Penalty could keep smokers out of health overhaul — Here’s a possible new cost for people with the cigarette habit. Experts say millions of smokers could be priced out of health insurance because of tobacco penalties under President Barack Obama’s health care law. The Affordable Care Act allows health insurers to charge smokers buying an individual policy up to 50 percent higher premiums starting next Jan. 1. A 60-year-old smoker could wind up paying nearly $5,100 on top of normal premiums. Younger smokers could be charged lower penalties under rules proposed last fall by the Obama administration. Workers with job-based coverage can avoid tobacco penalties by joining a smoking cessation program.

N. Korea nuke plan ‘provocative’ — North Korea’s plan to conduct a third nuclear test is “needlessly provocative” and will only increase its isolation, the White House said Thursday, as the U.S. expanded its financial sanctions against the north Asian country. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said he’s seen no outward sign that North Korea will follow through soon on its plan to conduct a test — following its underground atomic explosions in 2006 and 2009. North Korea’s National Defense Commission said Thursday a nuclear test was part of “upcoming” action directed against the U.S. but did not say exactly when or where it would take place.

Mali militant group splinters — Ansar Dine, one of the main Islamic militant groups fighting to control Mali, split in two Thursday when one of its leaders said in a statement published by Radio France Internationale that he would form his own group to seek negotiations to settle the country’s crisis. The new group, which calls itself the Islamic Movement for the Azawad and is led by Alghabass Ag Intalla, a prominent leader of the Tuareg ethnic group, said it was prepared to fight its former allies as the conflict in the remote northeast of the country becomes more complex.

Senate alters filibuster rules — The Senate’s senior Democrat and Republican reached agreement Thursday to impose modest limits on the filibuster, the delaying tactics that minority parties have long used to kill legislation. The deal would reduce — but not eliminate — the number of times opponents can use filibusters and also limit the time spent debating some bills and nominations. The pact does not represent a dramatic reworking of Senate rules and leaves the minority party with far more power than it has in the House, where procedures allow a united majority party to muscle through its priorities.

Al-Qaida No. 2 in Yemen succumbs to wounds — The man who was once Al-Qaida’s second-in-command in Yemen has died of wounds suffered in a U.S. drone attack last year in southern Yemen, the country’s official news agency and a security official said Thursday. Saeed al-Shihri, a Saudi national who fought in Afghanistan and spent six years in the U.S. military prison at Guantanamo Bay, was wounded in a missile attack in the southern city of Saada on Oct. 28, according to SABA news agency. The agency said that he had fallen into a coma since then. It was not clear when he actually died. A security official said that the missile had been fired by a U.S.-operated, unmanned drone aircraft. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the press.

Fort Hood suspect may be spared death penalty — The new judge in the Fort Hood shooting case will decide next week whether to spare Maj. Nidal Hasan the death penalty and let him plead guilty. The military judge will decide whether to remove execution as a punishment option for the Army psychiatrist charged in the 2009 rampage. Col. Tara Osborn has set pretrial hearings for next Wednesday through Friday. Army rules prohibit a judge from accepting a guilty plea in a death penalty case. Hasan, charged with 13 counts of premeditated murder, faces execution or life in military prison without parole if convicted. His trial date has not been set.

Jindal to GOP: ‘Stop being the stupid party’ — Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal on Thursday challenged fellow Republicans to “go after every voter” and cautioned them to “stop being the stupid party.” “It’s no secret we had a number of Republicans who damaged the brand this year with offensive and bizarre comments,” he told around 200 members and guests of the Republican National Committee meeting in Charlotte, N.C. Jindal, considered a possible 2016 presidential candidate, said Republicans can beat Democrats on their ideas while appealing to all Americans — beyond Washington. “We have fallen into the trap of believing the world revolves around Washington,” he said. “We have to recalibrate the compass of conservatism. Our principles are timeless. But we do need to reorient our focus to the place where conservatism thrives — in the real world beyond the Washington Beltway.”

— From wire reports