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The Winners TPM is pleased to announce the winners of the Sixth Annual Golden Dukes recognizing the year’s best purveyors of public corruption, outlandish behavior and The Crazy. The awards are named in honor of former Rep. Randy “Duke” Cunningham, who epitomizes the iconic modern scandal. Few have so combined public corruption, a betrayal of the public trust and generally shameless behavior. Following his example, 2012 has been a banner year — from virulent outbreaks of The Crazy to David Petraeus’ biographer bingo to the nonstop nonsense that was the 2012 campaign—there’s been a lot to rake. Our celebrity judges — Alex Pareene,@PourMeCoffee, Marin Cogan, Lizz Winstead and Susie Bright — waded their way through all 35 finalists in 7 categories, and selected the winners. Check out the lucky nominees and the reader emails that selected them here. To read any judge’s statements (be sure you do), scroll to the end and click on each judge’s name!

The Winners

TPM is pleased to announce the winners of the Sixth Annual Golden Dukes recognizing the year’s best purveyors of public corruption, outlandish behavior and The Crazy.

The awards are named in honor of former Rep. Randy “Duke” Cunningham, who epitomizes the iconic modern scandal. Few have so combined public corruption, a betrayal of the public trust and generally shameless behavior. Following his example, 2012 has been a banner year — from virulent outbreaks of The Crazy to David Petraeus’ biographer bingo to the nonstop nonsense that was the 2012 campaign—there’s been a lot to rake.

Our celebrity judges — Alex Pareene,@PourMeCoffee, Marin Cogan, Lizz Winstead and Susie Bright — waded their way through all 35 finalists in 7 categories, and selected the winners.

Check out the lucky nominees and the reader emails that selected them here. To read any judge’s statements (be sure you do), scroll to the end and click on each judge’s name!

President Obama will host Congressional leaders at the White House on Friday in hopes of reaching a deal to avert the so-called fiscal cliff, the White House and Speaker John Boehner’s office announced Thursday.

President Obama will host Congressional leaders at the White House on Friday in hopes of reaching a deal to avert the so-called fiscal cliff, the White House and Speaker John Boehner’s office announced Thursday.

Supreme Court Refuses To Halt Birth Control Mandate

The Supreme Court has rejected an appeal to temporarily block the Obama administration’s contraception mandate while the courts work through the case.

In a four-page opinion issued late Wednesday, Justice Sonia Sotomayor declared that the Hobby Lobby and Mardel, two retail outlets suing to block the requirement, do not meet the high standard for emergency injunctive relief.

“Applicants do not satisfy the demanding standard for the extraordinary relief they seek,” wrote Sotomayor, the justice primarily responsible for cases in the Tenth Circuit where it’s pending. She reasoned that the plaintiffs’ right to immediate relief is not “indisputably clear” and that they cannot demonstrate the necessity of an injunction.

America is headed over the fiscal cliff, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid declared on Thursday morning, blaming Speaker John Boehner.

America is headed over the fiscal cliff, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid declared on Thursday morning, blaming Speaker John Boehner.

The National Rifle Association may have gone dark on social media following one of the nation’s deadliest shooting sprees at a Connecticut elementary school on Friday, but the pro-gun lobbying organization has continued to publish new online video broadcasts from its official gun-related news arm, NRA News.

The National Rifle Association may have gone dark on social media following one of the nation’s deadliest shooting sprees at a Connecticut elementary school on Friday, but the pro-gun lobbying organization has continued to publish new online video broadcasts from its official gun-related news arm, NRA News.

Like many traumatic national events, the Newtown shooting has already spawned its share of wild conspiracy theories that draw in everything from British finance to the Hunger Games.

Like many traumatic national events, the Newtown shooting has already spawned its share of wild conspiracy theories that draw in everything from British finance to the Hunger Games.

Nikki Haley Appoints Tim Scott To Replace DeMint, Calls Choice ‘Historic’

South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley (R) officially appointed freshman Rep. Tim Scott (R) to serve the remainder of the retiring Sen. Jim DeMint’s (R) term Monday.

Although the news was not surprising, the ascendance of Scott was notable. He is the first African American Republican senator since Edward Brooke (R-MA) left the Senate in 1979 and the first African American senator from a southern state since Reconstruction.