Cheney defends CIA interrogation techniques, calls Senate report ‘deeply flawed’  —  WASHINGTON - Former Vice President Dick Cheney slammed the recently released Senate report on CIA interrogation techniques Wednesday, calling it “full of crap,” and a “terrible piece of work” that was “deeply flawed.”

All Senate GOP staff going on ObamaCare  —  Senate Republican staffers will be required to obtain health insurance through ObamaCare's exchanges under a rule passed Wednesday by the GOP Conference.  —  The proposal from Sen. David Vitter (R-La.) means that Senate Republicans will designate their staff as …

Defeat the Omnibus  —  The federal government's funding authorization expires tonight at midnight, and the Republican plan to renew it bodes poorly for the GOP's leadership of Congress next year.  —  The proposal: Pass an omnibus spending resolution that funds most of the federal government …

Scott Rudin On Obama's Favorite Movies: “I Bet He Likes Kevin Hart”  —  An exchange between Sony Pictures chair Amy Pascal and producer Scott Rudin turned into a riff on films they thought the president liked.  —  Danny Moloshok / Reuters  —  Before Sony Pictures chair Amy Pascal attended …

Top military official calls for ‘review’ of transgender ban  —  A top military official is calling on the Obama administration to end the Department of Defense's ban on transgender troops.  —  Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James signaled Wednesday that transgender people may be allowed …

Warren, left fume over deal  —  Sen. Elizabeth Warren on Wednesday sought to rally opposition to the $1.1 trillion government funding bill, spearheading a revolt on the left that has put her influence in the Democratic Party to the test.  —  The Massachusetts liberal pleaded for House Democrats …

They risked and persisted, sacrificed and saved.  Editor Nancy Gibbs explains why the Ebola Fighters are TIME's choice for Person of the Year 2014  —  Not the glittering weapon fights the fight, says the proverb, but rather the hero's heart.  —  Maybe this is true in any battle …

ISIS Is Trying To Sell The Body Of U.S. Hostage James Foley For $1 Million  —  Middlemen in touch with ISIS or its associates say the group has turned a grim new page in its deadly hostage trade âÂ" by trying to sell the remains of at least one of the U.S. citizens it has executed in Syria.

Why I am ready for Hillary  —  Last week, on Dec. 4, I helped organize a Ready for Hillary fundraiser in Montgomery County, Md., in the immediate suburbs of Washington, D.C. The organization, an independent grassroots committee, has been at work for the past year gathering millions of names …

Plastic Pollution in the World's Oceans: More than 5 Trillion Plastic Pieces Weighing over 250,000 Tons Afloat at Sea  —  Abstract  —  Plastic pollution is ubiquitous throughout the marine environment, yet estimates of the global abundance and weight of floating plastics have lacked data …

Jeb Bush Has a Mitt Romney Problem  —  Over the last several months, former Florida Governor Jeb Bush has been giving speeches, campaigning for candidates, appearing at public forums, and meeting with wealthy donors, which has led many people to believe that he may soon enter the race to become the next Republican presidential nominee.

Government shutdown would not stop Obama on immigration  —  Even if Republicans shut down the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) next year, President Obama could still carry out his executive actions giving legal status to up to 5 million undocumented immigrants.

Americans remain divided in views on race relations  —  Shares -  —  Americans are divided in their assessments of race relations in the U.S, a new CBS News poll shows.  —  Some 45 percent think they are generally good, but 43 percent think they are generally bad.

Growing Public Support for Gun Rights  —  More Say Guns Do More to Protect Than Put People at Risk  —  For the first time in more than two decades of Pew Research Center surveys, there is more support for gun rights than gun control.  Currently, 52% say it is more important to protect …

Rick Snyder, eyeing 2016, to take Detroit success story on the road  —  Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder, a Republican, bet his political career on turning around Detroit, even as many leaders of the overwhelmingly Democratic city proclaimed he would fail.  —  Snyder's success since last summer …