Obama Returns to End-of-Life Plan That Caused Stir  —  WASHINGTON — When a proposal to encourage end-of-life planning touched off a political storm over “death panels,” Democrats dropped it from legislation to overhaul the health care system.  But the Obama administration will achieve the same goal by regulation, starting Jan. 1.

Hawaii's Governor Takes On ‘Birthers’  —  HONOLULU — Hawaii Gov. Neil Abercrombie, who befriended President Obama's parents when they were university students here, has been in office for less than three weeks.  But he is so incensed over the “birthers” — conspiracy theorists who assert …

Phoenix Abuzz as a Palin Buys a Home Nearby  —  PHOENIX — Bristol Palin, the 20-year-old daughter of Sarah Palin, has bought a five-bedroom house in Maricopa, a modest community south of Phoenix, setting off a flurry of speculation as to exactly what her plans — and those of her famous mother — are for the desert dwelling.

Wikileaks suspect Bradley Manning's health ‘declining’  —  The only person to visit Wikileaks suspect Pte Bradley Manning in custody other than his lawyer says his health has declined in the past four months.  —  Pte Manning, a US soldier, is being held in solitary confinement …

Gibbs: 'It's going to be a while' before Gitmo prison is shut down  —  Even though nearly a year has passed since the administration's self-imposed deadline to close the Guantanamo Bay military prison, White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said Sunday the facility will not go away any time soon.

Iraqis defy threats to pack massacre church on Xmas  —  BAGHDAD — Hundreds of Christians packed Baghdad's Our Lady of Salvation church for Christmas on Saturday, defying threats of attacks less than two months after militants massacred worshippers and priests there.

The Christmas Truce of 1914: “Threat to National Security”?  —  What's Your Reaction:  —  As we celebrate Christmas 2010, 100,000 US troops languish in Afghanistan, and Bradley Manning sits in “maximum custody” in Quantico for the alleged crime of disclosing classified “secrets” …

US President Obama condemns Pakistan suicide bombing  —  The aftermath of the attack on the food aid distribution point in Khar  —  US President Barack Obama has condemned as “outrageous” Saturday's deadly suicide bomb attack on a town in north-western Pakistan.

Taliban Challenge U.S. in Eastern Afghanistan  —  JUMAH KALA, Afghanistan — The villagers gathered on mounds of dirt to watch as the American armored vehicles rolled in.  The streets were narrow and banked by high mud walls; the bulky vehicles could barely squeeze through.

Perry on 2012: ‘A definite no, brother’  —  A governor eyed by some as a 2012 Republican contender for the White House stressed that his focus is on leading the nation's GOP governors and working with new leadership on Capitol Hill to assert states' rights.  —  Texas Gov. Rick Perry (R) …

Cables Portray Expanded Reach of Drug Agency  —  WASHINGTON — The Drug Enforcement Administration has been transformed into a global intelligence organization with a reach that extends far beyond narcotics, and an eavesdropping operation so expansive it has to fend off foreign politicians …

Surprise Representative Plans Surprises of His Own in Washington  —  Joe Walsh's anonymity is dissipating and, by the time it's gone, we may have an answer to an intriguing political question.  —  If you win in anger, can you govern in anger?  —  Mr. Walsh was not just a little-noticed …