GOP says Intel right, narrative wrong on Libya

Top Republicans on the House and Senate intelligence committees said Sunday that Obama administration political appointees removed references to al Qaeda-linked groups from intelligence agencies' accounts of the Sept. 11 attack on the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi, Libya.

Both parties' tax plans would add to the deficit

The "fiscal cliff" debate in Washington has been cast as a choice between runaway Democratic spending and draconian Republican cuts, but no matter who wins the argument, both parties' tax plans add to the deficit — by a minimum of $4.3 trillion through 2022, according to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office.

Democrat leads,  West still fights  at deadline for  Florida recount

Democratic challenger Patrick Murphy declared victory Sunday over Rep. Allen B. West after a partial recount this weekend showed him still leading by more than half a percentage point — though Mr. West is refusing to concede, and questions linger over how ballots were treated in one Florida county.

D.C. Lottery boss is accused of 'unethical behavior'

The possibility of manipulation of the 2009 D.C. Lottery contract is not the only corruption angle that has drawn the attention of government investigators.

Israel kills another top Hamas militant

An Israeli rocket launched Sunday killed a senior Hamas leader in charge of the terrorist movement's missile operations, as fighting between the Jewish state and Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip entered its fifth day and foreign leaders scrambled to prevent the conflict from escalating.

Bartlett remembers 'a very different world' of politics

Rep. Roscoe G. Bartlett of Maryland remembers a time two decades ago when things moved quickly in Washington and Democrats and Republicans weren't constantly at each other's throats.

CURL: Petraeus schools the White House

That didn't take long. Ever since CIA Director David Petraeus resigned, one question has risen above all others: Why? Yes, he had an affair with a woman 20 years his junior (quite the mentor), but hey, there was once a top federal official who had sex with an intern his daughter's age right in the White House Oval Office, and he didn't step down. So, why the general?

Critics say Romney digging deeper hole for party

Mitt Romney's excommunication from the GOP continued over the weekend, with top Republicans growing increasingly angry with the defeated presidential candidate for the damage he's done — and continues to do — to the party's image.

Redskins' decisive win over Eagles is a verdict for defense

Perry Riley jumped up from the turf, fresh off a quarterback sack, and went right into a B-boy stance. The Washington Redskins' 31-6 rout of the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday featured rare occasions for the defense to celebrate, so players seized the opportunity whenever they could.

Inside the Beltway: Beware the bargain bin

While politicians dream of a blockbuster holiday shopping season that could blunt public fear of the "fiscal cliff," some creative rivalry is brewing among competitive retailers. "Violent shopping tactics" could await eager consumers in major cities, such as Los Angeles, New York and Chicago, warns Buy.com, a major online retail site.

Obama balances attention to Middle East during Asian trip

Escalating violence between Israel and the Palestinians on Sunday nearly hijacked President Obama's postelection trip to Southeast Asia — a tour billed as a diplomatic show of force in the region and part of the administration's attempt to pivot U.S. focus to Asia after a decade of war in the Middle East.

Pressure intensifies for GOP to raise taxes on rich

As President Obama and Capitol Hill leaders continue negotiations to avoid the looming "fiscal cliff," top Democrats on Sunday ramped up pressure on their Republican counterparts to accept tax increases on the wealthy as part of a broader agreement.

New GOP leaders begin intensive rebranding effort

The Republican party's young leaders on Sunday continued to distance themselves from defeated presidential candidate Mitt Romney and ramped up the effort to paint the GOP in a new light.

O'Malley asks that choice for House be withdrawn

Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley has asked Prince George's County Democrats to withdraw their choice of a controversial candidate to fill a seat in the House of Delegates.

Obama warns Israel, Palestinians of further escalation

President Obama said Sunday a ground invasion by Israeli forces into Gaza would only raise the death toll of the past week, and he warned Palestinians that a further escalation of violence would set back hopes for peace for years to come.

Israel, Egypt talk Gaza cease-fire as strikes widen

An Israeli missile flattened a two-story house in a residential neighborhood of Gaza City on Sunday, killing at least 11 civilians, mostly women and children, Palestinian medical officials said, as Israel expanded a military offensive to target homes of wanted militants.

Commentary

DRIESSEN: Global warming hysteria will kill jobs

Horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing have boosted shale gas production from zero a few years ago to 10 percent of all U.S. energy supplies in 2012, observes energy analyst Daniel Yergin.

KENNEALLY: Obamacare repeal possible with strong state legislatures

Despite the bad news from the election, the GOP continues to make politically significant gains in their tally of state governorships, increasing their majority from 29 to 30.

ROS-LEHTINEN: Benghazi reveals heightened need for anti-terrorism

As news reports confirm linkages between al Qaeda affiliates and the extremist attack of Sept. 11, 2012, on the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi, the Obama administration continues to dodge the truth. The tragic deaths of four brave Americans should not derail the work of diplomacy, and we must resist the instinct to retreat.

KNIGHT: Casting blame at conservatives for Romney's defeat

Like clockwork, traditional-values voters are being blamed for the failure of a moderate GOP presidential candidate.

NORTH: Benghazi truth stranger than video game fiction

For two months, the liberal media all but ignored the Sept. 11 terrorist attack in Benghazi, Libya, that resulted in four dead Americans. What actions the Obama administration took before, during and after the bloody assaults on the U.S. Consulate and a CIA outpost should have been a legitimate election issue.