Fiscal cliff: for Obama and liberals, a wary alliance

Petraeus scandal: Where will investigations take Congress?

4:58 pm ET - As House and Senate intelligence leaders prepare to query top FBI and CIA officials on the Petraeus scandal, questions abound: Why did Obama not know sooner? Did the affair impact Libya? Was there a security breach? 

• Widening Petraeus scandal comes at already troublesome time for Pentagon
• Decoder Wire: Could Petraeus scandal enable fiscal cliff deal by diverting media glare?
• Backchannels: Be wary about what you read on the Petraeus scandal

Decoder Wire
Paul Ryan blames loss on surge in 'urban areas.' Is that right?

6:07 pm ET - Paul Ryan is taking heat for blaming the Romney/Ryan loss on a surprising surge in 'urban areas.' But most of the battleground states ended up voting pretty much as the average of polls indicated they would.

• Immigration reform: Can the GOP really win Hispanic votes with a flip-flop?

Saudi student in US gets life in prison for bombmaking scheme

5:11 pm ET - Khalid Aldawsari, who was convicted in June, came under suspicion when he ordered chemicals. Prosecutors said the key to the case was the role played by citizens who contacted officials.

Briefing
Who is Abu Qatada and why is Britain unable to deport him?

5:17 pm ET - Britain released Islamist preacher Abu Qatada on bail Monday after a British court ruled he could not be extradited to Jordan. 

Eurozone, IMF clash over Greek debt as deadline looms

4:39 pm ET - IMF chief Christine Lagarde and European financial ministers debated today over how to prevent Greece from collapsing, even as Athens faces mandatory debt payment on Friday.

Decoder Wire
Might an idea from Mitt Romney save US from 'fiscal cliff'? (+video)

1:20 pm ET - Mitt Romney has suggested putting a cap on income-tax deductions. Would the GOP back it? That's uncertain, but it would generate a lot of money and hit only the wealthiest Americans.

Watch video

As tiny Slovenia votes, larger eurozone watches with wary eye

11:47 am ET - The eurozone's unusually strong interest in next month's presidential runoff comes down to a key concern: Some fear Slovenia could be the next eurozone country to need a bailout. 

Terrorism & Security
Fighting grows along Syria's borders, threatening to spread war

9:46 am ET - Syria's borders are getting more violent, leading some to question whether President Bashar al-Assad is purposely trying to broaden the conflict.

• Inside Syria, rebels offer cautious support for unified council

Palestinian Authority unable to pay salaries, even as it pursues statehood

9:53 am ET - The Palestinian drive for non-member state status at the UN could trigger Israeli economic retaliation that would end the viability of the Palestinian Authority.

US colleges, especially in Midwest, see record number of foreign students

6:04 pm ET - Foreign students contribute nearly $23 billion annually to the US economy, according to the annual Open Doors Report on trends in international college education.

How will Feds deal with marijuana legalization in Colorado and Washington?

5:14 pm ET - A potential showdown will probably not target individual users of the drug, instead focusing on new regulations that will make marijuana sales permissible, a violation of federal law.

First NFL tie since 2008, between Rams and 49ers: What is this, soccer?

1:25 pm ET - First NFL tie since 2008 happened because of overtime rules that don’t often come into play. But Sunday’s game between the St. Louis Rams and San Francisco 49ers wasn’t without drama.