Senate Poised to Pass Defense Bill. The Senate is poised to pass the Defense authorization bill despite Republican anger toward Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) over blocking amendment votes. At least six Republicans say they will vote to end debate on the measure, clearing the way for the Defense bill to reach 60 votes and be sent to President Obama's desk this week. The Hill

Paul Threatens to Keep Senate From Christmas Vacation Over Fed Fight. Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) is threatening to keep the Senate in session by dragging out Janet Yellen's confirmation as head of the Federal Reserve. The noted central bank critic said Tuesday that he was prepared to force the Senate to exhaust the full 30 hours of debate on Yellen's nomination if he did not receive a vote on his legislation to fully audit the Fed. His push comes as senators are trying to wrap up their work for the year. The Hill

Report: Alaska Among States Criticized for Infectious Disease Prevention, Control. A new national report card took Alaska to task for not requiring hospitals to report when they make patients sick with infectious diseases, but lauded the state for covering HIV screenings under Medicaid. In a state-by-state ranking announced Tuesday morning by the Trust for America's Health and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, two nonprofits that focus on public-health issues, Alaska scored 50 percent for overall control and prevention of infectious diseases. While a 5 of 10 is typically a failing mark, only 16 states and Washington, D.C., surpassed Alaska's rating. Anchorage Daily News

All's Quiet on the Arctic Front. Many have predicted that recent developments in the Arctic herald the beginning of a "new cold war". A warming Arctic has prompted new territorial claims, opened up new trade routes and increased competition for resources. Most recently, further tension has been implied, as Russia announced a military buildup in the north and the US issuing its first Arctic plan.  However, despite what has been reported in the media, Arctic countries are "keeping their cool" in the face of a rapidly changing area rich in potential. Arctic Journal

Canada's Woodland Caribou may be at Risk of Extinction. An environmental group says more needs to be done to prevent an iconic Canadian animal from going extinct. The Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society (CPAWS) released a report Tuesday, co-authored by the David Suzuki Foundation, an environmental non-profit organization, on the status of woodland caribou. CBC News obtained an embargoed copy of the report, "Population Critical: How are the caribou faring?" Alaska Dispatch

Oceans Storing More Carbon Than Previously Thought. Oceans cover about 70 percent of the Earth's surface, and act as an important carbon sink. However, each part of the ocean works in different ways to take up carbon from the atmosphere and store it. Two new studies shed light on the nuances how these processes work in the Arctic Ocean and coastal zones. The findings about the Arctic Ocean were published recently in the journal Global Biogeochemical Cycles. Stephanie Dutkiewicz, a research scientist at the Massachusetts Institute for Technology, worked with colleagues to figure out how decreasing sea ice in the summer is affecting the carbon cycle in that ocean basin from 1997-2006. Huffington Post

Snowy-Owl Migration to U.S. Among Biggest Ever. Snowy owls - large, fluffy, white birds typically found in the Arctic and rarely seen south of the Great Lakes - have swooped down upon the eastern United States in greater numbers than at any time in at least 50 years, one bird expert says. The owls have been spotted as far south as Bermuda, the Carolinas and Missouri, according to news reports. This migration of snowy owls southward is called an irruption, and this is the "largest of its kind in recent memory," said Kevin McGowan, a bird expert at the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology at Cornell University. Discovery