AT STAKE FOR DEMS IN 2015: As the lights go down on 2014, next year looks like it will feature a bruising fight for the future of the Democratic Party. The tug of war on the right between the establishment's desire to govern and the tea party caucus's passion to take on President Barack Obama at every turn will certainly continue. But the bigger battle in 2015 will shift to the other side of the aisle as a growing progressive faction, led by charismatic Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren, continues to clash with the administration and more moderate Democrats over Wall Street reform, federal spending, nominees and other issues. Read more
CONGRESS AGREES ON NFL BLACKOUT RULES: The NFL's blackout rule essentially punishes teams that don’t sell enough tickets to their games, making it impossible to broadcast the games within a 75-mile radius of the stadium. But now Congress is stepping in to save NFL fans from being unfairly inconvenienced. Read more
RON PAUL: I WANT A REAL GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN: The political class breathed a sigh of relief Saturday when the U.S. Senate averted a government shutdown by passing the $1.1 trillion omnibus spending bill. But Ron Paul believes a true pro-liberty Congress would be eagerly drawing up plans to permanently close most of the federal government, starting with the Federal Reserve. Read more
WILD SESSION ENDS WITH EXTENSION OF LAST WEEK'S ROUT: Read more