In what was almost certainly his final speech before Congress, Rep. and former presidential candidate Ron Paul, R-Tex., pulled no punches in assessing the political landscape over the 23 years he served in Congress.

Paul’s career in Congress began in 1976 and ran over the course of three periods: 1976-1977, 1979-1985, and 1997-present. He will be leaving office next year, after deciding not to seek another term in order to focus on running for President this year.

In his farewell address today, Paul spent 52 minutes critiquing the federal government, politicians, and special interests. He also criticized the size and complexity of the U.S. government and bureaucracy. Read 

If you thought the Gen. David Petraeus scandal couldn’t get any weirder, well, brace yourself.

Four days after Petraeus resigned as CIA Director after it was revealed that he had conducted an affair with the author of his biography, his replacement as commander in Afghanistan, Gen. John Allen, has become ensnared in the controversy.

In the process of an FBI investigation into harassing emails sent to Jill Kelley accusing her of inappropriate flirting with Petraeus, the FBI also turned up thousands of alleged “inappropriate conversations” between Kelley herself and Allen. Read 

In spite of all her credentials — chair of the Congressional TARP oversight panel, special adviser and spearhead for the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, Harvard law professor — there is a good chance that incoming Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., will not get the committee seat that makes the most sense for her.

Which seat might that be? The Senate Banking Committee.

Right now, there are two Democratic seats open on that committee, since Wisconsin Sen. Herb Kohl and Hawaii Sen. Daniel Akaka are retiring. However, committee seats are usually given out by seniority, with the plum spots given to senators who have been in office longer. Sens. Kirsten Gillibrand and Chris Coons, of New York and Delaware, respectively, apparently want those spots and have been in office longer than the newly elected Warren. Read 

The consequences of Barack Obama’s re-election are beginning to felt, in ways both small and large. There have also been plenty of predictions for the market and suggestions on how investors might take advantage of it. Some reactions, though, have been a bit…reactionary.

Perhaps inspired by Donald Trump’s election day tweet calling for a revolution, Americans from 20 states have filed petitions on the White House’s web site asking for their state’s right to secede from the United States.

That’s right, secede, as in “leave the United States and form their own government.” Petitions have come from Alabama, Arkansas, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oregon, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Texas. Most of the petitions have included snippets of the Declaration of Independence in the text of the petition, perhaps suggesting these petitions are spearheaded by one group. Read 

While Barack Obama managed to keep his job as President of the United States for the next four years, 22 workers in Las Vegas are losing their jobs as a result.

A caller to a Las Vegas radio show identified himself as a CEO who warned his employees that if Obama was re-elected, he would have to fire employees to protect his business’ future. Obama won, and the CEO immediately made good on this threat, firing 22 of his 114 employees.

He blamed the firing on the fact that he needed to save money to prepare for future taxes, regulations, and the affects of Obamacare on his bottom line. He also said he thought things were going to get worse. “There’s a tsunami coming and if you didn’t think this election had consequences, just wait.” Read 

It seems that celebrities get special treatment everywhere — including at the voting booth.

On Tuesday, election workers escorted popular singer Usher to the front of a very long line of voters at a polling station in Roswell, Ga.

Responding to a public outcry over the incident, Fulton Country election officials issued a statement saying they felt that Usher’s presence created a “distraction” for other voters, the Atlanta Constitution Journal noted. Read