Robert Menendez donor courted President Obama, Harry Reid  —  Salomon Melgen had a knack for going straight to the top.  —  He posed for pictures with President Barack Obama, flew Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid on his private jet and sought advice on a port security deal from an ex-CIA agent …

Religious Right Could Be Left Behind By New Republican Plan  —  Abandoned by the Establishment, beset by libertarians, the base is playing defense.  —  When the great Republican resurrection comes to pass, will conservative Christians be left behind?  —  Some leaders of the religious right …

Sanford advances to GOP runoff in SC House race  —  CHARLESTON, S.C. — Former South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford advanced Tuesday to a runoff in the Republican contest for an open congressional seat, taking a step toward reviving a political career that was derailed by an extramarital affair while he was governor.

G.O.P. Opposition to Immigration Law Is Falling Away  —  WASHINGTON — Republican opposition to legalizing the status of millions of illegal immigrants is crumbling in the nation's capital as leading lawmakers in the party scramble to halt eroding support among Hispanic voters …

South Korea raises alert after hackers attack broadcasters, banks  —  (Reuters) - South Korean authorities were investigating a hacking attack that brought down the servers of three broadcasters and two major banks on Wednesday, and the army raised its alert level due to concerns of North Korean involvement.

Roger Ailes Couldn't Care Less What You Think About His Obama Comments  —  The Fox News chief tells Howard Kurtz he stands by the laziness charge and says Sarah Palin made ‘mistakes’ and that Dick Morris looked like a ‘jerk’ when he predicted a Romney landslide.  Plus, read the 16 juiciest bits from the new Ailes biography.

Cyprus seeks Russian bailout aid, EU threatens cutoff  —  (Reuters) - Cyprus pleaded for a new loan from Russia on Wednesday to avert a financial meltdown, but won no immediate relief after the island's parliament rejected the terms of a European bailout, raising the risk of default and a bank crash.

Spineless pols spit on the graves of Newtown victims by not pushing for assault weapons ban  —  The words of a teary-eyed President and other politicians meant nothing, because they didn't turn into action, as a ban on assault weapons won't be included in gun legislation that's shaping up in the U.S. Senate.

Americans Widely Back Government Job Creation Proposals  —  Seven in 10 favor business tax breaks and infrastructure repair programs  —  PRINCETON, NJ — Americans widely support each of three job creation proposals, including offering tax breaks to businesses that create jobs in the U.S …

Family's Home Raided over Facebook Photo of Child's Rifle  —  New Jersey police and Dept. of Children and Families officials raided the home of a firearms instructor and demanded to see his guns after he posted a Facebook photo of his 11-year-old son holding a rifle.  —  FOLLOW TODD ON FACEBOOK FOR CULTURE WAR NEWS.

Fla. poll: Crist crushes Gov. Scott  —  Former Florida Gov. Charlie Crist easily beats the Sunshine State's current Gov. Rick Scott in a gubernatorial matchup, according to a new poll Wednesday.  —  Crist — who switched to the Democratic Party after having served as a GOP governor …

Clinton courts alternative to Judd  —  Democratic heavy hitters — including Bill Clinton — are quietly trying to woo a new candidate to jump into the race to unseat Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, even as actress Ashley Judd is taking steps toward launching a star-studded campaign of her own.

Sugary Drinks Linked To 180,000 Annual Deaths Around The World  —  New research finds that the consumption of sugary drinks and sodas contributes to about 180,000 obesity-related deaths around the world — including the deaths of about 25,000 adult Americans — each year.

Pope Francis' Old Colleagues Recall Pragmatic Streak  —  BUENOS AIRES — The very idea was anathema to many of the bishops in the room.  —  Argentina was on the verge of approving gay marriage, and the Roman Catholic Church was desperate to stop that from happening.

Exclusive: No More Drones for CIA  —  Three senior officials tell Daniel Klaidman that the Obama administration is poised to shift the CIA's drone program to the Pentagon.  —  At a time when controversy over the Obama administration's drone program seems to be cresting …

Angry man takes microphone from KC mayor at speech  —  Mayor Sly James of Kansas City was delivering an upbeat State of the City speech Tuesday when an irate man commandeered the microphone at the Gem Theater.  —  The man was quickly tackled on the stage by bodyguard Marlon Buie and taken to a back area …

Issa video slams Obama over canceled White House tours  —  House Oversight Committee Chairman Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) is hammering President Obama over cancelled White House tours, with a new video accusing him of failing to take responsibility for the decision.

Want to Win Your March Madness Pool?  Don't Follow Obama's Bracket.  —  There's no doubt that President Obama enjoys basketball.  Just ask Chicago Bulls Hall of Famer Scottie Pippen.  Or future Hall of Famer LeBron James.  Or—sure, why not—Education Secretary Arne Duncan.

Octomom — Authorites Probing for Possible Welfare Fraud  —  Possible Welfare Fraud  —  EXCLUSIVE  —  Octomom Nadya Suleman is under the microscope after a complaint was lodged that she committed welfare fraud ... and if it's true Octo could go to prison.

American Withdrawal and Global Disorder  —  As Obama ends U.S. security guarantees, nuclear weapons and violence will spread.  —  Since the days of the Monroe Doctrine, American foreign policy has rested on a global system of explicit or implicit commitments to use military power to guarantee the interests of the U.S. and its allies.

Ten Years After  —  Ten years after it began, the Iraq war still haunts the United States in the nearly 4,500 troops who died there; the more than 30,000 American wounded who have come home; the more than $2 trillion spent on combat operations and reconstruction, which inflated the deficit …

Twitter gets a patent on... Twitter  —  Although Twitter famously has a pending patent on the familiar “pull-to-refresh” gesture, the company may have just acquired something more valuable: a patent on the Twitter messaging service itself.  The new patent issued today with Twitter founders Jack Dorsey …