Obama, Cuban President Raul Castro Shake Hands at Nelson Mandela Memorial  —  President Obama shook hands with Cuban President Raul Castro today at a memorial service for the late Nelson Mandela in South Africa.  —  Obama stopped to shake Castro's hand as he was walking to the podium to pay tribute to Mandela.

Ex-Clinton Aide Expected to Join Obama  —  WASHINGTON — President Obama, after a rocky year that leaves him at the lowest ebb of his presidency, is bringing into his White House circle the longtime Democratic strategist John D. Podesta, a former chief of staff for President Bill Clinton.

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 …

GOP bills would prohibit in-flight calls  —  Political momentum to keep a ban on cellphone calls during flights gained momentum Monday as lawmakers said it would be crazy to allow them.  —  Rep. Bill Shuster (R-Pa.) became the second lawmaker after Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) to offer legislation to keep the ban in place.

How to Keep Workers Unemployed  —  Another 99 weeks of jobless insurance won't create more jobs.  —  House-Senate negotiators are close to a modest budget accord to avoid another government shutdown, but suddenly the White House is introducing a last-minute demand.

Why Miley Cyrus Should Be The 2013 Person Of The Year Instead Of Pope Francis  —  Time Magazine announced its finalists for Person Of The Year today, and the list is a not unsurprising mix of figures from various realms of public life: … It's easy to declare that one of these things is not like the other …

‘A public safety disaster’: Obamacare could force THOUSANDS of volunteer fire departments to close  — The Affordable Care Act forces companies with more than 50 workers to buy them all health insurance or pay hefty fines  — The IRS says volunteer firefighters are 'employees …

Yes, Obamacare is Redistribution—But Republicans Are Wrong About Who Pays  —  Republicans and their allies are making a lot of different arguments about what Obamacare is doing to America.  It's hiking premiums!  It's making people lose their doctors!  It's destroying Medicare!

The Last Smallpox Patient on Earth  —  The case of Ali Maow Maalin, a Somalian cook  —  On December 9, 1979, the Global Commission for the Certification of Smallpox Eradication signed their names to the statement that “smallpox has been eradicated from the world.”

A student editor grovels after another cartoon kerfuffle.  —  For the University of Alabama's football team, the Nov. 30 season finale against intrastate archrival Auburn ended almost as disastrously as ObamaCare began (and as it has continued).  After leading 21-14 at the half …

Despite Improving Indicators, Poll Finds Harsh View of Obama on Economy  —  Last week's reports of hopeful economic indicators did nothing to improve the American public's negative opinion of President Obama's stewardship of the nation's economy.  However, while most Americans describe …

The New York Times' ‘homeless’ hooey  —  If a five-part opus in The New York Times by Andrea Elliott is to believed, we live in a hard-hearted city.  But if you read closely, it suggests just the opposite.  —  Begin with the family at the center of this story.  The mother, father and eight kids aren't really homeless at all.

Poll: Mark Pryor trails Tom Cotton in Arkansas  —  Democratic Sen. Mark Pryor trails his Republican challenger, Rep. Tom Cotton, by seven points among likely voters in Arkansas, 48 percent to 41 percent, according to a new poll from a conservative group that says his support of the health care reform law is costing him.

Union organizer shouts down protesters as they block private Google shuttle  —  Protesters blocked a private Google shuttle on Valencia street today, decrying private shuttle's use of public bus stops without paying fees or fines.  —  The group of 20 or so neon-yellow vested protesters called themselves the …

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.

Dems: GOPer must quit over ‘death’ quip  —  Three Democratic state lawmakers called Monday for the state chairman of Virginia's Republican Party to resign over comments he made attacking President Barack Obama and Gov.-elect Terry McAuliffe, arguing the statements would damage already frayed relations between the parties going forward.

Ron Paul: Rand will ‘probably’ run in 2016  —  Former Rep. Ron Paul (R-Texas) said Monday his son will probably run for president in 2016 — judging by the hints he has been leaving.  —  “I think he probably will.  I mean, he's been on TV hinting that he very well might,” Paul told CNN about his son, Sen. Rand Paul (Ky.).

How Democrats Plan to Cut Food Stamps Without Enraging Their Base  —  For Democrats especially, any talk about cutting billions from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program is uncomfortable and certain to create internal strife.  But negotiators on the farm bill believe they've found …