• Conaway named House Ethics chair: U.S. Rep. K. Michael Conaway (R-TX) has been named the new chair of the House Ethics Committee by House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH). (Roll Call)

• Owens, Schock cases go to ethics panel: Cases related to U.S. Reps. Bill Ownens (D-NY) and Aaron Schock (R-IL) have been sent from the Office of Congressional Ethics to the House Ethics Committee, which will announce its next steps by the end of January. (Roll Call)

• Closed-door fiscal talks OK? Government watchdog groups say that while some of the negotiations related to the fiscal cliff may need to be made in private, any legislation that comes out of the talks needs to be open for public review and comment. (NPR)

• Decision looms on Google case: The Federal Trade Commission’s decision about whether Google will face an antitrust lawsuit could come before the end of the year, if the panel sticks to a self-imposed deadline. (The Hill

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