TPM SLIDESHOW: Meet The 2012 GOPers — Newt Gingrich  —  Pelosi knows more about Gingrich than perhaps any other major national political figure.  She was a senior Democrat when Gingrich was House Speaker, served on the ethics committee that investigated Gingrich for tax cheating …

Republicans See Gingrich, Romney as “Acceptable” Nominees  —  All other candidates seen as unacceptable by half or more of Republicans  —  PRINCETON, NJ — Newt Gingrich (62%) and Mitt Romney (54%) are the only two candidates Republicans say would be acceptable presidential nominees from their party …

Iran's Revolutionary Guards prepare for war  —  Iran's Revolutionary Guards have been put on a war footing amid increasing signs that the West is taking direct action to cripple Iran's nuclear programme.  —  An order from Gen Mohammed Ali Jaafari, the commander of the guards …

Parties roll out dueling payroll tax proposals  —  House Republicans and Senate Democrats are on a collision course over extending a payroll tax break as the two sides intensify their legislative gamesmanship ahead of a crucial year-end deadline.  —  Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid plans …

Romney staff spent nearly $100,000 to hide records  —  (Reuters) - Mitt Romney spent nearly $100,000 in state funds to replace computers in his office at the end of his term as governor of Massachusetts in 2007 as part of an unprecedented effort to keep his records secret, Reuters has learned.

NASA finding feeds talk of a new Earth  —  Artist's conception illustrates Kepler-22b (NASA/Ames/JPL-Caltech)  —  NASA has found a new planet outside Earth's solar system that is eerily similar to Earth in important aspects.  —  Scientists say the temperature on the surface of the planet is about a comfy 72 degrees (22 Celsius).

Fox News Business: The Muppets Are ‘Brainwashing’ Young People To Hate The Oil Industry  —  Life's a happy song, but not when Fox Business is singing along.  The network is upset that the new Muppets movie, The Muppets, features an oil tycoon as a villain, with various contributors complaining …

Supreme Court Agrees to Hear Reichle v. Howards  —  WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Monday agreed to decide whether Secret Service agents protecting Vice President Dick Cheney may be sued for violating the free speech rights of a member of the public who made critical remarks about the Bush administration's war policies.

CHART OF THE DAY: Something Has Really Shifted In Europe This Time  —  It's tempting and easy to just say that whatever European leaders are cooking up right now is bound to fail, like every other past attempt at ending the crisis.  —  But here's a noteworthy market fact: Italian yields are collapsing today.

Exclusive: ‘Dragon Tattoo’ Producer Scott Rudin Replies To David Denby's Upcoming New Yorker Review Embargo Break  —  “They reviewed what?”  —  If you follow movie insider baseball news you may have heard the embargo on Sony's “The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo” is about to break tomorrow …

Society: Governments must tackle record gap between rich and poor, says OECD  —  The gap between rich and poor in OECD countries has reached its highest level for over over 30 years, and governments must act quickly to tackle inequality, according to a new OECD report.

Issa expands Fast and Furious probe to include alleged money laundering  —  Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) has requested a briefing with the Justice Department over a news report that U.S. law enforcement officials helped Mexican drug cartels launder millions of dollars into the country.