Obama, Cuban President Raul Castro Shake Hands at Nelson Mandela Memorial  —  President Obama shook hands with Cuban President Raul Castro today at a memorial service for the late Nelson Mandela in South Africa.  —  Obama stopped to shake Castro's hand as he was walking to the podium to pay tribute to Mandela.

APNewsBreak: US Rep. Alan Grayson of Florida loses $18M in fraud scheme  —  McLEAN, Va. — U.S. Rep. Alan Grayson of Florida lost $18 million in a scheme that cheated him and about 120 other investors out of more than $35 million, according to court papers.  —  The Virginia man who ran the scheme …

Ex-Clinton Aide Expected to Join Obama  —  WASHINGTON — President Obama, after a rocky year that leaves him at the lowest ebb of his presidency, is bringing into his White House circle the longtime Democratic strategist John D. Podesta, a former chief of staff for President Bill Clinton.

Why Miley Cyrus Should Be The 2013 Person Of The Year Instead Of Pope Francis  —  Time Magazine announced its finalists for Person Of The Year today, and the list is a not unsurprising mix of figures from various realms of public life: … It's easy to declare that one of these things is not like the other …

Ron Paul: Rand will ‘probably’ run in 2016  —  Former Rep. Ron Paul (R-Texas) said Monday his son will probably run for president in 2016 — judging by the hints he has been leaving.  —  “I think he probably will.  I mean, he's been on TV hinting that he very well might,” Paul told CNN about his son, Sen. Rand Paul (Ky.).

Fox News Paid Fired Executive $8 Million to Keep Quiet  —  Roger Ailes' secrets command a heavy price.  Last week, the New York Times reported that Fox News had reached an out-of-court settlement with Brian Lewis, the former Roger Ailes aide who was abruptly fired in late July.

Poll: Mark Pryor trails Tom Cotton in Arkansas  —  Democratic Sen. Mark Pryor trails his Republican challenger, Rep. Tom Cotton, by seven points among likely voters in Arkansas, 48 percent to 41 percent, according to a new poll from a conservative group that says his support of the health care reform law is costing him.

GOP bills would prohibit in-flight calls  —  Political momentum to keep a ban on cellphone calls during flights gained momentum Monday as lawmakers said it would be crazy to allow them.  —  Rep. Bill Shuster (R-Pa.) became the second lawmaker after Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) to offer legislation to keep the ban in place.

Dems: GOPer must quit over ‘death’ quip  —  Three Democratic state lawmakers called Monday for the state chairman of Virginia's Republican Party to resign over comments he made attacking President Barack Obama and Gov.-elect Terry McAuliffe, arguing the statements would damage already frayed relations between the parties going forward.

‘A public safety disaster’: Obamacare could force THOUSANDS of volunteer fire departments to close  — The Affordable Care Act forces companies with more than 50 workers to buy them all health insurance or pay hefty fines  — The IRS says volunteer firefighters are 'employees …

Poll: Obama, Iran face selling job on nuclear pact  —  The United States and Iran have not had diplomatic relations since 1979.  —  WASHINGTON — The White House and Iran face an uphill selling job to convince Americans to embrace the interim nuclear pact negotiated with Tehran last month, a USA TODAY/Pew Research Center Poll finds.

2 Spanish journalists kidnapped in Syria, newspaper says  —  Syrian civil war in photos  —  Madrid (CNN) — Two Spanish journalists experienced in covering wars have been kidnapped in Syria by a group linked to al Qaeda, the newspaper El Mundo said Tuesday.

How Adam Lanza Wrecked Obama's Second Term  —  Don't blame the catastrophic health care rollout for the president's woes.  The Sandy Hook shooting is the real reason things went amok.  —  There are plenty of reasons this is the lowest point of Barack Obama's presidency.

How to Keep Workers Unemployed  —  Another 99 weeks of jobless insurance won't create more jobs.  —  House-Senate negotiators are close to a modest budget accord to avoid another government shutdown, but suddenly the White House is introducing a last-minute demand.

Rep. Steve Stockman to challenge Sen. John Cornyn in Texas GOP primary  —  (CNN) - Republican Rep. Steve Stockman is launching a primary challenge against fellow Texan Sen. John Cornyn.  —  The Senate's second-ranking Republican, Cornyn is up for re-election next year.

Union organizer shouts down protesters as they block private Google shuttle  —  Protesters blocked a private Google shuttle on Valencia street today, decrying private shuttle's use of public bus stops without paying fees or fines.  —  The group of 20 or so neon-yellow vested protesters called themselves the …

How Democrats Plan to Cut Food Stamps Without Enraging Their Base  —  For Democrats especially, any talk about cutting billions from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program is uncomfortable and certain to create internal strife.  But negotiators on the farm bill believe they've found …

Netflix to Premiere Mitt Romney Doc ‘Mitt’  —  Directed by Greg Whiteley and exec produced by Seth Gordon, the film follows Romney's Oval Office aspirations beginning in 2006 through his concession speech in 2012.  —  Netflix is casting its vote for Mitt Romney.