Yes, There IS Evidence Linking al Qaeda to Benghazi  —  Libyan militants tell the New York Times that al Qaeda is not behind the 2012 Benghazi attack.  Some members of Congress have intelligence that says otherwise.  —  On Sunday, The New York Times published an investigation …

Cost of Being Mayor?  $650 Million, if He's Rich  —  Michael R. Bloomberg loves tropical fish.  So when he was elected mayor, he installed two giant aquariums in City Hall.  —  The cost to him for having the tanks cleaned out every week for the past 12 years: around $62,400.  —  The mayor likes to nosh, too.

Obama, Clinton Continue Reign as Most Admired  —  Sixth year in a row for Obama, 12th straight year for Clinton  —  PRINCETON, NJ — For the sixth consecutive year, Barack Obama ranks as the Most Admired Man among Americans, and Hillary Clinton is again the Most Admired Woman.  Both won by comfortable margins.

2nd deadly blast hits Russian city of Volgograd ahead of 2014 Sochi Olympics  —  (CNN) — Another deadly blast has struck the southern Russian city of Volgograd, killing at least 14 people and further highlighting Russia's security challenges as it readies to host the Winter Olympics in less than six weeks.

Republicans to blame for the public's disgust with Congress  —  As the year ends, Gallup reports that public approval of Congress averaged 14 percent during 2013.  This, the polling firm points out, is “the lowest annual average in Gallup's history.”  —  The pollsters added …

Public's Views on Human Evolution  —  According to a new Pew Research Center analysis, six-in-ten Americans (60%) say that “humans and other living things have evolved over time,” while a third (33%) reject the idea of evolution, saying that “humans and other living things have existed in their present form since the beginning of time.”

Obama's TV Picks: Anything Edgy, With Hints of Reality  —  WASHINGTON — War, terrorism, economic struggle, mass shootings — such is life in the Oval Office for President Obama.  —  Yet in his few quiet moments, this president seeks not to escape to the delicious back-stabbing of the …

CNN Poll: Afghanistan war arguably most unpopular in U.S. history  —  Washington (CNN) - Support for the war in Afghanistan has dipped below 20%, according to a new national poll, making the country's longest military conflict arguably its most unpopular one as well.

Here's Why I Don't Sweat The Haters  —  I've gotten a number of messages in the last few days — from both supporters and opponents of gay rights — expressing sympathy over the rude and hateful messages I've been getting (and publishing) ever since I started writing about Phil Robertson.

Democrats Turn to Minimum Wage as 2014 Strategy  —  WASHINGTON — Democratic Party leaders, bruised by months of attacks on the new health care program, have found an issue they believe can lift their fortunes both locally and nationally in 2014: an increase in the minimum wage.

Woman Busted For Attacking Live-In Boyfriend When He Refused To “Cuddle” In Bed  —  Buster  —  A Florida woman was arrested early Saturday for battering her live-in boyfriend after he refused to “cuddle” with her when they went to bed, police report.  —  Shavonna Rumph, 31, and Henry Price …

Utah Judge Unexpected as a Hero to Gay People  —  DENVER — For a judge who would go on to make same-sex marriage legal in Utah, a deep-red state where streets in the capital are numbered by their distance from the Mormon temple, Robert J. Shelby arrived on the bench with enthusiastic praise from Republican leaders.

‘Christmas Cop Killer’ suspected of bank heist spree across the country was a former veteran who was arrested for threatening to 'blow President Obama's brains out' in 2010  — Authorities today identified the suspect, who was killed Saturday in a shootout with police outside a Phoenix, Arizona bank, as Mario Edward Garnett, 40

Hey, it's an election year!  Here's what 2014 might bring.  —  Our long wait for a packed election year — okay, it was just a 365-day wait — will be over in less than 48 hours when we ring in 2014 and, with it, 36 gubernatorial races, 35 Senate races and dozens of potentially competitive House contests.

Cuomo pushing to block de Blasio speaker pick Mark-Viverito  —  Gov. Cuomo, in his first major battle with Bill de Blasio, is engaged in a last-ditch effort to block leftist Councilwoman Melissa Mark-Viverito from becoming council speaker, Democratic insiders have told The Post.

Laws Deserve More Than Cute Names  —  WASHINGTON — Laws used to have boring names, like the Telecommunications Act of 1996.  Now they bear titles that seem focus-group-tested, like the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.  —  That name, for President Obama's health care law …

Workers at auto dealership come face to face with Obamacare trade-offs  —  Before the new health care law, a Michigan car dealership offered employees a company health insurance plan.  Things are different now.  Lisa Myers reports.  —  By Lisa Myers, Senior Investigative Correspondent, NBC News

Joe Lieberman Predicts Military Action Against Iran Before The End Of 2014  —  The neocons continue to beat the war drums on Iran.  —  As we've already discussed here, the legislation being pushed by a bipartisan group of Senators could very well draw the United States into a war with Iran …

McCain: Don't count Obama out  —  Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) says people shouldn't underestimate President Obama as he heads into his sixth year in the White House.  —  He discounted Obama's low approval ratings and said a sitting president always has influence.

The Risky Business of Paternity Leave  —  When men take time off to care for family members, their long-term earnings suffer—just as women's do.  Here's why it's worth it.  —  As a family sociologist, I've spent several decades studying how and why men might assume responsibility for childcare and housework.

Aurora Australis is forced to abandon bit to rescue stricken Russian ship MV Akademik Shokalskiy from ice  —  TORRID weather has forced rescue icebreaker Aurora Australis back into open water this afternoon.  —  Passengers aboard the stricken MV Akademik Shokalskiy have been told to prepare for the …

Obamacare ‘Pajama Boy’ Controversy Wrapped in Anti-Semitism  —  Right Wing Anger at ‘Jewish’ Star of Viral Health Care Ad  —  Surely the silliest kerfluffle of a political year that contained much silliness was the recent conservative hand-wringing over “Pajama Boy.”