A dog in Germany gave birth to 17 healthy puppies! They were bottle-fed because "their mother's nipples could have never coped with the demand," which is a set of words I never expected to read in an AP article.

Virginia state Del. Bob Marshall is furious over the repeal of "Don't Ask Don't Tell," and wants to block openly gay people from serving in the Virginia National Guard. He also wants to be a U.S. Senator and needs headlines.

Mississippi Gov. Haley "Boss Hogg" Barbour is a funny guy, and he should run for president. The former Washington mega-lobbyist gives great interviews. What was it like, for example, when he saw Martin Luther King Jr. as a teenager?

North Korea backed off its promise to deliver an "unpredictable self-defensive blow" over South Korean military drills today, but the North kept talking shit, saying the South hadn't learned "a lesson from the disgraceful defeat they suffered" last month. [CNN]

NASA's released a series of amazing photos of the "dark side" of the moon—the most detailed ever—taken by the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter. The colors in the photo indicate elevation: Blue/green is lower; yellow/red is higher. [Pic via AP]

"Experts" have weighed in on the dangers of drinking too much during the holidays, and guess what? It's supposedly really bad for you, and could even increase the risk of cancer. But you can avoid this fate!

Remember that $11 million fake Christmas tree adorned with rubies, gold and diamonds in the lobby of the Emirates Palace hotel? The hotel says it regrets "attempts to overload" the holiday with gaudiness, and then blamed it on a jeweler.

The Senate today repealed the US military's Don't Ask, Don't Tell policy of barring openly gay servicemembers from the armed forces by a vote of 65 to 31. President Obama only needs to sign it. [TPM]

The Smithsonian's National Zoo in DC today unveiled seven adorable new lion cubs, and the AP was there to document their big debut.

Oh boy, we hope this happens: Evil Ned Flanders (né John Bolton) is considering a White House run in 2012, because if "inexperienced senators from Illinois" can do it, why can't he? He's coming for your ass, Ahmadinejad! [Politico]

The Post once again has spoken to a "recent inmate" at the prison where Bernie Madoff is serving life, this time with Bernie's reaction to his son's suicide, and that he's pissed off at Ruth for not visiting him.

The Republican presidential debate schedule just got infinitely better, as the Tea Party Express will co-host a "first-of-its-kind" Tea Party debate with CNN, in September. Hot damn! We're buying a 2011 calendar, just for the pleasure of circling this date.

Rep. Peter King (R-NY) is planning to hold hearings on the "radicalization" of American Muslims when he takes over the chair of the Homeland Security Committee next year, the New York Times reports.

Ex-White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel is still trying to prove that he maintained Chicago residency during his two yers in Washington, so he can become Chicago's next mayor. And that's why he's giving tours of his basement crawlspace.

[A husky puppy gets chauffeured around the snowy streets of Bucharest, Romania, today in a baby carriage. Also: It's Friday! Image via AP]

Moody's, the global credit rating scam agency, dropped Ireland's government bond rating five notches today from "Aa2" to "Baa1," which isn't good (at all)! Greece and Spain could soon feel the Moody's hammer, too. Sucks to be them!

The GOP's rising star, Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal, was the driving force behind the construction of sand berms to curb the Gulf oil spill. They were considered environmentally unsound, and a presidential commission has found that they didn't even work.

A lot happened in Washington, D.C. on Thursday night! In the House, representatives passed President Obama's huge tax package, while in the Senate, Republicans embarrassed Democrats, again. Let's take a look at the fortunate and the unfortunate:

[Sure, it was probably cold as hell for this ironworker on the 52nd floor of One World Trade Center today, but what a view! Image via AP]

Wikileaks founder Julian Assange is chilling at an English manor, but he isn't out of the woods: He says an espionage indictment from a U.S. "secret grand jury" is coming, and there's even talk of a Bradley Manning plea deal.