Obama to unveil $3.77 trillion spending plan  —  President Obama plans Wednesday to unveil a $3.77 trillion spending plan that proposes modest new investments in infrastructure and education, major new taxes for the wealthy and significant reforms aimed at reducing the cost of Social Security and Medicare.

At Howard University, Rand Paul Falsely Claims He Never Opposed 1964 Civil Rights Act  —  Following an awkward, earnest speech to an audience at Howard University, Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) insisted several times that he did not oppose the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

Top Republican Blasts Obama Budget As ‘Shocking Attack On Seniors’  —  Remember those warnings about how instead of welcoming President Obama's adoption of Chained CPI, Republicans would continue to deny him a budget deal and attack him for proposing to cut Social Security?

Anthony Weiner and Huma Abedin's Post-Scandal Playbook  —  One day in early February, I met Anthony Weiner and Huma Abedin for breakfast at the Gramercy Park Hotel, one of their regular joints, just a few blocks from their apartment on Park Avenue South.  The first thing Weiner said when I sat …

Senators unveil deal on background checks  —  Sens. Joe Manchin and Pat Toomey unveiled a bipartisan deal to expand background checks for commercial gun purchases — including those at gun shows and online — Wednesday morning, opening a pathway for the biggest change in U.S. gun laws in nearly two decades.

Republican Congressman Cites Biblical Great Flood To Say Climate Change Isn't Man-Made  —  “If you believe in the Bible, one would have to say the Great Flood is an example of climate change.  That certainly wasn't because man had overdeveloped hydrocarbon energy.”  —  View Video ›

Senate votes 87-11 to confirm Sally Jewell as secretary of the Interior  —  The Senate approved Sally Jewell to be the next Interior Secretary on Wednesday, placing her atop an agency at the center of intense political battles over energy throughout President Obama's tenure.

First lady chokes up during speech on gun violence in Chicago  —  Michelle Obama on Wednesday choked up as she delivered an impassioned speech about gun violence in her hometown of Chicago.  —  The first lady became emotional as she talked about addressing the classmates of Hadiya Pendleton …

Grassley Proposes Eliminating 3 Seats On Powerful Court To Keep Obama From Filling Them  —  As ThinkProgress has previously explained, the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit is the second most powerful court in the country.  It's also a bastion …

Mad Men  —  Who's more dangerous to Americans than Kim Jong Un?  —  America is rightly on edge.  When a man with the power to make life-or-death decisions affecting thousands of U.S. citizens recklessly shows contempt for decency and international norms of behavior, it is no wonder the American people would be both angry and fearful.

New Documents Suggest IRS Reads Emails Without a Warrant  —  Everyone knows the IRS is our nation's tax collector, but it is also a law enforcement organization tasked with investigating criminal violations of the tax laws.  New documents released to the ACLU under the Freedom of Information Act reveal …

Photos: Bachmann aides hustle her out of Medicaid press conference  —  Congresswoman Michele Bachmann and State Senator Sean Nienow (R-Cambridge) held a joing news conference to discuss problems with Medicaid reimbursement rates paid to doctors in Minnesota.  Both are introducing legislation increasing accountability and transparency.

The Power of Talking to Your Baby  —  By the time a poor child is 1 year old, she has most likely already fallen behind middle-class children in her ability to talk, understand and learn.  The gap between poor children and wealthier ones widens each year, and by high school it has become a chasm.

Senators' Group Reaches Deal on Immigration  —  WASHINGTON — A bipartisan group of senators has largely agreed on a broad immigration bill that would require tough border measures to be in place before illegal immigrants could take the first steps to become American citizens …

Mitch McConnell aide: ‘Gestapo’ tactics  —  Sen. Mitch McConnell's campaign manager charged Wednesday that whoever obtained audio of the Kentucky Republican's strategists discussing opposition research on Ashley Judd was engaging in “Gestapo kind of scare tactics.”