Why This Round of the Republican Civil War Was Different  —  Republican leaders finally had enough with conservatives' antics and decided to take back control.  It worked, and we got a budget deal.  —  Another round of the long-running GOP civil war broke out this week, and you could be forgiven for greeting it with a yawn.

Pressing the Panic Button?  —  As usual, it's hard to tell just what's going on inside the administration regarding Obamacare, but I don't think we can really take the steps announced by HHS yesterday as anything but a bright, red, flashing warning light about the internal expectations regarding January.

Search form  —  A baboon has been spotted on the streets of Bryanston in Johannesburg, appearing hungry and confident... watch the eyewitness video.  —  EXCLUSIVE: Senior ANC officials walked through the stands in a vain attempt to stop crowds booing President Jacob Zuma at Madiba's memorial.

Huckabee, Looking to 2016 Race, Speaks of ‘a Real Opportunity for Me’  —  LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — Former Gov. Mike Huckabee of Arkansas has not been among the Republicans frequently named as a potential 2016 presidential candidate, but he would like that to change.

Media Matters Declares Victory: ‘The War On Fox Is Over’  —  WASHINGTON — Since its founding in 2004, the progressive watchdog group Media Matters for America has been a thorn in the side of Fox News.  Its dozens of staffers monitor the network's leadership, hosts, guests and financial dealings incessantly …

With Affordable Care Act, Canceled Policies for New York Professionals  —  Many in New York's professional and cultural elite have long supported President Obama's health care plan.  But now, to their surprise, thousands of writers, opera singers, music teachers, photographers, doctors …

Tension Eases in Senate Ahead of Weekend  —  WASHINGTON — The partisan tension that has brought business in the Senate to a crawl eased on Friday as Democrats and Republicans said they were calling a weekend cease-fire that will allow them to move on to more pressing issues next week like the unfinished budget and defense bills.

Feds say they disrupted suicide bomb plot by worker at Wichita airport  —  A 58-year-old airport worker was charged Friday with allegedly planning a suicide bombing at a passenger terminal at the Wichita Mid-Continent Airport in Kansas.  —  The suspect, Terry Lee Loewen …

Ex-FBI agent who disappeared in Iran was on rogue mission for CIA  —  An American man who disappeared in Iran more than six years ago had been working for the CIA in what U.S. intelligence officials describe as a rogue operation that led to a major shake-up in the spy agency.

Gov. Christie announces another top Port Authority official has resigned after GWB flap  —  Bill Baroni, the Deputy Executive Director of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, testifies before a state Assembly panel last month.  (Tony Kurdzuk/The Star-Ledger)

Chinese Naval Vessel Tries to Force U.S. Warship to Stop in International Waters  —  A Chinese naval vessel tried to force a U.S. guided missile warship to stop in international waters recently, causing a tense military standoff in the latest case of Chinese maritime harassment, according to defense officials.

The Biggest Losers  —  The pundit consensus seems to be that Republicans lost in the just-concluded budget deal.  Overall spending will be a bit higher than the level mandated by the sequester, the straitjacket imposed back in 2011.  Meanwhile, Democrats avoided making any concessions on Social Security or Medicare.

Strengthen the Presidency  —  A couple of months ago, I visited the Congressional Budget Office, one of our most trust-inspiring government agencies.  On the elevator ride, one of the economists confided that it can be challenging to be in government these days.

Report: Less Than 15 Percent of Obamacare ‘Enrollees’ Are Actually Covered  —  This week's Obamacare headlines have been dominated by HHS' announcement that 365,000 Americans have selected a plan through Obamacare's federal and state exchanges — well short of the administration's projected goal of 800,000 enrollees by December 1st.

Presidential task force recommends sweeping overhaul of surveillance tactics of NSA  —  A task force's draft proposals would change the spy agency's leadership from military to civilian and limit how it gathers and holds the electronic information of Americans.

Insisting Jesus Was White Is Bad History and Bad Theology  —  Fox News television host Megyn Kelly told viewers on her December 11 broadcast that Jesus and Santa are both white men.  —  “Just because it makes you feel uncomfortable doesn't mean it has to change,” Kelly said.  “Jesus was a white man, too.

Gun Lobby Uses Newtown Anniversary To Raise Money  —  Gun Owners of America, one of the most aggressive pro-gun lobbies in America, posted a message to its website on Friday celebrating its victories in the year since the Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre and asking people to give money to its organization.

Psychology of Lululemon: How Fashion Affects Fitness  —  Does expensive athletic wear actually incline us to work out?  “Enclothed cognition” proposes that the clothes you wear directly affect how we think and what we do.  —  The Simpsons might seem an odd place to find scientific inspiration.

PolitiFact rewrites its own history in Obamacare ‘Lie Of The Year’ decision  —  BELTWAY CONFIDENTIAL OBAMACARE PRESIDENT HEALTH CARE POLITIFACT  —  In an impressive display of chutzpah, the Tampa Bay Times' fact-checking organization PolitiFact has designated President Obama's promise that …