BostonGlobe.com Political Headlines - December 6, 2012

• Brown in a political dilemma on tax position: As Congress approaches the fiscal cliff, Senator Scott Brown approaches a moment when he may be compelled to reverse his opposition to tax hikes for the rich. Globe Washington bureau chief Christopher Rowland covers.

• Report details Mass. fallout if no deal is made: No deal in fiscal cliff negotiations could cost 562,000 families in Massachusetts an average of $1,000 a year. Globe politics reporter Matt Viser outlines.

• After her record haul, Warren slips into red: Elizabeth Warren - considered a preeminent scholar of American debt - asked for donations to help pay what a campaign official said was $400,000 in red ink. Globe politics reporter Michael Levenson details.

• Maginn exiting role as head of state GOP: Massachusetts Republican State Committee chairman Robert A. Maginn Jr. announced Wednesday that he will not run for reelection next month. Globe politics reporter Stephanie Ebbert details.

• McGovern, Kerry tackle the Cold War: The case of a lawyer who died in a Russian jail has come to the fore as the US considers normalizing trade relations with Russia. Globe columnist Juliette Kayyem reports.

• Fracking is the new gold rush: The new, heady pursuit of oil, thanks to the reserves unleashed by fracking, raises the question: What will happen when the rush is gone? Globe columnist Derrick Z. Jackson covers.