Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, already being mentioned as a possible 2016 presidential hopeful, responded to a question about the Earth's age with, "I'm not a scientist, man." While he sits on the Senate's science subcommittee, Rubio called it a "dispute amongst theologians."

The election is over. Or is it? Both sides look ready to start fighting again should President Obama nominate U.N. Ambassador Susan Rice to succeed Hillary Clinton as secretary of state.

Post-election pomp and circumstance seem to be in our national DNA, but there have been some low-key inaugurals, including during the Great Depression and World War II. With a looming fiscal cliff, is this the time for a simple swearing-in ceremony on Jan. 21, rather than another megamillion-dollar blowout?

And 10 days after the election, three other too-close-to-call House races also remain undecided — in North Carolina, Arizona and Louisiana

The country knew who its next president would be late in the evening of Election Day. But despite a nationwide push to electronic voting, some municipalities took days longer to finish counting their votes. Larry Norden of the Brennan Center for Justice looks at technologies and systems that worked during this year's election, and at voting processes that fell short of the mark in counting the vote.

As members of the House and Senate head to Capitol Hill for the final weeks of this Congress, perhaps they will bring the "Spirit of 2010" with them. Despite partisan bickering, the lame-duck session two years ago got big things done. Then again, those lawmakers weren't being asked to avert a fiscal cliff.

Some analysts are saying that Republicans appear to have the long-range advantage over Democrats when it comes to winning enough seats to control the House, not so much because of redistricting but because of the clustering of Democratic voters in fewer congressional districts.

A new Pew post-election survey also finds voters pessimistic about partisan cooperation, and still most concerned about the economy and jobs.