The Top Ten Finalists for Person of the Year in 2013  —  Here are the final ten contenders for TIME's Person of the Year (listed alphabetically): Bashar Assad, President of Syria Jeff Bezos, Amazon Founder Ted Cruz, Texas Senator Miley Cyrus, Singer Pope Francis, Leader of the Catholic Church Barack Obama …

How Adam Lanza Wrecked Obama's Second Term  —  Don't blame the catastrophic health care rollout for the president's woes.  The Sandy Hook shooting is the real reason things went amok.  —  There are plenty of reasons this is the lowest point of Barack Obama's presidency.

Israeli Top Leaders Not Attending Mandela Funeral  —  JERUSALEM — Neither Israel's prime minister nor president will attend South Africa's commemorations of the late Nelson Mandela this week, officials said, a notable absence at events expected to draw more than 70 world leaders.

APNewsBreak: US Rep. Alan Grayson of Florida loses $18M in fraud scheme  —  McLEAN, Va. — U.S. Rep. Alan Grayson of Florida lost $18 million in a scheme that cheated him and about 120 other investors out of more than $35 million, according to court papers.  —  The Virginia man who ran the scheme …

Spies' Dragnet Reaches a Playing Field of Elves and Trolls  —  Not limiting their activities to the earthly realm, American and British spies have infiltrated the fantasy worlds of World of Warcraft and Second Life, conducting surveillance and scooping up data in the online games played …

There's Now A Coloring Book To Teach Your Children To Love Ted Cruz  —  Are you a new parent terrified that the liberal media will turn your child into an Obama supporter?  Or do you just need something to entertain your kids during those long drives to Tea Party rallies?

Fox News Paid Fired Executive $8 Million to Keep Quiet  —  Roger Ailes' secrets command a heavy price.  Last week, the New York Times reported that Fox News had reached an out-of-court settlement with Brian Lewis, the former Roger Ailes aide who was abruptly fired in late July.

Limited Support for Iran Nuclear Agreement  —  Iran's Leaders Seen as ‘Not Serious’ in Addressing Nuclear Concerns  —  The public is reacting skeptically to last month's multilateral agreement aimed at freezing parts of Iran's nuclear program.  Overall, more disapprove than approve of the deal …

Kentucky Man Sets Gun On Toilet Paper Dispenser While Using Restroom, Gun Goes Off  —  A Kentucky man just needed a place to set his gun while he relieved himself in a restaurant restroom on Sunday, but the toilet paper dispenser may not have been the best choice.

Sarah Palin Joins Sportsman Channel as Host of Original Series “Amazing America with Sarah Palin”  —  Cultural, Political and Media Force, Palin Returns to Unscripted Television as Sportsman Channel's “First Lady of the Outdoors”  —  New Berlin, WI (December 9 2013) Former U.S. vice presidential candidate …

On Health Exchanges, Premiums May Be Low, but Other Costs Can Be High  —  WASHINGTON — For months, the Obama administration has heralded the low premiums of medical insurance policies on sale in the insurance exchanges created by the new health law.  But as consumers dig into the details …

George Zimmerman's Girlfriend Wants to Drop Charges, ‘Be With Him’ … George Zimmerman's girlfriend who called Florida police to say he was breaking her stuff and was brandishing a weapon no longer wants to press charges against him and instead wants to get back together with him.

Heritage Action Bashes Ryan-Murray Budget Framework  —  Heritage Action fired a warning shot Monday against an emerging budget agreement between Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI) and Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA) to set spending levels for a few years and mitigate some of the sequester cuts.

RIA Novosti to Be Liquidated in State-Owned Media Overhaul  —  The Kremlin announced Monday the dissolution of RIA Novosti, the country's major state-run news agency, amid a significant reorganization of state-owned media assets.  —  News agency RIA Novosti and the state-owned Voice …

TSA agent confiscates sock monkey's toy pistol  —  “Rooster Monkburn” the cowboy sock monkey is without his pistol, thanks to a diligent TSA agent in St. Louis.  —  Phyllis May of Redmond, Wash. says she is “appalled and shocked and embarrassed all at the same time” about the incident that happened on Wednesday.

Whose sarin?  —  Barack Obama did not tell the whole story this autumn when he tried to make the case that Bashar al-Assad was responsible for the chemical weapons attack near Damascus on 21 August.  In some instances, he omitted important intelligence, and in others he presented assumptions as facts.

Colorado Miscellany  —The recalls of two Democratic State Senators in September weren't an anomaly when it comes to how Colorado voters are feeling about the state legislature.  Republicans lead the statewide generic legislative ballot by a 47/42 margin, including a 41/30 advantage with independents.