National

First watch: Kerry to Israel, Tea Party's new low, Twitter's year in review

By Ali Watkins and Julie Moos - McClatchy Washington Bureau

December 12, 2013 09:16 AM

In this Dec. 10, 2013, photo, Secretary of State John Kerry testifies on Capitol Hill in Washington, before the House Foreign Affairs Committee. Continuing a furious pace of shuttle diplomacy aimed at securing an elusive Israeli-Palestinian peace deal by the spring, Kerry arrives in the Middle East on Dec. 12 on his ninth trip of the year. In closed door talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Thursday and Friday, Kerry will be following up on elements of a West Bank security plan, ideas for which he unveiled on his most recent visit to the region just last week, and other points of potential progress. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
In this Dec. 10, 2013, photo, Secretary of State John Kerry testifies on Capitol Hill in Washington, before the House Foreign Affairs Committee. Continuing a furious pace of shuttle diplomacy aimed at securing an elusive Israeli-Palestinian peace deal by the spring, Kerry arrives in the Middle East on Dec. 12 on his ninth trip of the year. In closed door talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Thursday and Friday, Kerry will be following up on elements of a West Bank security plan, ideas for which he unveiled on his most recent visit to the region just last week, and other points of potential progress. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite) AP
In this Dec. 10, 2013, photo, Secretary of State John Kerry testifies on Capitol Hill in Washington, before the House Foreign Affairs Committee. Continuing a furious pace of shuttle diplomacy aimed at securing an elusive Israeli-Palestinian peace deal by the spring, Kerry arrives in the Middle East on Dec. 12 on his ninth trip of the year. In closed door talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Thursday and Friday, Kerry will be following up on elements of a West Bank security plan, ideas for which he unveiled on his most recent visit to the region just last week, and other points of potential progress. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite) AP

Secretary of State John Kerry is on his way back to the Middle East today for more talks aimed at brokering peace between Israel and the Palestinians. Kerry, who turned 70 on Wednesday, is making his ninth trip to Israel this year.

The latest Gallup poll shows Congress more unpopular than ever, with only 14 percent of Americans surveyed saying they approve of the job lawmakers are doing. The Tea Party is also falling out of favor. "For the first time, a slim majority of Americans say they have an unfavorable opinion of the Tea Party movement. ... A full third (34%) of conservatives have an unfavorable opinion of the group."

Still popular after all these years (except perhaps with former Vice President Dan Quayle), television's "Murphy Brown" turns 25 today. Katie Couric will reunite the cast on her talk show. Creator Diane English said last year that she was in talks with CBS to revive the comedy about a "60 Minutes"-style newscast.

YouTube's trendiest video of the year: "What does the fox say?"

#2013: Relive the year on Twitter, with a timeline that features highlights from news, entertainment, sports and other trending topics.

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