Republicans attack Rice, not race

Republicans shot down Democratic charges that ongoing criticism of U.N. Ambassador Susan E. Rice is couched in racism or sexism, and pressed President Obama for more answers on the Sept. 11 attack in Benghazi, Libya, as partisan battle lines hardened Wednesday over the incident and its aftermath.

Israelis cautious as a cease-fire with Hamas takes hold

The tenuous truce between Israel and Hamas militants after eight days of savage fighting now relies on Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi to guarantee the cease-fire he spent days crafting.

Iran admits giving Hamas technology for missiles

Iranian officials on Wednesday acknowledged providing military assistance, including missile technology, to the Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip.

Neither Sandy nor 'cliff' will steal Christmas from shoppers

U.S. consumers are in an upbeat mood and are preparing to spend more this holiday season than last year's, providing a badly needed boost to the economy. But headwinds from the lingering effects of Superstorm Sandy and the year-end political storm brewing in Washington could put a damper on their shopping spree, analysts say.

Roosevelt's movable feast sparked outrage in year of 'Franksgiving'

The year was 1939, and American businesses, still reeling from the previous year's recession, decided they wanted an extra week of Christmas shopping. The solution? They asked President Roosevelt to move Thanksgiving up a week. Roosevelt complied — and confusion and outrage ensued.

Solyndra lawyers reap green, but not energy

Bankrupt solar-panel company Solyndra LLC and the criminal investigation into its downfall have faded from public view, but the law firm representing the company in a grand jury probe quietly has stayed busy, racking up nearly a half-million dollars in legal fees over the past year, records show.

Jesse Jackson Jr. resigns from Congress

After a long struggle with medical and legal problems, Rep. Jesse L. Jackson Jr. resigned from Congress on Wednesday, citing failing health as the reason he is stepping down after 17 years but adding he is cooperating with a federal investigation "into my activities."

Inside the Beltway: The pies have it

"Oysters on half shell, cream of chicken soup, fried smelts, sauce tartare, roast turkey, cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes, baked squash, boiled onion, parsnip fritters, olives, chicken salad, venison pastry, pumpkin pie, mince pie, Charlotte russe, almond ice cream, lemon jelly, hickory nut cake, cheese, fruits, coffee." And so dictates the 1899 presidential Thanksgiving Day menu.

RG3's traits passed down from father

Robert Griffin Jr. has been a father for 27 of his 47 years on this earth. The beginning, with all its thrills and wonder, featured that awakening all new parents experience. Children, it turns out, come with no instruction booklet. Somehow the manufacturer always leaves that out of the box.

Federal employees say they've done their part to dodge 'cliff'

Federal employee unions and their allies on Capitol Hill are drawing a line in the sand against potential efforts to solve the "fiscal cliff" crisis on the backs of the federal workforce, saying the civil service already has done its part.

An open letter to Sir Paul McCartney, from America on Thanksgiving Day

"... You may not be aware of this, being a loyal subject of the queen and all, but the holiday was first celebrated by the Pilgrims — you know, those guys who dressed like oatmeal box models and crossed the Atlantic Ocean specifically to get away from English dudes trying to tell them what to do."

Obama gives one lucky bird second chance

While pardoning a couple of lucky birds Wednesday at the White House's annual National Thanksgiving Turkey Presentation, a smiling President Obama, accompanied by his daughters, managed to work in several references to his successful re-election campaign — and even squeezed in what seemed to be a sly political dig at Mitt Romney.

U.S. abortion rate fell in '09, CDC statistics show

America's abortion rate fell 5 percent in 2009 in the largest single-year drop seen since the federal government started tracking data on the procedure.

For Bethesda siblings, the true spirit of giving to Sandy victims

Like many people watching images of the devastation left in the wake of Superstorm Sandy, the Bethesda children were stunned by what they saw and felt compelled to do something.

U.N. report warns of widening climate gap

A U.N. report on rising greenhouse gas emissions reminded world governments Wednesday that their efforts to fight climate change are far from enough to meet their stated goal of limiting global warming to 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 Fahrenheit).

Fewer seek U.S. jobless aid as storm distorts data

The number of people seeking U.S. unemployment benefits fell sharply last week to a seasonally adjusted 410,000, though the figure was elevated for the second straight week by Superstorm Sandy.

Commentary

NOVAK: Giving thanks for American Exceptionalism

One of the traits, the great Tocqueville writes, that makes the United States distinctive is that here religion and liberty are friends, not at enmity as in France. "Freedom sees religion as the companion of its struggles and triumphs, the cradle of its infancy, and the divine source of its rights."

PATTERSON AND BROWN: Demise of the Twinkie reveals unions' true priorities

Is there a more iconic American snack than the Twinkie?

MACARTHUR: The atheist's Thanksgiving dilemma

Thankfulness is one of the distinguishing traits of the human spirit. We sense the need to say thanks, and we realize we ought to be more grateful than we are. We furthermore perceive that we are indebted to (and accountable to) a higher power than ourselves -- the God who made us.