I don’t know who knows this but I found out yesterday that the famed Pope chimney (where we see the white or black smoke) is actually specially installed for the purposes of the conclave rather than being like the regular all-the-time chimney of the fireplace in the Sistine Chapel.

Let’s start by granting the point that it was at best awkward to seem to defend someone who apparently derives sexual pleasure from at least fantasizing about killing women and then eating them. With that out of the way, Gilberto Valle was just convicted of plotting to do that or arguably just talking about it. (Details of the story here.) Read More

We still don’t know all the specifics. But this week Senate Democrats will introduce a budget that resets the fiscal policy debate to the status quo ante, before President Obama and John Boehner settled in for failed fiscal cliff negotiations. Read More

TPM Reader SW is no fan of Nancy Pelosi’s call for the feds to not interfere in Colorado’s decision to legalize marijuana within the state …

Maybe I’m missing something here, but did Nancy Pelosi just come out in favor of “nullification”?

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I’ll post more thoughts on the House GOP’s new-budget-same-as-the-old budget shortly. But first I want to make a quick observation about one of Paul Ryan’s perceived inconsistencies, because I think it’s a big distraction from more important things.

At a press conference this morning, Ryan said there’s nothing hypocritical about Republicans preserving revenues from a recent income tax increase they claim to hate because “law is law.” “We’re not going to refight the past,” he reiterated.

This he said as he introduced a budget that proposes to repeal the Affordable Care Act. Read More

This is bizarrely awesome. Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is under fire from clerics at home for embracing the mother of Hugo Chavez at Chavez’s funeral.

Explaining his election night meltdown, Rove says media should stop calling elections prematurely, could learn something from conclave model. Watch.

Pelosi says the federal government shouldn’t interfere with Colorado’s (and other state’s) legalization of pot.

Palin celebrates ‘victory in NYC for Liberty-loving soda drinkers’. Diabetes Smash!

With the papal conclave now underway, check out our special Pope election cheat sheet.