There were two extraordinary disclosures in Thursday's testimony of Defense Secretary Leon Panetta and Joint Chiefs Chairman Martin Dempsey before the Senate Armed Services Committee.

Florida this week won approval to begin shifting low-income, long-term care residents to managed-care plans amid broader questions about whether it will go along with the federal government in expanding Medicaid.

Federal approval this week of the long-term care changes brought Republican backers a step closer to the Holy Grail -- a federal waiver allowing the state to shift virtually all Medicaid patients to HMOs or similar plans.

Meanwhile, lawmakers returned to preparation for a session that, although not scheduled to begin for more than a month, feels in full swing.

WASHINGTON -- We may never know exactly what happened in Benghazi the night Ambassador Christopher Stevens and three other Americans were killed, but it's becoming increasingly clear that our response was short of optimum.

As President Obama prepares for his State of the Union address, he has indicated that gun control and immigration will be two of his top priorities.