Gay marriage bans in four states upheld on appeal  —  The same-sex marriage movement lost its first major case in a federal appeals court Thursday after a lengthy string of victories, creating a split among the nation's circuit courts that virtually guarantees Supreme Court review.

Ben Carson video to air in 22 states  —  Ben Carson is introducing himself as a potential 2016 presidential candidate in a 40-minute video that will be aired on TV stations in 22 states and Washington, D.C.  —  Armstrong Williams, a conservative commentator who is Carson's business manager …

Hatch: Reid ‘a pathetic majority leader’  —  The Senate's most senior Republican on Thursday bashed current Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.), saying with the GOP in charge, there was potential for real accomplishments.  —  In a phone interview with The Hill, Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) …

Democrats scrap ad buys for Mary Landrieu  —  The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee is canceling at least some of its advertising reservations for Sen. Mary Landrieu ahead of the December runoff in Louisiana.  —  The committee canceled buys planned from Monday through December 6 in the Lafayette …

The $9 Billion Witness: Meet JPMorgan Chase's Worst Nightmare  —  Chase whistle-blower Alayne Fleischmann risked it all.

Has the Tea Party been tamed?  —  Establishment Republicans are crowing that their resounding wins Tuesday night repudiated the Tea Party's insistence that ideological purity is key to electoral success.  —  But don't tell that to conservatives, who aren't admitting defeat.

Decision Time on Immigration  —  President Obama said on Wednesday that he would act on his own by the end of the year to “improve” the immigration system, presumably by giving many — perhaps millions — of the country's unauthorized immigrants temporary protection from deportation and permission to work.

Triumph of the Wrong  —  The race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet midterms to men of understanding.  Or as I put it on the eve of another Republican Party sweep, politics determines who has the power, not who has the truth.

This billionaire thinks the Fed is missing the hyperinflation in the Hamptons  —  Hedge fund billionaire Paul Singer is pretty clueless about economics (Remy Steinegger/WEF)  —  Never underestimate the ingenuity of inflation truthers.  Every time it seems like they've hit rock bottom intellectually …

32 tanks enter Ukraine from Russia: Kiev  —  Kiev (AFP) - A column of 32 tanks and other heavy weapons has entered Ukraine from Russia, the Ukrainian military said Friday, after the latest fighting left five dead and at least 31 injured.  —  Military spokesman Andriy Lysenko said a convoy …

Meager Returns for the Democrats' Biggest Donor  —  WASHINGTON — In the last days before the midterm elections, Tom Steyer, the billionaire environmentalist who spent at least $57 million of his own money to influence Tuesday's outcome — more than any other single donor …

Rice: Dem racial attacks ‘appalling’  —  Former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on Thursday slammed Democrats who sought to use race against Republicans in the midterm elections, saying they were offensive and out of touch.  —  “The idea that you would play such a card …

Obama Wrote Secret Letter to Iran's Khamenei About Fighting Islamic State  —  Presidential Correspondence With Ayatollah Stresses Shared U.S.-Iranian Interests in Combating Insurgents, Urges Progress on Nuclear Talks  —  WASHINGTON—U.S. President Barack Obama secretly wrote Iran's Supreme …