Ryan Says GOP to Make Debt-Ceiling Demands in Early '14  —  House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan (R., Wis.) signaled that Republicans would not raise the debt ceiling next year without some sort of concessions from Democrats, saying lawmakers were still crafting their strategy.

Peter O'Toole, Star of ‘Lawrence of Arabia,’ Is Dead at 81  —  Peter O'Toole, an Irish bookmaker's son with a hell-raising streak whose performance in the 1962 epic film “Lawrence of Arabia” earned him overnight fame and established him as one of his generation's most charismatic actors, died on Saturday in London.

Tom Laughlin, star of ‘Billy Jack’ films, dies at age 82  —  Actors Tom Laughlin and Delores Taylor starred in the 1971 movie “Billy Jack.”  (File photo)  —  Tom Laughlin, the maverick actor and filmmaker best known for the “Billy Jack” films, has died.  He was 82.

NSA speaks out on Snowden, spying  —  The NSA gives unprecedented access to the agency's HQ and, for the first time, explains what it does and what it says it doesn't do: spy on Americans  —  The following is a script from “Inside the NSA” which aired on Dec. 15, 2013.  John Miller is the correspondent.

What happened to Lady Gaga?  —  It's already known as ARTFLOP.  —  On Nov. 6, amid the kind of hype not seen since Michael Jackson floated a statue of himself down the Thames River, Lady Gaga released her third studio album, “ARTPOP.”  —  And not since Jackson has such a globally famous …

North Carolina Legislator: Obamacare Worse Than Terrorists, Stalin, Hitler Combined  —  A 2008 Bob Rucho for North Carolina Senate re-election ad  —  North Carolina State Senator Bob Rucho (R) tweeted Sunday that he believes the Affordable Care Act ranks as worse than the worst atrocities of the past century.

Why Inequality Matters  —  Rising inequality isn't a new concern.  Oliver Stone's movie “Wall Street,” with its portrayal of a rising plutocracy insisting that greed is good, was released in 1987.  But politicians, intimidated by cries of “class warfare,” have shied away from making …

G.O.P. Firebrands Tone Down Their Message and Run Again  —  LIBERTYVILLE, Ill. — “My name is Congressman Bob Dold!” said the fleece-clad man making his way through a popular restaurant here.  —  Well, not exactly.  His name is Bob Dold, but he isn't a current member of Congress.

Podesta: Climate game changer  —  Environmental groups believe John Podesta will be a force for change on climate issues at the White House.  —  The groups argue that for most of Obama's years in office, an administration that took power at the height of the recession has prioritized helping the economy over other goals.

The Daughter Theory  —  FOR our age of wonks and white papers and warring experts, there ought to be a word — something just short of, though not shorter than, schadenfreude — for the gentle thrill inspired by a social-science finding that mildly unsettles one's ideological opponents.

Poll: Ted Cruz 3rd ‘most influential’ world leader, behind pope, Obama  —  WASHINGTON SECRETS OBAMACARE JOHN BOEHNER TED CRUZ CHRIS CHRISTIE POPE FRANCIS  —  Texas Sen. Ted Cruz has had the best year of any Republican and virtually anyone in the world, ranking third in Rasmussen Report's …