- Rep. Paul Ryan, Sen. Patty Murray reach budget deal
 - Shows that went on way too long
 - The media’s Michelle Obama problem: What a selfie says about our biases
 - “The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug”: Jackson leaves Tolkien behind
 - 12 shows that went on way too long
 - How to tell which Republicans care about their constituents’ health
 - Depressed? Climate change could be to blame
 - Mountain goats defy death in alpine avalanche
 - Corporate Democrats freak out over Elizabeth Warren threat
 - Time names Pope Francis 2013 “Person of the Year”
 - Lipstick’s steep price: Africa’s vanishing forests
 - Retirement crisis grows as cities raid pension and health plans
 - China bans shark fin soup at official dinners
 - Iowa Medicaid expansion plan gets federal approval
 - India’s Supreme Court just made it a crime for gay people to have sex
 - Researchers discover a new greenhouse gas that’s 7,000 times worse than CO2
 - Must-see morning clip: Jon Stewart scolds media for inciting controversy during Nelson Mandela memorial
 - Alan Grayson surprisingly calm in response to losing $18 million due to fraud
 - Undercover video exposes alleged cruelty at DiGiorno dairy supplier
 - Obamacare enrollment tops 1 million
 - John Goodman and Taran Killam scream terrible carols in new “SNL” promo
 - Ted Cruz manages to get even more repulsive
 - Time’s fitting choice: The “people’s pope” as Person of the Year
 - The Ryan-Murray budget deal: The right reacts
 - Voucher-mania: Why the right is diseased (and out of ideas)
 - FDA cracking down on antibiotics in meat
 - Why not Miley Cyrus for Person of the Year?
 - Tea Party’s ignorant, empty threat: Why Paul Ryan will be just fine
 - FIFA: 2014 World Cup will have an enormous carbon footprint
 - Not so fast! Massive giveaway to Exxon and Pharma hits road bump
 - Video games’ race problem goes all the way to the top
 - The real Obama story at Mandela’s ceremony the U.S. media missed
 - GOP senator’s chief of staff put on administrative leave amid child porn allegations
 - Amazing photo features George W. Bush showing off his paintings to Hillary Clinton and others on Air Force One
 - Oil is now flowing through the southern leg of Keystone XL
 - Hidden disaster in new budget: Demonic plot to raid pensions
 - Racism in the classroom: When even our names are not our own
 - R. Kelly’s #AskRKelly publicity stunt unsurprisingly backfires
 - GOP congressman: U.S. shouldn’t have lowered flags for Mandela
 - PA’s new environmental chief said he was unaware that there are “adverse impacts” of climate change
 - Corporations’ greedy motive to oppose surveillance: Profits!
 - “Stretched resources” blamed for all hell breaking loose at the National Zoo