxiety that ObamaCare's botched rollout could cost the party its majority next year.

Unarmed Man Is Charged With Wounding Bystanders Shot by Police Near Times Square  —  An unarmed, emotionally disturbed man shot at by the police as he was lurching around traffic near Times Square in September has been charged with assault, on the theory that he was responsible …

Councilwoman Blames ‘Knockout’ Attacks on Tension Between Blacks and Jews  —  CROWN HEIGHTS — The alleged “knockout” attacks on Jewish residents of Crown Heights may stem from ongoing racial tension between the neighborhood's black and Jewish communities, a newly-elected Brooklyn politician said.

Obamacare Is Costing Democrats the White Women They'll Need at the Ballot Box  —  Polls show that when it comes to the troubled health care law, Democrats should be most concerned about one of their key constituencies.  —  A woman votes at the Park Slope Branch Public Library in the Brooklyn borough of New York November 5, 2013.

The righteousness in Hobby Lobby's cause  —  Business people shouldn't be required to check their faith at the door.  —  The Supreme Court has agreed to referee another dispute over President Obama's healthcare law.  This time it will look at whether businesses can use religious objections …

How the GOP lost its nerve on tax reform  —  The email blasting Rep. Dave Camp's tax plan as “disastrous” arrived two days before a pivotal meeting between House Republican leaders and their chief tax writer.  —  The subject line: “Republican tax plan threatens conservative talk radio and media localism.”

The Health Insurance Marketplace: What You Need to Know  —  Since it launched in October, we have made dramatic improvements to HealthCare.gov, taking it from a system that didn't perform nearly as well as it should, to one that can help you learn about your new health insurance options …

Remember all those Obamacare horror stories?  Not looking so bad now  —  Inflammatory personal testimony has been a staple of bad debating since humans first started arguing with each other  —  Statisticians dismiss the practice of using personal stories to argue about an objective reality as …

The 10 Best Books of 2013  —  The year's best books, selected by the editors of The New York Times Book Review.  —  FICTION  —  Alfred A. Knopf, $26.95.  —  By turns tender and trenchant, Adichie's third novel takes on the comedy and tragedy of American race relations from the perspective of a young Nigerian immigrant.

TIME Exclusive: Icahn Files Apple Shareholder Proposal  —  The richest man on Wall Street is opening a new front in his quest to persuade Apple to part with more of its massive cash stockpile.  —  Veteran investor Carl Icahn is opening a new front in his quest to persuade Apple to part with more of its massive cash stockpile.

Budget Deal Looks Likely, But Passage Uncertain  —  Ryan, left, and Murray are likely to announce a modest budget deal in the coming days.  (Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call)  —  Budget negotiators are nearing a deal that could ease the way for leaders to avert another government shutdown before the 2014 elections …

The two options on Iran  —  Critics of the agreement with Iran concerning its nuclear program are right about most things but wrong about the most important things.  They understand the agreement's manifest and manifold defects and its probable futility.  Crucial components of Iran's nuclear infrastructure remain.

Obama moves left on the economy to change the subject from ObamaCare.  —  For all of their mutual public admiration, Presidents Clinton and Obama react differently to political trouble.  Bill moved to the middle, while Barack always moves left.  So it's no surprise that Mr. Obama is responding …

Ted Cruz explains dad's Fidel Castro comment  —  Sen. Ted Cruz said while there are some differences between President Barack Obama and former Cuban leader Fidel Castro, Obama is displaying “dictatorial” tendencies as president.  —  During an interview by Jorge Ramos on Fusion …

Obama steals past the Nov. 30 deadline.  —  NBC's Michael O'Brien had some fun yesterday paraphrasing President Obama's latest infliction on the ears of America: “Obama said his signature health care reform law is going nowhere as long as he's in office.” … Obama gives a health-care speech.