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On Friday, it was confirmed that President Obama won the election with 332 electoral votes tallied in his column. Of course this is old news. But the formal count mandated by the Constitution took place before a joint session of Congress, heavy on ceremony and light on attendance.

Is he a "wimp" who blinked during fiscal cliff wrangling, failing to pursue a grand bargain and weakening his future hand? Or a pragmatist who negotiated a "big win" in securing congressional approval for the first tax increase on the wealthy in more than two decades?

Many Coptic Christians will celebrate Christmas on Monday outside their native Egypt. Their future there looks uncertain, and many are resettling in the U.S. Churches around New York, New Jersey and Southern California, the centers of Coptic life here, have seen memberships swell.

Buyers are snapping up property in Germany, leaving some analysts worried that it's a bubble in the making. But others say the conservative approach to home ownership, including a tradition of large down payments, will protect the market from a U.S.-style crash.

The "fiscal cliff" wasn't the first time Vice President Joe Biden has helped carry a deal across the finish line. Though critics dismiss him as a gaffe-prone windbag, he has reached across the aisle many times to get compromises through Congress.

The cast of lawmakers and their leaders in the new 113th Congress is mostly unchanged. The same can be said for Capitol Hill's never-ending drama over taxes, deficits and spending.

Friday's jobs report showed moderate growth, but much remains the same for people who have been out of work for months. As the job market itself changes, some of the longer-term unemployed can be among the last to get hired because of a real or perceived lack of skills.

The state has the largest pension-fund shortfall in the nation, with about $96 billion of liability. Lawmakers are running up against a tight deadline: A new Legislature will be sworn in next week. State employees swarmed the Capitol this week to protest the underfunding of their pensions, as well as pending legislation on the issue.

The magnitude 7.5 earthquake hit late Friday night, but warnings were canceled after it appeared the tsunami no longer posed a threat.

The framers of the Constitution didn't spell out all the responsibilities of the speaker of the House. In practice, one of those duties has been engaging in one-on-one negotiations with a president on important policy issues. But John Boehner says no more — even with new fiscal fights looming.