Not Even Close: 2012 Was Hottest Ever in U.S.  —  The numbers are in: 2012, the year of a surreal March heat wave, a severe drought in the Corn Belt and a huge storm that caused broad devastation in the Middle Atlantic States, turns out to have been the hottest year ever recorded in the contiguous United States.

Lessons learned, Obama takes fights to Congress  —  Barack Obama is looking for a few good fights.  —  Obama, the same president who campaigned twice on breaking the cycle of conflict in Washington, sees the utility — even the necessity — of rattling Republican cages as he plunges …

In U.S., Democrats Re-Establish Lead in Party Affiliation  —  In 2012, 47% identified or leaned Democratic, 42% Republican  —  PRINCETON, NJ — An average of 47% of Americans identified as Democrats or said they were independents who leaned Democratic in 2012, compared with 42% who identified as or leaned Republican.

Rage Against the Coin  —  (From Talking Points Memo).  —  Well, the trillion-dollar-coin thing — deal with the debt ceiling by exploiting a legal loophole to have the Treasury mint one or more large-denomination coins, deposit them at the Fed, and use the cash in the new account to pay bills — has really taken off.

Why can't Republicans enforce law against Harry Reid?  —  WASHINGTON, DC - DECEMBER 11: Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) arrrives for a weekly policy luncheon with Democratic members of the U.S. Senate December 11, 2012 in Washington, DC.  The U.S. Congress is still negotiating pending …

Chuck Hagel Expanded On ‘Aggressively Gay’ Slur In 1998  —  Then-Sen. Chuck Hagel's remark to the Omaha World-Herald in 1998 that Clinton ambassadorial nominee James Hormel was “openly, aggressively gay” was only a part of what Hagel told the paper about his opposition to Hormel's nomination.

U.S. Is Open to Withdraw Afghan Force After 2014  —  WASHINGTON — On the eve of a visit by President Hamid Karzai of Afghanistan, the Obama administration said Tuesday that it was open to a so-called zero option that would involve leaving no American troops in Afghanistan after 2014, when the NATO combat mission there comes to an end.

Barney Frank: Why I want to be senator  —  Former Rep. Barney Frank says it was the year-end standoff over the fiscal cliff that prompted him to seek an appointment to John Kerry's Senate seat and then to go public with hopes for his next career move.  —  Asked why he changed his mind …

The Deficit Reduction We Have Achieved So Far  —  Since the start of fiscal year 2011, President Barack Obama has signed into law approximately $2.4 trillion of deficit reduction for the years 2013 through 2022.  Nearly three-quarters of that deficit reduction is in the form of spending cuts …

Hagel pick: Final snub of George W. Bush  —  The final insult to George W. Bush's foreign policy may have come in the form of a Republican ex-senator from Nebraska.  —  Chuck Hagel's nomination for secretary of defense has stirred opposition on both the left and the right …

At 100, still little love for Nixon  —  Richard Nixon would have turned 100 Wednesday, but about the only people marking the occasion are historians, family members and loyalists from the disgraced 37th president's administration.  —  And even they're slowly dying off.

Richard Blanco, 2013 Inaugural Poet  —  WASHINGTON — From the moment Barack Obama burst onto the political scene, the poet Richard Blanco, a son of Cuban exiles, says he felt “a spiritual connection” with the man who would become the nation's 44th president.

Here Is a List of All the A**holes Handsome Law-Abiding Citizens Who Own Guns Some People in New York City  —  Last month, the Journal News sparked a firestorm of protest when it published a mappable database of every licensed gun owner in Westchester and Rockland counties, north of New York City.

Bank Hacks Were Work of Iranians, Officials Say  —  SAN FRANCISCO — The attackers hit one American bank after the next.  As in so many previous attacks, dozens of online banking sites slowed, hiccupped or ground to a halt before recovering several minutes later.

Can Chris Christie rescue the GOP?  —  A pair of polls out this week shows the dire state the Republican Party finds itself in — and a way out of the wilderness, should Republicans choose to take it.  —  Poll No. 1: Rasmussen Reports found that views of the tea party …

Police have stopped me 25 times... just because I'm black: Stephen Lawrence's teacher brother launches damning race case against the Met  —  Stephen Lawrence's brother last night claimed police have stopped him 25 times simply because of the colour of his skin.

Call Time For Congress Shows How Fundraising Dominates Bleak Work Life … REACT:  —  FOLLOW:  —  Barney Frank, Congress, Video, Alcee Hastings, Congress Fundraising, Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, Call Time Congress, Campaign Fundraising, Congress Fundraising Calls …

Cuomo to Propose Broader Ban on Assault Weapons  —  ALBANY — Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo, pushing New York to become the first state to enact major new gun laws in the wake of the massacre in Newtown, Conn., plans on Wednesday to propose one of the country's most restrictive bans on assault weapons.

Glenn Beck Relaunching The Blaze As Global Libertarian News Network  —  Beck takes a shot at Fox as he expands his news network with foreign bureaus and a new show.  “I consider myself a libertarian... I'm a lot closer to Penn Jillette than I am to Chuck Hagel.”

Al Gore's Oil-Fueled Al-Jazeera Deal Follows A String Of Green Energy Fiascos  —  Al Gore, chairman and co-founder of Current TV, and Joel Hyatt, executive vice chairman and co-founder of Current TV.  (Image credit: via @daylife)  —  Al-Jazeera, the anti-Israeli network funded by Qatar …

Coalition misses 70 election pledges  —  David Cameron and Nick Clegg will on Wednesday publish a candid assessment of the Coalition's successes and failures that was excluded from its Mid-term Review, The Daily Telegraph has learnt.  —  A section of the document discusses how Mr Cameron and Mr Clegg could explain ‘broken pledges’

Apple Working on a Less-Expensive iPhone  —  Apple Inc. is working on a lower-end iPhone, according to people briefed on the matter, a big shift in corporate strategy as its supremacy in smartphones has slipped.  —  While Apple has explored such a device for years, the plan is progressing …

Wal-Mart Misses a Meeting With Biden on Gun Violence  —  The White House extended an invitation to Wal-Mart Stores Inc. to participate in a meeting Thursday focused on curbing gun violence, but the retailer declined due to a scheduling conflict, a company spokesman said.

FAU prof stirs controversy by disputing Newtown massacre  —  Gabby Giffords launches site to stop gun violence  —  A communication professor known for conspiracy theories has stirred controversary at Florida Atlantic University with claims that last month's Newtown, Conn. …

Column: How home schooling threatens monopoly education  —  In an era when everything is customizable, why not customize your child's education?  —  STORY HIGHLIGHTS  — Americans across the country are voting with their feet and abandoning traditional public schools.  —  “What about home schooling?