CNN Breaking News - A yawn in yellow

Breaking News

Fewer people than expected file for first-time unemployment benefits -- 565,000 compared with 617,000 in previous week.

Can CNN.com's "Breaking News" banners get any more unsubstantial and anticlimactic?

It would be fine

Go ahead Texas, secede. Have fun governing your new, autonomous, country. Secure those borders!

But don't come crawling back when all the mobile home parks start to secede and form individual nations within Texas at the first sign of trouble. You're not our problem anymore.

You know what, we'll bum him one

In his final act of being a warm body at the helm of Meet The Press following Tim Russert's death, Tom Brokaw grilled President-elect Barack Obama on his inability to completely quit smoking.

Great line of questioning Tom, really incisive journalism that gets right to the heart of what the nation should be concerned about as Obama takes office.

Given the scope and magnitude of the messes he's inheriting, we think the guy ought to be allowed a couple burns a day, at least until things start looking up.

And here's to new host David Gregory passing a stress test.