The five-term senator and former presidential candidate, has gone soft on conservative principles, his state's GOP leadership says.

The House speaker used a rare appearance on late-night TV to joke about why he won't be running for the White House, and to make some more serious predictions about this year's elections.

President Obama has a couple tools at his disposal that let him bypass congressional approval - and he's using them to advance his economic agenda. The administration says the president is still willing to work with Congress, but some on Capitol Hill are taking issue with the executive tactic.

Although the proposed amendment to ban same-sex marriage in Indiana was only briefly mentioned during Gov. Mike Pence's State of the State address Tuesday night, the controversial measure was a key topic of discussion at the reactions given by both parties.

The debate, hosted Monday night at Franklin College, featured Jane Henegar, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Indiana, and Curt Smith, president of the Indiana Family Institute.

The former vice president's daughter split Republicans in Wyoming with her challenge to a fellow conservative, Sen. Mike Enzi. She also sparked a public family feud with her opposition to same-sex marriage.

The latest poll shows that a growing number of Republicans reject the scientific theory of evolution, while three-quarters of Democrats accept it.

Speaker of the House John Boehner's year began with members of his own party trying to oust him from the speakership. Thus began a year of rocky relations with the Tea Party wing of the House Republican caucus. But by year's end, Boehner was firmly in control of his gavel.

Tuesday's vote is expected to be close, but enough Republicans have said they will join with Democrats to move the plan forward. The two-year deal avoids any more government shutdowns until at least 2015.

Democrats and Republicans both have problems with the package, but passage is expected in the House on Thursday. The Senate is likely to do the same next week.