Al Jazeera Seeks a U.S. Voice Where Gore Failed  —  9:16 p.m. |  Updated Al Jazeera, the pan-Arab news giant, has long tried to convince Americans that it is a legitimate news organization, not a parrot of Middle Eastern propaganda or something more sinister.  —  It just bought itself 40 million more chances to make its case.

Obama's debt problem  —  President Barack Obama won't be able to enjoy much of a victory lap from his win over congressional Republicans on the fiscal cliff fight.  —  There are about 16.4 trillion reasons why.  —  The staggering national debt — up about 60 percent from the $10 trillion Obama inherited …

Boehner tells GOP he's through negotiating one-on-one with Obama  —  Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) is signaling that at least one thing will change about his leadership during the 113th Congress: he's telling Republicans he is done with private, one-on-one negotiations with President Obama.

House GOP Lets Violence Against Women Act Passed By Senate Die Without A Vote … REACT:  —  FOLLOW:  —  Eric Cantor, Patty Murray, GOP, Video, Women's Rights, Eric Cantor Vawa, Patty Murray Vawa, The Violence Against Women Act, Vawa, Vawa 2012, Vawa Reauthorization, Vawa Reauthorization 2012 …

Leave It Alone; It's Irrelevant to the Deficit  —  Dean Baker, an economist and the co-director of the Center for Economic and Policy Research, is the author of “The End of Loser Liberalism: Making Markets Progressive.”  —  Millions of people are rightly outraged to hear that Social Security …

Meet the New Class: The Senate Swears in a Historic 20 Female Senators  —  Today the Senate will make history, swearing in a record-breaking 20 female senators - 4 Republicans and 16 Democrats - in office.  —  As the 113th Congress is sworn in today on Capitol Hill, ABC “World News” …

Good Riddance to Rottenest Congress in History  —  On January 3rd, the 112th Congress of the United States of America finally ends.  Thank God.  —  To properly evaluate the 112th, consider the record of its predecessor, the 111th Congress, which ran from January 2009 to January 2011.

Obama signs ‘fiscal cliff’ bill using autopen  —  President Obama on Wednesday signed legislation that raises taxes on the wealthiest Americans and avoids the so-called “fiscal cliff,” which threatened to send the economy into decline.  —  The White House said late Wednesday that Obama reviewed …

What's Inside America's Banks?  —  Some four years after the 2008 financial crisis, public trust in banks is as low as ever.  Sophisticated investors describe big banks as “black boxes” that may still be concealing enormous risks—the sort that could again take down the economy.

Fiscal cliff deal not great, but it shields Americans from tax hike  —  Editor's note: This op/ed is by Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky.  —  The first day of a new Congress always represents a fresh start.  This year, it also presents a perfect opportunity to tackle …

GOP chair urges support for same-sex marriage  —  Both sides are ramping up their gay marriage arguments in Springfield.  —  View other photograph collections  —  SPRINGFIELD — Illinois Republican Party Chairman Pat Brady of St. Charles is calling GOP lawmakers asking them to support …

Milky Way Contains At Least 100 Billion Planets, New Analysis Finds  —  The Milky Way contains at least 100 billion planets, or enough to have one for each of its stars, and many of them are likely to be capable of supporting conditions favorable to life, according to a new estimate from scientists …

Sen. Mark Kirk's message to stroke victims: Don't give up  —  WASHINGTON, D.C. — The left side of his face is sometimes stiff.  His speech occasionally halting, as though his thoughts are racing ahead of his words.  —  But it's clear Sen. Mark Kirk's mind remains sharp.