Gay marriage bans in four states upheld on appeal  —  The same-sex marriage movement lost its first major case in a federal appeals court Thursday after a lengthy string of victories, creating a split among the nation's circuit courts that virtually guarantees Supreme Court review.

Senate Democrats plan a legislative rush before power shifts to the GOP  —  Before ceding full control of Congress to the GOP in January, Senate Democrats are planning to rush a host of critical measures to President Obama's desk, including bills to revive dozens of expired tax breaks and avoid a government shutdown for another year.

He says he wants to live a normal life.  But he can still taste the White House.  —  Certainly, Ryan has given his suitors some cause for optimism: the visits to early primary states, the discussions with GOP donors, the high-profile blitz to promote his book, The Way Forward, which reads in parts like a presidential manifesto.

Triumph of the Wrong  —  The race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet midterms to men of understanding.  Or as I put it on the eve of another Republican Party sweep, politics determines who has the power, not who has the truth.

Ben Carson video to air in 22 states  —  Ben Carson is introducing himself as a potential 2016 presidential candidate in a 40-minute video that will be aired on TV stations in 22 states and Washington, D.C.  —  Armstrong Williams, a conservative commentator who is Carson's business manager …

Sen. Mary Landrieu faces runoff alone  —  NEW ORLEANS — Mary Landrieu is on a solo mission to retain her Senate seat.  —  Democrats are scrapping a multimillion dollar ad buy, liberal groups aren't jumping in to help her campaign and national political staffers haven't moved down en masse to help get out the vote.

Lame duck swims to Asia  —  If President Barack Obama expects to escape the spate of brutal post-election news by traveling 6,000 miles and 12 time zones to Asia, he's in for a surprise.  —  Regional players are taking stock of whether the U.S. president once seen as a global rock star …

The $9 Billion Witness: Meet JPMorgan Chase's Worst Nightmare  —  Chase whistle-blower Alayne Fleischmann risked it all.

Has the Tea Party been tamed?  —  Establishment Republicans are crowing that their resounding wins Tuesday night repudiated the Tea Party's insistence that ideological purity is key to electoral success.  —  But don't tell that to conservatives, who aren't admitting defeat.

Jobs Data Show Steady Gains Even as Voters Signal Anxiety  —  Three days after voters expressed their discontent with the state of the economy, the government on Friday reported strong signs of improvement, estimating that employers added 214,000 jobs in October, while the official jobless rate dropped …

Payrolls grow by 214K; jobless rate hits 6-year low  —  CNBC's Jim Cramer and David Faber share their thoughts on today's jobs data that saw nonfarm payrolls increase by 214,000.  —  The U.S. economy created 214,000 jobs in October, the Labor Department reported Friday …

The Big Sleep  —  Maybe it's best to close your eyes and fall into a Rip Van Winkle slumber for the next two years.  The party that has refused to govern for half a decade and ran a substance-free campaign will now play at governing and not take up anything of substance.

32 tanks enter Ukraine from Russia: Kiev  —  Kiev (AFP) - A column of 32 tanks and other heavy weapons has entered Ukraine from Russia, the Ukrainian military said Friday, after the latest fighting left five dead and at least 31 injured.  —  Military spokesman Andriy Lysenko said a convoy …

Use of word ‘Negro’ removed from new Army regulation  —  Less than 24 hours after it came to light, the Army has removed the word “negro” from its regulation governing the policies and responsibilities of command.  —  The term was used in a section of AR 600-20, which covers “Army Command Policy …