Justine Sacco, Fired After Tweet on AIDS in Africa, Issues Apology  —  The communications director fired over a tweet evoking AIDS and race that was sent as she was headed to Africa has now apologized, saying she is “ashamed” for her insensitivity to the millions of people living with the virus.

The duck and jackass dynasty  —  Not the biggest jackass in the story.  —  I got the gist of the “Duck Dynasty” thing after my first and only viewing: bunch of rural jackasses who somehow struck it rich get brought into our living rooms to be laughed at by the rest of us aristocrats.  —  Well, all right.

Democratic senator: Obama's lack of congressional friendships hurts policy efforts  —  (CNN) - The President's failure to build friendships with lawmakers has damaged his chances of finding bipartisan support for legislation, a senator from his own party said Sunday.

The Atheist's Guide to Christmas  —  With the Yuletide season upon us, America is once again engaged in the standard asinine debates about the holiday: Is Santa white?  Is that decorated green perennial at the mall supposed to be called a “holiday treet”?  If you neglect to say the word …

AL SHARPTON'S CHICAGO TOWN HALL ERUPTS INTO REVOLT AGAINST MACHINE POLITICS  —  On Thursday, a town hall meeting hosted by Al Sharpton and the National Action Network to address gun violence exploded into a revolt against “Chicago Machine” politics, Mayor Rahm Emanuel, and the aldermen in City Hall …

Tom Steyer may be liberals' answer to the Koch brothers  —  The California billionaire is building a vast political network and inserting himself into elections nationwide, with a focus on fossil fuels and global warming.  —  Tom Steyer, a former hedge fund manager, is spending some of his fortune …

Father drops toddler from high-rise, jumps to his death  —  A distraught dad tossed his toddler off the roof of a 52-story apartment building on the Upper West Side on Sunday, then jumped himself — killing them both, law enforcement sources said.  —  Dmitriy Kanarikov, 35 …

Covert action in Colombia  —  U.S. intelligence, GPS bomb kits help Latin American nation cripple rebel forces  —  The 50-year-old Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), once considered the best-funded insurgency in the world, is at its smallest and most vulnerable state in decades …

DC staff irked as NBC News eyes cuts  —  David Gregory, host of NBC's 'Meet the Press Inset: NBC News boss Deborah Turness  —  NBC News boss Deborah Turness is spending the last few days of the year eyeing cuts — moves that could include axing some senior on-air talent, The Post has learned.

M&S faces boycott as it lets Muslim staff refuse to sell alcohol or pork  —  Furious M&S customers threatened to boycott the store last night for allowing Muslim checkout staff to refuse to serve customers who want to pay for alcohol or pork.  —  Managers at a London store told the workers …

Is Arkansas Still Friendly to Bill?  Clinton Tests It  —  LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — When it came time to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the opening of a dam on the Little Red River this fall, former President Bill Clinton came running.  But once he arrived in the state, he had more on his mind than just public works.

Michelle Nunn, Jason Carter hope to rechart the course of Georgia politics  —  MACON, Ga. — The two major parties here don't agree on many things.  One of them is that it is only a matter of time before Georgia goes from being a Republican stronghold to a state that is up for grabs.